Local
Controversial Ugandan play to be staged
First Ugandan play with openly gay character earned deportation for producer
Flag of Uganda (Image public domain)
In August 2012, one line from one play changed Ugandan history. The words “I’m gay” were uttered by the main character from “The River and the Mountain,” a play written by Beau Hopkins. In doing so, it became the first Ugandan play ever to have an openly gay character.
As a result, the producer of the play, David Cecil, was arrested for offending the Ministry of Ethics in Uganda. Cecil has since been released and the charges were dropped but he has been deported to his native U.K. as an “undesirable immigrant.”
Recently Keith Prosser, also British, was arrested for appearing in “The River and the Mountain” because the play exposed Uganda’s anti-gay policies. He is being held in a Kampala detention center.
Uganda is still trying to pass through its parliament an anti-homosexuality bill. This bill in its original form sought to punish those who were gay with the death penalty. One Member of Parliament has assured the public that the penalty has been decreased from death to life in prison, but the parliament has not made the revised bill available to the public to verify this. The measure has become informally known around the world as the “Kill the Gays” bill.
“The River and the Mountain” concerns a young man, Samson, who, in the process of exposing his corrupt boss, is suddenly elevated to a senior position in his firm. Emboldened by his new status (and slightly tipsy), Samson reveals to his best friend, Olu, that he is gay. From there the plot thickens, as Olu is preparing to become a pastor and is thus torn between keeping the hero’s secret safe or betraying him to further his own career. Meanwhile, Samson’s mother is determined to convert Samson to a heterosexual.
Though Samson’s sexuality is certainly important in this play, it is in fact merely one theme among many: corruption, justice, faith, friendship, family, betrayal and witchcraft.
University of Nebraska at Lincoln lecturer, Sarah Imes Borden, wants to shed light on this controversial piece of art while exposing the underlying social issues. Along with playwright Beau Hopkins, producer Dawn Marie Moe and fight director Ian Borden, Borden will be introducing this important work to audiences in the U.S. through a series of staged readings.
The readings, after a fundraising premiere in Lincoln, Neb., will be performed in several venues along the East Coast this March. They will feature a performance by one of the original Ugandan cast members and talkbacks held by Hopkins.
On March 21 at 8 p.m. the Spotlighters Theatre will host a reading. Admission is free; attendees encouraged to pay what they can. Donations at the event will be used to fund the project.
Borden, who used to live in Baltimore, played the role of Svetlanya in the Spotlighters production of “Chess” in 2004 giving this event a local connection. For more information, visit spotlighters.org.
Maryland
Evan Glass is leaning on his record. Is that enough for Montgomery County’s top job?
Gay county executive candidate pushing for equitable pay, safer streets, and cleaner environment
By TALIA RICHMAN | During a meet-and-greet at Poolesville Memorial United Methodist Church, Evan Glass got his loudest applause of the night with a plan he acknowledged was decidedly unsexy.
“Day one, I’ll hire a director of permitting services,” the county executive candidate said.
Doing so, he added, is a step toward easing the regulatory burdens that can stifle small businesses in Montgomery County.
The only problem? At least one of his fiercest competitors is making a similar pledge.
The rest of this article can be read on the Baltimore Banner’s website.
District of Columbia
D.C. bar, LGBTQ+ Community Center to mark Lesbian Visibility Week
‘Ahead of the Curve’ documentary screening, ‘Queeroke’ among events
2026 Lesbian Visibility Week North America will take place from April 20-26.
This year marks the third annual Lesbian Visibility Week, run by the Curve Foundation. A host of events take place from April 20-26.
This year’s theme is Health and Wellness. For the Curve Foundation, the term “lesbian” serves as an umbrella term for a host of identities, including lesbians, bisexual and transgender women, and anyone else connected to the lesbian community.
The week kicks off with a flag-raising ceremony on April 19. It will take place in New York, but will be livestreamed for the public.
“Queeroke” is one of the events being held around the country. It will take place at various participating bars on April 23.
As You Are, an LGBTQ bar in Capitol Hill, is one of eight locations across the U.S. participating. Their event is free and 21+.
On April 24, the D.C. LGBTQ+ Community Center will hold a screening of “Ahead of the Curve,” a documentary about the founder of Curve, Franco Stevens. The event is free with an RSVP.
April 25, is Queer Women in Sports Day. And on April 26, several monuments in New York will be illuminated.
Virtual events ranging from health to sports will be made available to the public. Details will be released closer to the start of Lesbian Visibility Week. Featured events can be found on the official website.
Some ways for individuals to get involved are to use #LVW26 and tag the official Lesbian Visibility Week account on social media posts. People are encouraged to display their lesbian flags, and businesses can hand out pins and decorate. They can also reach out to local lawmakers to encourage them to issue an official Lesbian Visibility Week.
District of Columbia
Whitman-Walker Health to present ‘Pro Bono Excellence’ award to law firm
Health center set to celebrate 40th anniversary of legal services program
Whitman-Walker Health, the D.C.-based community healthcare center that specializes in HIV/AIDS and LGBTQ-related health services, announced it will present its annual Dale Edwin Sanders Award for Pro Bono Excellence to the international law firm McDermott Will & Schulte at a May 6 ceremony.
“This year’s award is especially significant as it coincides with the 40th anniversary of Whitman-Walker Health’s Legal Services Program, marking it as the nation’s longest running medical-legal partnership,” a statement released by Whitman-Walker says.
“As a national leader in public health, Whitman-Walker celebrates our partnership with McDermott to strengthen the health center and to enable Whitman-Walker to reach more medical and legal clients,” the statement adds.
“McDermott’s firm-wide commitment to Whitman-Walker’s medical-legal partnership demonstrates a shared vision to serve those most in need,” Amy Nelson, Whitman-Walker’s director of Legal Services, says in the statement. “Our work protects individuals and families who face discrimination and hostility as they navigate increasingly complex administrative systems,” Nelson said.
“Pro bono legal services – like that of McDermott Will & Schulte – find solutions for people who have no place else to turn in the face of financial and health threats,” she added.
“Our partnership with Whitman-Walker Health is a treasured commitment to serving our neighbors and communities,” Steven Schnelle, one of the law firm’s partners said in the statement. “We are deeply moved by Whitman-Walker’s unwavering dedication to inclusion, respect, and equitable access to health care and social services,” he said.
The statement notes that the award for Pro Bono Excellence honors the legacy of the late gay attorney Dale Edwin Sanders. It says Sanders’s pro bono legal work for Whitman-Walker clients “shaped HIV/AIDS law for more than four decades by securing key victories on behalf of individuals whose employment and patient rights were violated.”
It says the Whitman-Walker Legal Services program began during the early years of the AIDS epidemic in the 1980s at a time when people with AIDS faced widespread discrimination and often needed legal assistance. According to the statement, the program evolved over the years and expanded to advocate for transgender people and immigrants.
Whitman-Walker spokesperson Lisa Amore said the presentation of the Dale Edwin Sanders Pro Bono Excellency Award will be held at the May 6 fundraising benefit for Whitman-Walker’s Legal Services Program. She said the event will take place at the offices of the DC law firm Baker McKenzie and ticket availability can be accessed here: https://www.whitman-walker.org/gtem-2026/
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