Local
Maryland Chick-fil-A vandalized with gay rights stickers, posters
Vandalism comes nearly a month after Dan Cathy spoke out against same-sex marriage
Photo courtesy of Chick-fil-A
Frederick police continue their investigation into who may have used pro-gay stickers and other items to vandalize a local Chick-fil-A over the weekend.
Captain Tim Clark of the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office told the Blade that officers found blue and yellow Human Rights Campaign stickers, rainbow signs and what he described as “several homemade posters with statements” on the restaurant’s windows when they responded to the scene on Urbana Pike yesterday afternoon. Clark said the vandalism took place sometime between midnight on Saturday and 2:40 p.m. on Sunday when he said the department first learned about the incident.
“The office had received reports from passersby that they had noticed some posters, stickers and so-forth placed on the windows at Chick-fil-A,” he said. “We responded. The deputy took a report.”
Clark noted there was no physical damage to the restaurant on Urbana Pike, and management had begun to remove the glue used to secure the stickers and posters to the wall. Investigators continue to gather surveillance footage from the area to identify a potential suspect.
This incident took place nearly a month after Chick-fil-A President Dan Cathy spoke out against marriage rights for same-sex couples during an interview with the Baptist Press.
Roughly 15 people gathered outside the downtown Silver Spring Chick-fil-A on Aug. 3 to take part in a “kiss-in” to protest Cathy’s comments. A handful of protesters also gathered outside the Crystal City Chick-fil-A earlier this month on “Chick-fil-A Customer Appreciation Day” that former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and other social conservatives supported, while HRC organized a separate demonstration outside the restaurant’s downtown D.C. food truck on July 26.
Media reports indicate that vandals have targeted a Torrance, Calif., Chick-fil-A and at least one other of the Atlanta-based fast food chain’s restaurants since the controversy erupted.
“Under no circumstances does HRC condone vandalism or the destruction of property,” HRC spokesperson Dan Rafter told the Blade. “While this is certainly an issue that has stirred strong emotions on both sides, the only way we can effect real progress is by having a civil dialogue and continuing to educate consumers about the groups that Chick-fil-A donates to; and how those groups routinely demonize LGBT people. We change opinion by sharing our personal stories and humanizing this type of discrimination — not by vandalizing property in the middle of the night.”
Josh Levin, campaign director of Marylanders for Marriage Equality, the group seeking to defend the state’s same-sex marriage law in November, also spoke out against the vandalism.
“We abhor any vandalism or disrespect in this campaign,” he said in a post on the campaign’s Facebook page. “[We] remain focused on supporting all Maryland families and sending the message that gay and lesbian couples should be treated fairly under the law. We encourage our supporters to have conversations with folks they know who may be undecided on the issue. That’s how we win.”
Chick-fil-A did not immediately return the Blade’s request for comment.
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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.).
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