Local
Gay prosecutor rejected for judgeship in Va.
GOP lawmakers denounced for killing nomination of former Navy pilot
Virginia’s Republican-controlled House of Delegates created an uproar among rival Democrats and LGBT activists early Tuesday morning when it voted to reject the nomination of gay Richmond prosecutor Tracy Thorne-Begland for the post of General District Court judge.
The 1 a.m. vote came in the last hour of the Virginia General Assembly’s 2012 legislative session. It followed claims by several Republican delegates that Thorne was unfit to be a judge because he has been an advocate for LGBT rights and couldn’t make impartial rulings on the bench.
The opposing lawmakers, led by Del. Bob Marshall (R-Prince William County), also charged that Thorne-Begland “misrepresented” himself on an enlistment application by not disclosing he was gay when he joined the Navy.
Thorne-Begland, a decorated Naval officer and fighter pilot, became a nationally recognized advocate for ending the military’s ban on gay service members in 1992 when he disclosed that he is gay, leading to his honorable discharge from the service a short time later.
“The fact that he defied his oath and could not have been candid on the application – that’s highly problematic and it stays with you,” Marshall told his colleagues.
When the vote was called, 33 delegates – 25 Democrats and eight Republicans — voted for the nomination, with 31 lawmakers – all Republicans – voting against the nomination. But nine Republicans and one independent abstained from voting and 19 Republicans and seven Democrats either were absent or did not vote, preventing Thorne-Begland from obtaining the 51 votes needed to approve the nomination in the 100-member House.
Under Virginia’s procedure for appointing judges, the General Assembly members representing Richmond, the area where Thorne-Begland would have served as a judge, placed his name in nomination after determining he was qualified for the post. Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell didn’t advocate for Thorne-Begland’s nomination but issued a statement on Tuesday saying judicial nominees “must be considered based solely on their merit, record, aptitude and skill.”
Thorne-Begland, 45, serves as Richmond’s Chief Deputy Commonwealth’s Attorney and has worked as a Richmond prosecutor for 12 years.
His boss, Richmond Commonwealth’s Attorney Michael Herring, called Thorne-Begland highly qualified to serve as a judge.
“It’s hard to think about what happened in the General Assembly and not conclude that it’s a form of bigotry,” Herring said at a news conference in Richmond Tuesday afternoon. He called the vote to defeat Thorne-Begland an “embarrassment” for the state.
“The debate in the House of Delegates was homophobic and embarrassing,” said Virginia State Sen. Adam Ebbin (D-Alexandria), who is gay. “It showed disrespect to a Chief Deputy Commonwealth’s Attorney and decorated veteran who was honorably discharged,” Ebbin said. “It’s also offensive that the Senate wouldn’t even grant Lt. Thorne-Begland the courtesy of a vote.”
Ebbin was referring to a unanimous vote by Senate Republicans to invoke a parliamentary procedure that blocked the Senate from voting on Thorne-Begland’s nomination. Ebbin noted that although a Senate vote in favor of the nomination could not have saved the nomination because both houses are needed to approve it, he said the Senate should have taken a vote on the issue.
“I believe the Senate would have voted in favor of the nomination,” he told the Blade.
Thorne-Begland would have become Virginia’s first openly gay judge if the General Assembly had approved his nomination.
A Washington Post editorial said Thorne-Begland’s nomination was “sabotaged by an ugly campaign of homophobic bigotry led by Virginia Republicans.”
Equality Virginia, a statewide LGBT advocacy group, said it was especially troubled that too many lawmakers succumbed to “fear mongering and shrill personal attacks” against Thorne-Begland by the Virginia Family Foundation, which opposes LGBT rights.
“The fact that the legislature caved in to the Family Foundation’s biased blathering is another unfortunate marker on the forced march to the past on which they seem determined to lead the Commonwealth,” Equality Virginia said in a May 15 statement.
Virginia
Arlington LGBTQ bar Freddie’s celebrates 25th anniversary
Owner asks public to support D.C.-area gay bars
An overflowing crowd turned out Sunday night, March 1, for the 25th anniversary celebration of Freddie’s Beach Bar, the LGBTQ bar and restaurant located in the Crystal City section of Arlington, Va.
The celebration began as longtime patrons sitting at tables and at the bar ordered drinks, snacks, and full meals as several of Freddie’s well-known drag queens performed on a decorated stage.
Roland Watkins, an official with Equality NoVa, an LGBTQ advocacy organization based in the Northern Virginia areas of Arlington, Alexandria, and Fairfax County, next told the gathering about the history of Freddie’s Beach Bar and the role he said that owner Freddie Lutz has played in broadening the bar’s role into a community gathering place.
“Twenty-five years ago, opening a gay bar in Arlington was not a given,” Watkins told the crowd from the stage. “It took courage, convincing, and a deep belief that our community belongs openly, visibly, and proudly,” he said. “And that belief came from Freddie.”
Watkins and others familiar with Freddie’s noted that under Lutz’s leadership and support from his staff, Freddie’s provided support and a gathering place for LGBTQ organizations and a place where Virginia elected officials, and candidates running for public office, came to express their support for the LGBTQ community.
“Over the past 25 years, Freddie’s has become more than a bar,” Watkins said. “It has become a community maker.”
Lutz, who spoke next, said he was moved by the outpouring of support from long-time customers. “Thank you all so much for coming tonight and thank you all so much for your support over the past 25 years,” he said. “I can’t tell you how much that means to me and how much it’s kept me going.”
But Lutz then said Freddie’s, like many other D.C. area gay bars, continues to face economic hard times that he said began during the COVID pandemic. He noted that fewer customers are coming to Freddie’s in recent years, with a significant drop in patronage for his once lucrative weekend buffet brunches.
“So, I don’t want to be the daddy downer on my 25-year anniversary,” he said. “But this was actually the worst year we’ve ever had,” he added. “And I guess what I’m asking is please help us out. Not just me, but all the gay bars in the area.” He added, “I’m reaching out and I’m appealing to you not to forget the gay bars.”
Lutz received loud, prolonged applause, with many customers hugging him as he walked off the stage.
In an official statement released at the reveal event Capital Pride Alliance described its just announced 2026 Pride theme of “Exist, Resist, Have the Audacity” as a “bold declaration affirming the presence, resilience, and courage of LGBTQ+ people around the world.”
The statement adds, “Grounded in the undeniable truth that our existence is not up for debate, this year’s theme calls on the community to live loudly and proudly, stand firm against injustice and erasure, and embody the collective strength that has always defined the LGBTQ+ community.”
In a reference to the impact of the hostile political climate, the statement says, “In a time when LGBTQ+ rights and history continue to face challenges, especially in our Nation’s Capital, where policy and public discourse shape the future of our country, together, we must ensure that our voices are visible, heard, and unapologetically centered.”
The statement also quotes Capital Pride Alliance CEO and President Ryan Bos’s message at the Reveal event: “This year’s theme is both a declaration and a demand,” Bos said. “Exist, Resist, Have Audacity! reflects the resilience of our community and our responsibility to protect the progress we’ve made. As we look toward our nation’s 250th anniversary, we affirm that LGBTQ+ people have always been and always will be part of the United States’s history, and we will continue shaping its future with strength and resolve,” he concluded.
District of Columbia
Capital Pride board member resigns, alleges failure to address ‘sexual misconduct’
In startling letter, Taylor Chandler says board’s inaction protected ‘sexual predator’
Taylor Lianne Chandler, a member of the Capital Pride Alliance Board of Directors since 2019 who most recently served as the board’s secretary, submitted a letter of resignation on Feb. 24 that alleges the board has failed to address instances of “sexual misconduct” within the Capital Pride organization.
The Washington Blade received a copy of Chandler’s resignation letter one day after she submitted it from an anonymous source. Chandler, who identifies as transgender and intersex, said in an interview that she did not send the letter to the Blade, but she suspected someone associated with Capital Pride, which organizes D.C.’s annual LGBTQ Pride events, “wants it out in the open.”
“It is with a heavy heart, but with absolute clarity, that I submit my resignation from the Capital Pride Alliance Board of Directors effective immediately,” Chandler states in her letter. “I have devoted nearly ten years of my life to this organization,” she wrote, pointing to her initial involvement as a volunteer and later as a producer of events as chair of the organization’s Transgender, Gender Non-Conforming, and Intersex Committee.
“Capital Pride once meant something profound to me – a space of safety, visibility, and community for people who have often been denied all three,” her letter continues. “That is no longer the organization I am part of today.”
“I, along with other board members, brought forward credible concerns regarding sexual misconduct – a pattern of behavior spanning years – to the attention of this board,” Chandler states in the letter. “What followed was not accountability. What followed was retaliation. Rather than addressing the substance of what was reported, officers and fellow board members chose to chastise those of us who came forward.”
The letter adds, “This board has made its priorities clear through its actions: protecting a sexual predator matters more than protecting the people who had the courage to come forward. … I have been targeted, bullied, and made to feel like an outsider for doing what any person of integrity would do – telling the truth.”
In response to a request from the Blade for comment, Anna Jinkerson, who serves as chair of the Capital Pride board, sent the Blade a statement praising Taylor Chandler’s efforts as a Capital Pride volunteer and board member but did not specifically address the issue of alleged sexual misconduct.
“We’re also aware that her resignation letter has been shared with the media and has listed concerns,” Jinkerson said in her statement. “When concerns are brought to CPA, we act quickly and appropriately to address them,” she said.
“As we continue to grow our organization, we’re proactively strengthening the policies and procedures that shape our systems, our infrastructure, and the support we provide to our team and partners,” Jinkerson said in her statement. “We’re doing this because the community’s experience with CPA must always be safe, affirming, empowering, and inclusive,” she added.
In an interview with the Blade, Chandler said she was not the target of the alleged sexual harassment.
She said a Capital Pride investigation identified one individual implicated in a “pattern” of sexual harassment related behavior over a period of time. But she said she was bound by a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) that applies to all board members and she cannot disclose the name of the person implicated in alleged sexual misconduct or those who came forward to complain about it.
“It was one individual, but there was a pattern and a history,” Chandler said, noting that was the extent of what she can disclose.
“And I’ll say this,” she added. “In my opinion, with gay culture sometimes the touchy feely-ness that goes on seems to be like just part of the culture, not necessarily the same as a sexual assault or whatever. But at the same time, if someone does not want those advances and they’re saying no and trying to push you away and trying to avoid you, then it makes it that way regardless of the culture.”
When asked about when the allegations of sexual harassment first surfaced, Chandler said, “In the past year is when the allegation came forward from one individual. But in the course of this all happening, other individuals came forward and talked about instances – several which showed a pattern.”
Chandler’s resignation comes about five months after Capital Pride Alliance announced in a statement released in October 2025 that its then board president, Ashley Smith, resigned from his position on Oct. 18 after Capital Pride became aware of a “claim” regarding Smith. The statement said the group retained an independent firm to investigate the matter, but it released no further details since that time. Smith has declined to comment on the matter.
When asked by the Blade if the Smith resignation could be linked in some way to allegations of sexual misconduct, Chandler said, “I can’t make a comment one way or the other on that.”
Chandler’s resignation and allegations come after Capital Pride Alliance has been credited with playing the lead role in organizing the World Pride celebration hosted by D.C. in which dozens of LGBTQ-related Pride events were held from May through June of 2025.
The letter of resignation also came just days before Capital Pride Alliance’s annual “Reveal” event scheduled for Feb. 26 at the Hamilton Hotel in which the theme for D.C.’s June 2026 LGBTQ Pride events was to be announced along with other Pride plans.
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