Local
Pastor: Sandy struck NYC after Bloomberg gave $250,000 to Md. marriage campaign
Minister noted mayor contributed $250,000 to Marylanders for Marriage Equality
Pastor Luke Robinson of Quinn Chapel AME Church in Frederick, Md. (Photo from Quinn Chapel AME Church)
FREDERICK, Md.—A local minister on Sunday noted Superstorm Sandy hit New York City after Mayor Michael Bloomberg donated $250,000 to the campaign defending the state’s same-sex marriage law.
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“While he was here, he got word that he needed to go back to New York because a storm was going to hit New York and he needed to go back and make preparations,” said Pastor Luke Robinson of Quinn Chapel AME Church in Frederick during an anti-Question 6 rally at Baker Park. Bloomberg appeared at a pro-Question 6 press conference with Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley and Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake in the Charm City on Oct. 26. “On Oct. 28, a storm hit New York. And one of the things that we have discussed and learned from New York is that New York is a proud city. They never close.”
Robinson said during the event Peter Sprigg of the Family Research Council, state Del. Neil Parrott (R-Washington County) and a few dozen others attended that the Bible “very clearly” states “before a fall pride cometh.” Maryland Marriage Alliance Chair Derek McCoy was also scheduled to speak at the event, but he did not attend.
“So here was the mayor of New York giving a quarter of a million dollars, coming down to Maryland discussing the matter,” said Robinson. “While he’s here somebody whispers in the ear, you better go back home and protect your stock because God is sending judgment. The thing came through the area. You have to understand the season and the time. It’s almost the end of hurricane season, but God sent one of the biggest hurricanes ever.”
Bloomberg on Oct. 12 announced he had donated $250,000 to Marylanders for Marriage Equality. The Johns Hopkins University alum has also given $500,000 to same-sex marriage efforts in Maine, Minnesota and Washington.
Robinson acknowledged the storm that killed more than 40 people in the five boroughs and dozens of others in the United States also impacted Maryland.
“The storm came through here, but for the glory of God the storm didn’t tear us up because we got that hope for us,” he said. “There are people who are praying for us. There are people who believe in God, we [are] going to turn it around.”
Robinson further pointed out God is “holding back until we can have the final verdict” on Election Day.
“In the meantime in New York City and New York State and even in New Jersey and even up in the New England area, what happened?” he asked rhetorically. “God sent a storm that tore the place up — up in Massachusetts and all up in that lot because they have rejected the truth and the knowledge of God. So with all of… your money you still can’t win if God says he’s on our side and we are on the side that can win. And we must win and we must never — you must go back, you must go back. You must tell your neighbors. You must tell your friends. Brother Peter [Sprigg] has shared with us the consequences of this thing. It will destroy this country as we know it and we’ve got to work.”
Neither Robinson, his church, Parrott or the Maryland Marriage Alliance immediately returned the Washington Blade’s requests for comment.
Marylanders for Marriage Equality and an O’Malley spokesperson declined to respond to Robinson’s comments.
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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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