Local
Mehlman: Md. same-sex marriage law “enhances freedom”
Former RNC chair to co-host Marylanders for Marriage Equality fundraiser in Manhattan
Ken Mehlman (screen capture from CSREurope via You Tube)
Former Republican National Committee Chair Ken Mehlman stressed on Monday that the fight to defend Maryland’s same-sex marriage law is personal.
“Having grown up in Baltimore and with family still living there and in Bethesda, I am pleased to support the effort to permit civil marriage in Maryland,” he told the Blade. “This proposal enhances freedom and encourages fairness, while also safeguarding religious freedom.”
Mehlman, who managed then-President George W. Bush’s 2004 re-election campaign, spoke to the Blade three days before he will co-host a Marylanders for Marriage Equality fundraiser in New York City alongside gay director John Waters, who is also from Baltimore. Actor Josh Charles, supermodel Hilary Rhoda and other Marylanders will also co-host the event alongside actresses Julianne Moore and Sarah Jessica Parker, comedian Sandra Bernhard, former New York Rangers forward Sean Avery and others.
Governor Martin O’Malley is also scheduled to speak at the event where tickets range from $250 – $25,000.
Same-sex marriage activists have credited Mehlman, who came out as gay in 2010, with successfully lobbying Republican lawmakers to support nuptials for gays and lesbians – four GOP New York state Senators voted for the same-sex marriage bill that Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed into law in June 2011.
Mehlman also urged New Hampshire lawmakers in an op-ed that the Union Leader, the state’s largest newspaper, published in January to vote against a bill that would have repealed the Granite State’s same-sex marriage law. Lawmakers defeated the measure in the state House by a 211-116 margin in March, with 100 Republicans voting against it.
Mehlman also reached out to Maryland GOP lawmakers – including state Sen. Allen Kittleman (R-Howard County) and state Del. Wade Kach (R-Baltimore County) – before Annapolis lawmakers ultimately approved a same-sex marriage bill in February. O’Malley signed it into law on March 1, less than two weeks after Republican New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie vetoed a measure that would have allowed gays and lesbians to tie the knot in the Garden State.
The GOP adopted party platform during last month’s Republican National Convention in Tampa that endorses a proposed federal constitutional amendment that would define marriage as between a man and a woman — the D.C. Republican Committee in late June became the first state GOP party to add LGB-inclusive language to its platform. Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney said during his RNC acceptance speech that he would “honor the institution of marriage” if elected.
Florida Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen; David Koch; Meghan and Cindy McCain and James C. DiPaula, Jr., former Maryland Gov. Robert Ehrlich’s campaign manager and chief of staff, are among the Republicans who have endorsed marriage rights for gays and lesbians.
“Republicans and conservatives should support this because it is consistent with our principles: more freedom, less government interference, family values like commitment and love, all while safeguarding religious freedom,” Mehlman told the Blade. “If you want to stand up for freedom and family values, then you should support allowing adults the freedom to marry the person they love.”
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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
An effort to increase the number of psychiatrists of color
Calendar: April 10-16
BLUF leather social set for April 10 in Rehoboth
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