Local
D.C. anti-bullying bill stalls
Cost of implementation a factor in hold-up
Advocates rally for safer schools in Washington D.C. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
An anti-bullying bill introduced in the D.C. City Council in January 2011 is stalled in committee because its supporters haven’t been able to figure out how to pay for its implementation, according to an aide to D.C. Council member Tommy Wells (D-Ward 6).
Charles Allen, Wells’ chief of staff, said Wells is facilitating discussions with advocates for the legislation and with the city’s Chief Financial Officer to identify funding sources and make changes to lower the potential cost of putting the bill’s provisions in place.
Wells is chair of the Council’s Committee on Libraries, Parks, Recreation and Planning, one of two committees with jurisdiction over the Bullying and Intimidation Prevention Act.
The bill would require D.C. public schools, city public charter schools, the Department of Parks and Recreation, the D.C. public library system, and the University of the District of Columbia to adopt policies “prohibiting harassment, intimidation or bullying” at their respective facilities.
At the time it was introduced, 11 of the Council’s 13 members signed on as co-introducers or co-sponsors of the bill.
LGBT activists said the bill was needed because large numbers of LGBT youth are victims of bullying in schools, parks and other public places. They praised the introduction of the bill but called on the Council to strengthen its enforcement and implementation provisions, saying shortcomings in the bill would prevent it from having a meaningful impact on the problem of bullying.
Allen said a problem arose when the Office of the D.C. Chief Financial Officer, an agency independent of the Council and the mayor, reviewed the bill in its role of preparing a financial impact statement for all proposed city legislation. According to Allen, the Office of the CFO indicated informally that the cost would be high for implementing the anti-bullying bill and the Council would have to determine where it would obtain the funds to pay for the implementation.
He said Wells wants to make changes to the bill to reduce the potential costs before the CFO’s office issues its official financial impact statement.
“Unless there is a plan to pay for it we would be passing empty legislation,” Allen said. “We don’t want to do that. We want to make sure that whatever we pass, it is something that can be put in place and implemented.”
He said Wells was hopeful that revisions could be made in the legislation that would lower the potential costs.
Council Chair Kwame Brown (D-At-Large) serves as chair of the Council’s Committee of the Whole, which has concurrent jurisdiction over the bill in its role of overseeing the city’s public school system. Allison Abney, a spokesperson for Brown, said Brown has delegated the task of resolving the funding issue to Wells’ committee.
“We’re working with them and monitoring this very closely,” she said.
The Comings & Goings column is about sharing the professional successes of our community. We want to recognize those landing new jobs, new clients for their business, joining boards of organizations and other achievements. Please share your successes with us at [email protected].
The Comings & Goings column also invites LGBTQ college students to share their successes with us. If you have been elected to a student government position, gotten an exciting internship, or are graduating and beginning your career with a great job, let us know so we can share your success.
Congratulations to Yadiel Meléndez, on their new role as Community Associate, with the Wanda Alston Foundation. Meléndez is piloting a new role as a Community Associate at the Wanda Alston Foundation, where they support queer and trans young people in finding their footing, building independence, and experiencing a housing community where they are seen, valued, and affirmed. They are coming into this role with more than a decade of experience as a community organizer and operations specialist, supporting diverse communities through service, advocacy, and program coordination.
Previously they worked for Right Proper Brewing Shaw as a server and bartender and at Sephora, Washington, DC, and at FreshFarm, DC, in bilingual food access. They also worked freelance to build foundational structures for local queer BIPOC performance art coalitions, producing variety shows to curate space for marginalized performance artists in the community. They were a production manager for Haus of Hart Productions, a BIPOC centric performance art production. They also worked as field staff with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention in Stafford, Va.
Meléndez is bilingual, Spanish and English. Their work is guided by a commitment to dignity, safety, and trauma-informed engagement, particularly within LGBTQ and BIPOC communities.
Congratulations also to Ben Rosen LICSW, on his new role as program director, with the Wanda Alston Foundation. Rosen previously worked with Fountain House’s OnRamps program, helping to build a new, innovative outreach program for individuals considered chronically homeless, and living with serious mental illness, in the Times Square area of New York. Rosen is a Psychotherapist, having worked with SG Psychotherapy, and as the psychotherapist with the Nest Community Health Center (URAM).
Rosen has a B.F.A. in Theatre Arts: Musical Theatre, Minor in Psychology (Cum Laude) from Malloy University Conservatory; and his M.S.W. in Clinical Practice with Individuals, Families, and Groups, from The Silberman School of Social Work, Hunter College, N.Y. He is independently licensed in New York and Washington, D.C.
Rehoboth Beach
BLUF leather social set for April 10 in Rehoboth
Attendees encouraged to wear appropriate gear
Diego’s in Rehoboth Beach hosts a monthly leather happy hour. April’s edition is scheduled for Friday, April 10, 5-7 p.m. Attendees are encouraged to wear appropriate gear. The event is billed as an official event of BLUF, the free community group for men interested in leather. After happy hour, the attendees are encouraged to reconvene at Local Bootlegging Company for dinner, which allows cigar smoking. There’s no cover charge for either event.
District of Columbia
Celebrations of life planned for Sean Bartel
Two memorial events scheduled in D.C.
Two celebrations of life are planned for Sean Christopher Bartel, 48, who was found deceased on a hiking trail in Argentina on or around March 15. Bartel began his career as a television news reporter and news anchor at stations in Louisville, Ky., and Evansville, Ind., before serving as Senior Video Producer for the D.C.-based International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers union from 2013 to 2024.
A memorial gathering is planned for Friday, April 10, 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. at the IBEW International Office (900 7th St., N.W.), according to a statement by the DC Gay Flag Football League, where Bartel was a longtime member. A celebration of life is planned that same evening, 6-8 p.m. at Trade (1410 14th St., N.W.).
Minimal version of ‘Streetcar Named Desire’ heading to Dupont Underground
Comings & Goings
An effort to increase the number of psychiatrists of color
Calendar: April 10-16
BLUF leather social set for April 10 in Rehoboth
Police mental health struggles gain growing attention
Man faces first S.C. ‘hate intimidation’ charge
Cuba under pressure and without answers
Tenn. lawmakers pass transgender “watch list” bill
