Local
Gay attorney elected head of Rehoboth marriage bureau
Anti-gay mailers attacked losing gay candidates in Delaware


Andy Staton was the target of anti-gay emails by a conservative group in advance of Election Day last week. (Photo courtesy of prugallo.com)
In a little noticed development, an openly gay attorney won election on Nov. 6 as Clerk of the Peace in conservative, Republican leaning Sussex County, Del., where the liberal enclave of Rehoboth Beach is located.
John Brady, a Democrat, defeated a Republican opponent by a margin of 54 percent to 44 percent, winning in parts of the county where gay Democrats Andy Staton and Marie Mayor lost their bids to become the first openly gay members of the Delaware Legislature.
As Clerk of the Peace, Brady, among other things, will issue marriage and civil unions licenses as well as perform civil marriages and civil unions in his role as head of the Sussex County Marriage Bureau.
Staton lost in a newly created State Senate district and Mayor lost in a newly created State House of Representatives district that most political observers believed to be favorable to Democrats.
But Staton, a Rehoboth Realtor, and Mayor, a farmer and businesswoman in the town of Milton, became the target of attack mailings and emails generated by the anti-gay Delaware Family Policy Council.
āDid you hear? The largest gay activist group in the country, the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund, just endorsed ā and is fully backing ā two Delaware candidates: Andy Staton for Senate in the new 6th district and Marie Mayor for Rep. in the new 20th district (Georgetown, Milton, Lewis, Rehoboth),ā says an Oct. 17 email to voters from Nicole Theis, president of the Delaware Family Policy Council.
Theisā email quotes from a Victory Fund statement supporting Staton and Mayor that says the two āunderstand that Delaware is only 1 or 2 votes away from passing same-sex āmarriage.āā Theis implies in her email ā printed copies of which reportedly were distributed in dozens of churches ā that Staton and Mayorās election could result in the approval of a gay marriage bill by the Delaware Legislature.
āWe also uncovered from sources on the ground that hundreds of out-of-state gay activists with a radical agenda are in Delaware door knocking by twos for Mayor and Staton,ā Theis said in her email.
Republican Ernesto āErnieā Lopez beat Staton by a 56.1 percent to 42.7 percent margin. GOP opponent Stephen Smyk defeated Mayor by a margin of 53.2 percent to 46.8 percent.
The Cape Gazette, a newspaper that covers Delawareās eastern shore communities, including Sussex County, reported that Lopez beat Staton in 15 of the 17 precincts in the district where the two ran, with Staton winning only one precinct in his home base of Rehoboth Beach and one in Milton.
Smyk beat Mayor in 8 of the 10 precincts in the 20th House district, in which the two competed, according to the Cape Gazette.
āIt just wasnāt in the cards for a Democrat down here in Sussex County,ā Staton told the Blade. āIām told there was an 80 percent Republican turnout in this part of the county and a much lower Democratic turnout.ā
Sussex was the only one of Delawareās three counties to give Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney a win over President Obama in the Nov. 6 election.
However, other popular state Democrats who are strong supporters of LGBT rights did win in Sussex. Among them were Gov. Jack Markell, U.S. Sen. Thomas Carper, U.S. Rep. John Carney, and state Rep. Pete Schwartzkopf, whose district includes Rehoboth Beach. All four won their re-election bids.
Brady, whoās been openly gay in the county for more than 10 years, said the Family Policy Council did not target him, possibly because the group knew heās widely known and respected by many Republicans and Democrats.
Brady, 53, changed his party affiliation from Republican to Democrat in 2009. Heās been praised as a good government advocate during his tenure as an elected and appointed official in offices that include county Recorder of Deeds and solicitor, or attorney, for the towns of Milton, Dewey Beach and Ellendale.
āI flew by the wire,ā he said in explaining his Nov. 6 victory, which made him the only non-incumbent Democrat to win a county-wide race in Sussex.
āI have a record that people know about,ā he said. āWhen you run the land office you donāt run on gay or straight issues, you run on getting the job done and saving the taxpayers money.ā
Brady ran against 23-year-old security guard Brooks Witzke, a Republican who stated in campaign appearances that heās a conservative Christian who opposes same-sex marriage and would lobby the state legislature to repeal the civil unions law, which lawmakers passed in 2011.
District of Columbia
Booz Allen withdraws as WorldPride corporate sponsor
Company updated programs to comply with Trump executive orders

The U.S. technology company Booz Allen Hamilton has confirmed it has withdrawn as a corporate sponsor for the international LGBTQ WorldPride events scheduled to take place in D.C. from May 17-June 8, according to a report by the Washington Business Journal.
In an exclusive story published Feb.10, the business publication reports that Booz Allen Hamilton disclosed in a statement that its decision to withdraw as a WorldPride sponsor was based on its need to comply with ārecently issued presidential executive orders.ā
Although the statement did not say so directly, it is referring to executive orders issued since Jan. 20 by President Donald Trump that, among other things, ban government agencies and companies doing business with the government through contracts from promoting or carrying out diversity, equity, and inclusion or āDEIā programs.
On its website, Booz Allen Hamilton describes itself as an āadvanced technology company delivering outcomes with speed for Americaās most critical defense, civil, and national securities priorities.ā Among the government agencies it does business with, the website statement says, are the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Army, U.S. Marine Corps, U.S. Navy, and the Office of the Secretary of DĆ©fense.
āWe take this responsibility to our nation seriously,ā Washington Business Journal quoted the Booz Allen Hamilton statement regarding WorldPride as saying. āIt demands from us commitment to their best principle to flawless execution and to full compliance with all laws and regulations, including executive orders,ā Washington Business Journal quotes the statement as saying.
The Washington Business Journal article includes a photo of more than a dozen of Booz Allen Hamilton employees marching in D.C.ās Capital Pride parade in 2017.
The company did not immediately respond to a request from Washington Blade seeking comment on its WorldPride decision.
Capital Pride Alliance, the group that organizes most D.C. LGBTQ Pride events and is the lead organizer of WorldPride 2025, in response to a request by the Blade released a statement responding to Booz Allen Hamiltonās sponsorship withdrawal.
āBooz Allen Hamilton is the only organization that has withdrawn its committed financial support for WorldPride,ā the statement says. āCPA is proud of its many longstanding legacy sponsors, many of whom have already reaffirmed their commitments to participate in WorldPride this summer,ā the statement continues.
āJust like many American companies and LGBTQ+ organizations, we are navigating current challenges and many unknowns,ā the statement says. āWe are confident, however, that we will have the support necessary to have a successful and safe WorldPride that meets this moment,ā it says.
āThat support includes families, organizations, and businesses from across our community and corporations that truly celebrate diversity and value equity and inclusion for all,ā the statement concludes.
The Capital Pride Alliance website last year listed Booz Allen Hamilton as a corporate sponsor for the 2024 Capital Pride events in the category of a āTrue Colorsā sponsor, which it said represented a donation of $75,000. But the Capital Pride Alliance statement to the Blade this week says, āWe are not going to share theyāre previously planned commitment for 2025.ā
The statement adds, āMany in our community are extremely vulnerable right now, and standing up for them, standing with them, standing with us, in this movement is what we all need.ā
District of Columbia
Trump executive order prompts local hospitals to stop gender-affirming care for youth
Activists marched outside Children’s National on Feb. 2

Hospitals in the D.C. area are putting a prompt stop to aiding transgender youth and their families continue their transition after President Donald Trump signed an executive order that bans all gender-affirming care nationwide for minors under 19.
On Jan. 28, days after Trump took office, signed the executive order, āProtecting Children from Chemical and Surgical Mutilation,ā which immediately halted the prescription and medical treatment of gender-affirming care for all minors under the age of 19 across the country. The order use of āchemical and surgical mutilationā is in reference to the various kinds of gender-affirming care that youth may receive when in the care of a medical practice.
“Today, medical professionals are maiming and sterilizing a growing number of impressionable children under the radical and false claim that adults can change a childās sex through a series of irreversible medical interventions.ā says the executive order. āThis dangerous trend will be a stain on our nationās history, and it must end.ā
The executive order laid out various guidelines for medical practices to follow that must be implemented within the coming months. These include āending reliance on junk science,ā in referring to following the World Professional Association for Transgender Health’s guidelines for youth, and “defunding chemical and surgical mutilation,” which seeks to ban hospitals and medical schools to use federal funding for gender-affirming care.
Hospitals, medical schools, and clinics across the country have begun to abide by the executive order and drop trans and gender diverse youth as they dismantled programs that provided care of any kind that treated a childās gender dysphoria. Childrenās National Hospital in Northwest Washington is one of those institutions.
āChildrenās National is committed to providing compassionate and comprehensive care in accordance with the law,” said Children’s National in a Jan. 30 press release. “As a result, we are currently pausing all puberty blockers and hormone therapy prescriptions for transgender youth patients, per the guidelines in the executive order issued by the White House this week. Childrenās National already does not perform gender affirming surgery for minors.”
“We recognize the impact this change will have, and our commitment to creating a better future for children and families remains at the forefront of our mission,” it added. “We will do everything we can to ensure the same uninterrupted access to mental health counseling, social support, and holistic and respectful care for every patient at Children’s National. We are working directly with patients and providers to ensure every patient has access to the information and support services they need, and we appreciate their continued trust and understanding as we work through these changes.ā
The hospital did not provide the Washington Blade with additional comment.
Activists in response to the decision organized a march that took place outside Children’s Hospital. on Feb. 2. D.C. Safe Haven, a group founded to āprovide TLGBQ people in the DMV area with opportunities to transform their lives,ā helped organize the march.
Similar protests have taken place across the country.
The Gender Liberation Movement organized the “Rise Up for Trans Youth” march in New York’s Union Square on Saturday. The group was one of the organizers of a march that took place in front of the U.S. Supreme Court on Dec. 4 when the justices heard oral arguments in the U.S. v. Skrmetti case, which challenges a Tennessee law that bans gender-affirming care for minors under 18.
āVCU Health and Childrenās Hospital of Richmond at VCU have suspended gender-affirming medications and gender-affirming surgical procedures for patients under 19-years-old in response to an executive order issued by the White House on Jan. 28, 2025, and related state guidance received by VCU on Jan. 30, 2025,” the hospital said in a statement. “Our doors remain open to all patients and their families for screening, counseling, mental health care, and all other health care needs.ā
Equality Virginia, a queer advocacy group that works across the state, in a statement to the Blade criticized the executive order and response to it.
āExecutive orders are not legislation, they are not law, and they do not supersede state laws,” said Narissa Rahaman, the group’s executive director. “The General Assembly has taken up bills on both transgender athletes and gender-affirming care, and in both cases, the general assembly has declined to pursue bans on either. State law is clear; what is unclear is why the Youngkin administration is spending its final year cozying up to the Trump administration and repeatedly singling out transgender Virginians for discrimination.ā
āTo the transgender and nonbinary athletes and youth seeking healthcare in Virginia who are feeling scared: Equality Virginia will not stop fighting for you, no matter who occupies the Governorās Mansion or the White House,” added Rahaman.
Petitions are urging D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb, Health and Human Services, and Children’s National to use D.C.’s human rights law to challenge the executive orders. Lambda Legal, along with the American Civil Liberties Union and the law firms Jenner & Block and Hogan Lovells have filed lawsuits against Trump’s mandate on behalf of families of trans youth.

The Comings & Goings column is about sharing the professional successes of our community. We want to recognize those landing new jobs, new clients for their business, joining boards of organizations and other achievements. Please share your successes with us at [email protected].Ā
Congratulations to Ryan Levi on assuming the presidency of the D.C. chapter of the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association (DCNLGJA).
“I’m incredibly excited to take on this new leadership role with an organization full of incredible journalists,ā Levi said. āIn these uncertain and challenging times for many in our queer and trans community, I hope NLGJA can continue to be a space for queer and trans D.C. journalists to connect with their peers, find support, grow in their careers, and build community.”
Leviās background includes being a reporter and producer with Tradeoffs Washington, D.C., where he reported and produced podcast episodes for the national nonprofit health policy news organization. Topics included ransomware attacks on hospitals, bias and AI in health care, and bringing Medicaid to incarcerated people. He was the lead reporter on The Fifth Branch, a special three-part series on mental health crisis response. His reporting was featured on NPR, PBS NewsHour, The Marshall Project, and Slate. He was a producer for KQED News, San Francisco, where he reported and produced sound-rich feature stories, developed, and executed engagement strategy, provided editorial feedback, and mixed pieces for the weekly Bay Curious podcast. Before that he was a producer and reporter at KBIA News in Columbia, Missouri.
Levi earned his bachelorās degree in journalism from the University of Missouri, and a bachelorās degree in Spanish, College of Arts and Science. He has won numerous honors and recognition for his work, including: Region 2 Edward R. Murrow Best News Series award for Three Refugees, Three Journeys to California; and second place 2017 Hearst Journalism Awards Radio Competition (reporter).
-
Opinions5 days ago
Iām nervous about D.C.ās ability to stage WorldPride
-
Canada3 days ago
Canadian LGBTQ group cancels WorldPride participation over Trump policies
-
Out & About2 days ago
Camp Rehoboth Theatre Company kicks off new season
-
Commentary3 days ago
Trumpās return threatens Ugandaās gender equality and trans community