Connect with us

Local

D.C. launches transgender rights campaign

Ads featuring five trans Washingtonians will appear throughout the city this fall

Published

on

Gay News, Washington Blade, D.C. Transgender

Consuella Lopez is one of the five transgender residents who appears in the campaign (Photo courtesy of the D.C. Office of Human Rights)

Mayor Vincent Gray and other D.C. officials on Thursday officially unveiled the country’s first publicly-funded campaign to combat anti-transgender discrimination.

ā€œWe know an ad campaign is not a cure all or a panacea, but it is a step in the right direction,ā€ said Gray at Mova on 14th Street, N.W., before he, Office of Human Rights Director Gustavo Velasquez and others unveiled five separate ads that feature five trans or gender variant people who live in the city. Councilmember Jim Graham (D-Ward 1;) Jeffrey Richardson, director of the Mayor’s Office of GLBT Affairs, Earlene Budd of Transgender Health Empowerment and Mara Keisling, executive director of the National Center for Transgender Equality, were among the activists and other officials who attended the unveiling. ā€œIt is saying that we are going to step out; we are going to be on the forefront; we are going to send a message that people who are transgender have as much a place in the District of Columbia as anybody else.ā€

The ads, which will remain on display throughout the city during the fall, highlight D.C.’s anti-discrimination law that includes trans-specific protections. They also encourage trans Washingtonians to contact the Office of Human Rights if they experience discrimination based on their gender identity and expression.

The Metropolitan Police Department reported five bias-related crimes based on gender identity and expression during the first six months of this year, compared to two reported anti-trans incidents during the same period in 2011. The stabbing death of Deoni Jones at a Northeast Metro bus stop in February and a Human Rights Report released in July that criticizes D.C. police for confiscating condoms from trans prostitutes and other sex workers underscore what activists maintain is persistent anti-trans violence and discrimination in the nation’s capital.

ā€œAs we unveil this campaign and we celebrate, we must acknowledge that the origins of this campaign come in response to a difficult year in which many transgender and gender non-conforming people faced both discrimination and violence in both high-profile incidents and not so high-profile incidents,ā€ said Elliot Imse of the Office of Human Rights. ā€œThis is a campaign built with the memories of the individuals both harmed and lost, victims of violence rooted in intolerance and misplaced hatred.ā€

Consuella Lopez, a hair stylist from Friendship Heights, is among those who appear in the campaign. She told the Blade that a man broke her jaw at a local nightclub in the late 1990s in what she described as an anti-trans hate crime. Lopez stressed that she feels the ads will further educate Washingtonians about the city’s trans residents.

ā€œThe message is that it brings awareness and the awareness is that we are part of your community so treat us like you would any other human being or any other woman,ā€ she said.

Wesley, a Capitol Hill resident whom the campaign also features, agreed.

ā€œD.C.’s always had really great laws,ā€ he said. ā€œThey’re acknowledging some of the problems that are still going on and I think this is a great way to do it.ā€

Advertisement
FUND LGBTQ JOURNALISM
SIGN UP FOR E-BLAST

Local

No new mpox cases reported in Md., Va., and D.C.

Federal, local authorities continue to encourage vaccination

Published

on

A D.C. Department of Health mpox fact sheet at Trade in D.C. on May 25, 2023. (Washington Blade photo by Michael K. Lavers)

Public health officials in Maryland, Virginia and D.C. have not issued mpox advisories ahead of Pride month.

The Maryland Department of Health notes there were no reported new positive mpox casesĀ reportedĀ in the state during the week of May 21.Ā 

There were no reported new reported mpox cases in Virginia between May 21-27. The D.C. Department of Health on its website notes the last new mpox case in the nation’s capital was reported during the week of May 11.

“MDH (the Maryland Department of Health) has not issued any advisories for mpox,” Maryland Department of Health spokesperson Chase Cook told the Washington Blade on May 25. “We are still monitoring case counts and urging Marylanders at risk to protect themselves.”

“The Health Department is launching a statewide Pride-related sexual health campaign and working closely with festival organizers and local health departments to ensure health resources, including but not limited to mpox, are part of Pride events across the state,” added Cook.

Brandy Darby, the director of the Virginia Department of Health’s Office of Epidemiology’s Division of Surveillance and Investigation, largely echoed Cook.

“The Virginia Department of Health continues to promote mpox awareness and share prevention messages with groups at greater risk of exposure,” Darby told the Blade. “We are sharing these messages through print materials, social media, media interviews, healthcare provider offices and community-based organizations. Additionally, our local health departments are encouraged to have a presence at Pride events within their communities this summer to offer mpox education and vaccination.”

The D.C. Department of Health has yet to respond to the Blade’s request for comment. Its website, however, contains information about mpox, transmission, prevention and vaccinations.

CDC issued mpox advisory on May 15

The World Health Organization on May 11 announced it no longer considers mpox a global emergency.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on May 15 issuedĀ a mpox advisoryĀ after the Chicago Department of Public Health reported 12 new confirmed cases between April 17-May 5.Ā 

“Spring and summer season in 2023 could lead to a resurgence of mpox as people gather for festivals and other events,” reads the advisory. “The purpose of this Health Alert Network (HAN) Health Update is to inform clinicians and public health agencies about the potential for new clusters or outbreaks of mpox cases and to provide resources on clinical evaluation, treatment, vaccination and testing.”

“To help prevent a renewed outbreak during the spring and summer months, CDC is urging clinicians to be on alert for new cases of mpox and to encourage vaccination for people at risk,” it adds. “If mpox is suspected, test even if the patient was previously vaccinated or had mpox. Clinicians should also refamiliarize themselves with mpox symptomsspecimen collectionlaboratory testing procedures and treatment options.”

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health earlier this month urged groups at increased risk for mpox to get fully vaccinated ahead of Pride month.

Dr. Demetre Daskalakis, the deputy coordinator for the White House’s national mpox response, on told reporters during a May 18 telebriefing that federal health agencies are working with state and local officials to offer vaccinations and implement prevention measures during Pride events. 

Continue Reading

Arts & Entertainment

Washington Blade, Dupont Underground spotlight D.C. LGBTQ Changemakers with new exhibit

‘The Ground We Stand On’ highlights 25 queer pioneers during Pride month

Published

on

The Washington Blade and Dupont Underground present ā€œThe Ground We Stand On: Past and Present DC LGBTQ Changemakers,ā€ a new exhibit that highlights D.C. LGBTQ pioneers.

The exhibit, featuring 25 changemakers will be on view beginning Friday, June 2, through Sunday, June 25.

The inspiring exhibition will showcase the remarkable journeys of both past and present changemakers who have left an indelible mark on the tapestry of Washington, D.C. The exhibit underscores the enduring legacy of these remarkable individuals, serving as an inspiration for present and future generations. 

The exhibition opens on June 2 at 5 p.m., where all the living honorees will be present for the openingĀ  reception, followed by Drag Underground starting at 8:30 p.m., featuring some of the best Drag Queens in DC such as Shi-Queeta Lee, Cake Pop, Jane Saw, and Destiny B Childs.

ā€œBy shining a light on their remarkable contributions, this exhibition aims to empower and encourage the continuous evolution of the D.C. LGBTQ+ community and its influence that transcends boundaries,ā€ said Stephen Rutgers, director of Sales and Marketing for the Washington Blade.

ā€œWe are thrilled to highlight so many living changemakers who will visit us for opening night, and to honor the memories and work of those changemakers who are no longer with us,ā€ said Ana Harvey, Dupont Underground CEO.

For more information about Dupont Underground, visit www.dupontunderground.org

Continue Reading

Delaware

Carper’s retirement opens historic possibilities in Delaware

Blunt Rochester likely to run for Senate; McBride could become first out trans member of Congress

Published

on

Sen. Tom Carper announced plans to retire last week. (Photo public domain)

As Delaware governor, he signed a bill that defined marriage as being between a man and a woman in 1996. Now, 27 years later, the Human Rights Campaign gives Sen. Tom Carper a perfect score on LGBTQ issues in Congress. 

That man, who turned from opponent of marriage equality to LGBTQ rights supporter, announced his retirement last week. Unlike other Senate races across the country, though, there is little doubt who will succeed him. 

He endorsed Delaware’s lone representative in the House, Lisa Blunt Rochester, as his successor in a news conference last week.  

ā€œI spoke with her this morning, I said, ā€˜You’ve been patient, waiting for me to get out of the way, and I’m going to get out of the way, and I hope you run, and I hope you’ll let me support you in that mission,ā€™ā€ he said with a laugh. ā€œAnd she said, ā€˜Yes I will let you support me.’ And so I’m going to.ā€™ā€

Carper plans to serve out the remainder of his term, which ends in 2024. He serves as chair of the Senate’s Environment and Public Works Committee. Previously, he was chair of the Homeland Security Committee. He served as Delaware’s governor from 1993-2001 and represented Delaware in the House.Ā 

The Human Rights Campaign has given Blunt Rochester a perfect score in the last two congresses, and an almost perfect one in the 2017-2018 congress based on her voting record on LGBTQ issues. It did not respond to a phone call and two emails to spokespeople but praised her and Carper in 2018.

 ā€œEvery time they take the train down to Washington, Senator Carper and Congresswoman Blunt Rochester carry with them the hopes of all Delawareans,ā€ the organization wrote in a press release. ā€œWith the LGBTQ community under attack by the Trump-Pence administration, Senator Carper and Congresswoman Blunt Rochester have tirelessly fought to defend our progress and advance equality for LGBTQ people both in Delaware and around the nation.ā€

Blunt Rochester would be the first Black person and first woman to represent Delaware in the Senate. She has close ties to Delaware’s LGBTQ community and a record as a strong ally. She has served as keynote speaker at the Washington Blade’s annual Summer Kickoff Party in Rehoboth Beach three times, thrilling the LGBTQ crowd with her passionate support for equality.

She said she is ā€œinterestedā€ in running, but neither she nor her spokesperson reached last week would say any more. 

ā€œI don’t have a bad thing to say about her,ā€ said longtime LGBTQ activist and Delaware lawyer Mark Purpura. It was responsible of Carper to retire, he added. 

Assuming she runs as expected, that would leave Blunt Rochester’s seat in the House open. Sarah McBride, the first openly transgender state senator in the U.S., could fill that seat. A source familiar with her thinking said she will ā€œ100%ā€ run for Rochester’s seat. 

That would make her the first openly transgender member of Congress. Her run would be a ā€œgreat opportunityā€ to showcase the Delaware Democratic Party’s diversity,ā€ Purpura said. 

Peter Schott, secretary of the Delaware Stonewall PAC, agreed, noting that McBride is very popular and can raise a lot of money. 

McBride, who did not respond to an email and two calls to her office, is one of five openly LGBTQ lawmakers in the Delaware Legislature, a record number for the state.

ā€œI think Sarah is absolutely wonderful,ā€ said colleague Eric Morrison, a gay man who represents parts of Newark and other communities in his 27th district in the Delaware House. ā€œI wish her well.ā€

Continue Reading
Advertisement
Advertisement

Sign Up for Weekly E-Blast

Follow Us @washblade

Advertisement

Popular