Local
LGBT advocates look to future at book salon
Ahonen-Jover publishes new book, ‘The Gay Agenda’
Civil rights activist Juan Ahonen-Jover, Ph.D. (Washington Blade photo by Peter Rosenstein)
Democratic Party and LGBT rights advocates Paul Yandura and Donald Hitchcock hosted a discussion on achieving LGBT legal equality Thursday evening with civil rights activist Juan Ahonen-Jover, Ph.D., author of “The Gay Agenda 2012: All Out.” He talked about his book and why he wrote it and generated a lively discussion on the issues surrounding how the LGBT community moves forward from here.
Yandura and Hitchcock welcomed guests to their home, spoke about activism and introduced the author who spoke about the book and his activism. The book is about where he thinks the LGBT community needs to go in the future if we are to achieve the goals he sets out. He was speaking to a room full of advocates, who, while they may not be running any of our community’s major organizations, do have an extraordinary impact on the community. Among the 30 or so attending were Dana Beyer, Lisa Turner, Dan Choi, Dixon Osburn and Dan Furmansky.
The book is divided into four main areas. First is a discussion on “What is LGBT?” It tries to define what is family, what the Bible says and how we move to have people understand, accept and respect the community. The second section is titled, “What is the Gay Agenda?” In this section, he discusses what we are looking for. Is it special rights or rather a series of what he defines as “equality goals.” He talks about hate crimes, serving in the military, marriage equality, freedom of gender and protecting youth among other goals. The third section addresses “Different Paths.” It is a discussion on use of the courts, legislatures, considering whom to endorse as a candidate, how best to spend the community’s money and his thoughts on building coalitions. The final section is a discussion on what individuals can do called “Your Turn.” Then there are three appendixes listing major names in the LGBT community and in history. One that stands out for not being on these lists is Frank Kameny and I am sure there are many others but then no such list is ever complete. There is an appendix on the Dallas Principles identifying the authors by descriptions of what they were doing at the time and one is particularly humorous.
Democratic Party and LGBT rights advocates Paul Yandura and Donald Hitchcock hosted a discussion on achieving LGBT legal equality. (Washington Blade photo by Peter Rosenstein)
The discussion ranged from why one is supporting President Obama to how to make a decision on whom to support and the criteria one should use. Ahonen-Jover suggested that there are candidates he calls “heartbreakers” who talk about their support for the LGBT community but don’t quite get it and only support partial civil and human rights. He suggests that those individuals shouldn’t receive our financial support. He also suggests that we stop giving money to those who don’t need it to win their races even if they are totally supportive of us but say to them that we need our limited resources to support electing others who share their views. There was some discussion on whether the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund strayed too far from its mission in the effort to boast about a “winning percentage” with regard to the candidates they support. A number of people brought up the issue of whether to take money (they referred to it as dirty money) for marriage equality campaigns from those who support marriage equality but who then also support candidates who are pledged to see that it doesn’t happen.
Many in the room knew each other and are all looking to find some agreement on where to take the fight for LGBT rights. There seemed to be consensus in the room that if President Obama wins reelection there needs to be an all-out push for movement in the fight for civil and human rights for the LGBT community immediately starting with the lame duck Congress and if he loses that there still needs to be a strong push for his immediately signing the executive order barring discrimination in hiring practices by federal contractors.
District of Columbia
D.C. Council urged to improve ‘weakened’ PrEP insurance bill
AIDS group calls for changes before full vote on Feb. 3
The D.C.-based HIV + Hepatitis Policy Institute is calling on the D.C. Council to reverse what it says was the “unfortunate” action by a Council committee to weaken a bill aimed at requiring health insurance companies to cover the costs of HIV prevention or PrEP drugs for D.C. residents at risk for HIV infection.
HIV + HEP Policy Institute Executive Director Carl Schmid points out in a Jan. 30 email message to all 13 D.C. Council members that the Council’s Committee on Health on Dec. 8, 2025, voted to change the PrEP DC Act of 2025, Bill 26-0159, to require insurers to fully cover only one PrEP drug regimen.
Schmid noted the bill as originally written and introduced Feb. 28, 2025, by Council member Zachary Parker (D-Ward 5), the Council’s only gay member, required insurers to cover all PrEP drugs, including the newest PrEP medication taken by injection once every six months.
Schmid’s message to the Council members was sent on Friday, Jan. 30, just days before the Council was scheduled to vote on the bill on Feb. 3. He contacted the Washington Blade about his concerns about the bill as changed by committee that same day.
Spokespersons for Parker and the Committee on Health and its chairperson, Council member Christina Henderson (I-At-Large) didn’t immediately respond to the Blade’s request for comment on the issue, saying they were looking into the matter and would try to provide a response on Monday, Jan. 2.
In his message to Council members, Schmid also noted that he and other AIDS advocacy groups strongly supported the committee’s decision to incorporate into the bill a separate measure introduced by Council member Brooke Pinto (D-Ward 2) that would prohibit insurers, including life insurance companies, from denying coverage to people who are on PrEP.
“We appreciate the Committee’s revisions to the bill that incorporates Bill 26-0101, which prohibits discrimination by insurance carriers based on PrEP use,” Schmid said in his statement to all Council members.
“However, the revised PrEP coverage provision would actually reduce PrEP options for D.C. residents that are required by current federal law, limit patient choice, and place D.C. behind states that have enacted HIV prevention policies designed to remain in effect regardless of any federal changes,” Schmid added.
He told the Washington Blade that although these protections are currently provided through coverage standards recommended in the U.S. Affordable Care Act, AIDS advocacy organizations have called for D.C. and states to pass their own legislation requiring insurance coverage of PrEP in the event that the federal policies are weakened or removed by the Trump administration, which has already reduced or ended federal funding for HIV/AIDS-related programs.
“The District of Columbia has always been a leader in the fight against HIV,” Schmid said in a statement to Council members. But in a separate statement he sent to the Blade, Schmid said the positive version of the bill as introduced by Parker and the committee’s incorporation of the Pinto bill were in stark contrast to the “bad side — the bill would only require insurers to cover one PrEP drug.”
He added, “That is far worse than current federal requirements. Obviously, the insurers got to them.”
The Committee on Health’s official report on the bill summarizes testimony in support of the bill by health-related organizations, including Whitman-Walker Health, and two D.C. government officials before the committee at an Oct. 30, 2025, public hearing.
Among them were Clover Barnes, Senior Deputy Director of the D.C. HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis, STD, and TB Administration, and Philip Barlow, Associate Commissioner for the D.C. Department of Insurance, Securities, and Banking.
Although both Barnes and Barlow expressed overall support for the bill, Barlow suggested several changes, one of which could be related to the committee’s change of the bill described by Schmid, according to the committee report.
“First, he recommended changing the language that required PrEP and PEP coverage by insurers to instead require that insurers who already cover PrEP and PEP do not impose cost sharing or coverage more restrictive than other treatments,” the committee report states. “He pointed out that D.C. insurers already cover PrEP and PEP as preventive services, and this language would avoid unintended costs for the District,” the report adds.
PEP refers to Post-Exposure Prophylaxis medication, while PrEP stands for Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis medication.
In response to a request from the Blade for comment, Daniel Gleick, Mayor Muriel Bowser’s press secretary, said he would inquire about the issue in the mayor’s office.
Naseema Shafi, Whitman-Walker Health’s CEO, meanwhile, in response to a request by the Blade for comment, released a statement sharing Schmid’s concerns about the current version of the PrEP DC Act of 2025, which the Committee on Health renamed as the PrEP DC Amendment Act of 2025.
“Whitman-Walker Health believes that all residents of the District of Columbia should have access to whatever PrEP method is best for them based on their conversations with their providers,” Shafi said. “We would not want to see limitations on what insurers would cover,” she added. “Those kinds of limitations lead to significantly reduced access and will be a major step backwards, not to mention undermining the critical progress that the Affordable Care Act enabled for HIV prevention,” she said.
The Blade will update this story as soon as additional information is obtained from the D.C. Council members involved with the bill, especially Parker. The Blade will report on whether the full Council makes the changes to the bill requested by Schmid and others before it votes on whether to approve it at its Feb. 3 legislative session.
By PAMELA WOOD | Dan Cox, a Republican who was resoundingly defeated by Democratic Gov. Wes Moore four years ago, has filed to run for governor again this year.
Cox’s candidacy was posted on the Maryland elections board website Friday; he did not immediately respond to an interview request.
Cox listed Rob Krop as his running mate for lieutenant governor.
The rest of this article can be found on the Baltimore Banner’s website.
Maryland
Expanded PrEP access among FreeState Justice’s 2026 legislative priorities
Maryland General Assembly opened on Jan. 14
FreeState Justice this week spoke with the Washington Blade about their priorities during this year’s legislative session in Annapolis that began on Jan. 14.
Ronnie L. Taylor, the group’s community director, on Wednesday said the organization continues to fight against discrimination against people with HIV/AIDS. FreeState Justice is specifically championing a bill in the General Assembly that would expand access to PrEP in Maryland.
Taylor said FreeState Justice is working with state Del. Ashanti Martinez (D-Prince George’s County) and state Sen. Clarence Lam (D-Arundel and Howard Counties) on a bill that would expand the “scope of practice for pharmacists in Maryland to distribute PrEP.” The measure does not have a title or a number, but FreeState Justice expects it will have both in the coming weeks.
FreeState Justice has long been involved in the fight to end the criminalization of HIV in the state.
Governor Wes Moore last year signed House Bill 39, which decriminalized HIV in Maryland.
The bill — the Carlton R. Smith Jr. HIV Modernization Act — is named after Carlton Smith, a long-time LGBTQ activist known as the “mayor” of Baltimore’s Mount Vernon neighborhood who died in 2024. FreeState Justice said Marylanders prosecuted under Maryland Health-General Code § 18-601.1 have already seen their convictions expunged.
Taylor said FreeState Justice will continue to “oppose anti anti-LGBTQ legislation” in the General Assembly. Their website later this week will publish a bill tracker.
The General Assembly’s legislative session is expected to end on April 13.
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