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.
A gay man was murdered in Petersburg, Va., on March 13.
Shyyell Diamond Sanchez-McCray, who was also known as Saamel and Mable, was a drag queen who won the Miss Mayflower EOY pageant in 2015. Reports also indicate Sanchez-McCray, 42, was a well-known community activist in Virginia and in North Carolina.
Local media reports indicate police officers found Sanchez-McCray shot to death inside a home in Petersburg.
Sanchez-McCray’s brother, Jamal Mitchell Diamond, in a public statement the Washington Blade received from Equality Virginia and GLAAD, said Sanchez-McCray was not transgender as initial reports indicated.
“Our family has always embraced the fullness of who he was. He used the names Saamel, Shyyell, and Mable interchangeably, and we honor all of them. There is no division within our family regarding how he is being represented — only a shared commitment to preserving his truth with love and respect,” said Diamond.
“He was also deeply committed to community work through Nationz Foundation, where he worked and completed multiple state-certified programs to support marginalized communities,” added Diamond. “That work meant a great deal to him.”
Authorities have not made any arrests.
The Petersburg Bureau of Police has asked anyone with information about Sanchez-McCray’s murder to call Petersburg-Dinwiddie Crime Solvers at 804-861-1212.
District of Columbia
Trans Day of Visibility events planned
Rally on the National Mall scheduled for Saturday
The Christopher Street Project has a number of events planned for the 2026 Trans Day of Visibility, including a rally on the Mall and an “Empowerment Ball” at the Eaton Hotel. Plenaries, panel discussions and meetings with members of Congress are scheduled in the three days of programming.
Announced speakers include N.H. state Rep. Alice Wade; Commissioner of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago Precious Brady-Davis; activist and performer Miss Peppermint (“RuPaul’s Drag Race”); Lexington, Ky. Councilwoman Emma Curtis; Rabbi Abby Stein; D.C. activist and host Rayceen Pendarvis; Air Force Master Sgt. Logan Ireland; among other leaders, advocates and performers.
Conference programming on Thursday and Friday includes an educational forum and a Capitol Hill policy education day. Registration for the two-day conference has closed.
The “Trans Day of Visibility PAC Reception” is scheduled for Thursday, March 26 from 7:30-9 p.m. at As You Are (500 8th St., S.E.). Special guests include Rep. Dina Titus (D-Nevada) and Rep. Delia Ramirez (D-Ill.). Tickets are available at christopherstreetproject.org starting at $25.
The National Council of Jewish Women and the Christopher Street Project host a “Trans Day of Visibility Shabbat” on Friday, March 27 from 7-8 p.m. at Sixth & I (600 I St., N.W.). The service is to be led by Rabbi Jenna Shaw and Rabbi Abby Stein.
The “Now You See Me: Trans Empowerment Social & Ball” is scheduled for Friday, March 27 from 6-11 p.m. at the Eaton Hotel (1201 K. St., N.W.). The trans-themed drag ball is hosted by the Marsha P. Johnson Institute with support from the D.C. Mayor’s Office of LGBTQ+ Affairs, the Capital Ballroom Council, the Christopher Street Project, the Center for Black Equity, Generation for Common Good, and Parenting is Political. RSVP online at christopherstreetproject.org.
The National Transgender Day of Visibility Rally is scheduled for Saturday, March 28 on the National Mall at 11 a.m. The rally will include speakers and performances. Following the rally, attendees are encouraged to participate in the “No Kings” rally being held at Anacostia Park.
Virginia
Virginia General Assembly’s 2026 legislative session ends
Voters in November will consider repealing marriage amendment
The Virginia General Assembly’s 2026 legislative session ended on March 14.
Lawmakers have yet to approve a budget, but they did pass a resolution that paves the way for a referendum on whether to repeal the state’s constitutional amendment that defines marriage as between a man and a woman. Lawmakers also advanced House Bill 60, which would protect PrEP users from insurance discrimination.
Democratic Gov. Abigail Spanberger has until April 13 to decide to pass, amend, or veto legislation before it goes back to the House of Delegates on April 22.
Spanberger on Feb. 6 signed the bill that sets the stage for the marriage amendment referendum. Voters will consider whether to “remove the ban on same-sex marriage; (ii) affirm that two adults may marry regardless of sex, gender, or race; and (iii) require all legally valid marriages to be treated equally under the law?”
Equality Virginia has been working during this legislative cycle to urge lawmakers to allocate funding towards LGBTQ rights. The budget would expand funding for schools, competency training for the 988 suicide hotline, and funding to provide gender affirming care to LGBTQ youth.
“As the budget moves through conference and the Reconvene Session approaches on April 22, Equality Virginia remains focused on ensuring our victories this session translate into durable protections,” Equality Virginia Executive Director Narissa Rahaman told the Washington Blade in a statement. “Progress on marriage equality, nondiscrimination protections, and HIV care funding was essential, but Virginia must do more.”
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