Local
Gay Del. Senate candidate sets fundraising record
Andy Staton has raised $105,697.39 since he announced his candidacy
Blade photo by Michael K. Lavers
A gay Delaware state Senate candidate on Friday announced he has raised more money than any other first-time political hopeful in a primary election campaign.
Rehoboth Beach Realtor Andy Staton, who would become the first openly LGBT person elected to the state legislature in Delaware if voters elect him to represent the new 6th Senate District in November, said his campaign has raised a record $105,697.39 — more than twice as much as any other candidate — as of Aug. 11. This figure includes the $83,000 he has raised since the beginning of the year.
Staton told the Blade that 70 percent of campaign contributions have been $100 or less.
“I am extraordinarily excited that we have had so many folks from our community stepping out to support the campaign. At the same time I’m humbled by the response,” he said. “People from across the district are responding to ideas. We’re presenting real ideas and real solutions so that we can deliver on solutions as we go forward. And I’m humbled that so many people have chosen to invest in our campaign.”
Governor Jack Markell, House Majority Leader Pete Schwartzkopf (D-Rehoboth Beach,) Senate Majority Leader Patricia Blevins (D-Elsmere) and Rehoboth Beach Commissioners Patricia Coluzzi, Patrick Gossett and Mark Hunker are among the state and local officials who have endorsed Staton. The Victory Fund and the Barbara Gittings Delaware Stonewall Democrats have also backed his campaign.
“The overwhelming support for Andy’s campaign demonstrates that his message of standing up for Delaware families and helping create jobs is resonating with voters,” Chuck Wolfe, president of the Victory Fund, told the Blade. “This is a historic race with the potential of electing the first openly LGBT member of the Delaware legislature. Andy’s leadership is inspiring a lot of people to get involved in this campaign.”
Staton, whose 150 lbs. weight loss garnered national media coverage in Men’s Health and other media outlets, is on the CAMP Rehoboth Leadership Council. He sits on the Sussex Family YMCA’s Board of Governors and serves as an ambassador to the Beebe Medical Foundation that raises funds for an eponymous regional hospital in Lewes.
The triathlete and marathon runner told the Blade that the economy, increasing the number of doctors and other health care professionals in the area, expanding the district’s transportation network and building schools and additional infrastructure to accommodate the additional 100,000 people who are expected to live in Sussex County by 2040 are among his top priorities. Staton said he would also back a same-sex marriage bill if elected.
Markell signed a civil unions law in May 2011 which took effect on Jan. 1. The governor told the Huffington Post earlier this month that he expects Delaware lawmakers could debate marriage rights for same-sex couples as early as next year.
“Marriage equality certainly is very, very important to lots of folks in the community — there seems to be very, very support for that as we go forward,” said Staton. “There’s no doubt that I would in fact support a marriage equality bill.”
Staton will square off against former Dewey Beach Mayor Bob Frederick and former congressional candidate Mike Miller in the Democratic primary on Sept. 11. Lewes resident Ernie Lopez will face against Glen Urquhart, who unsuccessfully ran for Congress in 2010, in the Republican primary.
Staton would campaign against either Lopez or Urquhart in the general election if he defeats Frederick and Miller.
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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.).
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Comings & Goings
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Calendar: April 10-16
BLUF leather social set for April 10 in Rehoboth
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