Local
Markell: Same-sex marriage is in Delaware’s ‘best interest’
Governor on new bill, Ken Mehlman and gay GOP state leader
Gov. Jack Markell (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
“It’s also about having a sense of what’s in the best interest of our state,” he said as he discussed the impact he said nuptials for gays and lesbians would have on Delaware’s economy. “Businesses want to hire the very best people. They don’t care about their race. They don’t care about their gender. They don’t care about their sexual orientation. They just want to get great people. We want to have the kind of welcoming environment where talented people no matter their background feel welcome.”
Markell, who signed Delaware’s civil unions bill into law in 2011, spoke with the Blade a day after he and other elected officials attended a Wilmington press conference at which state Rep. Melanie George Smith (D-Bear) formally introduced the same-sex marriage proposal.
None of House Bill 75’s 22 co-sponsors in both legislative chambers are Republican.
The governor told the Blade that former Republican National Committee Chair Ken Mehlman expressed a “willingness to make some phone calls he thought would be helpful” when they met in New York City after the civil unions law took effect in January 2012.
“I’m sure we’ll tap into a lot of people who are interested in helping,” Markell said.
He added he feels marriage rights for same-sex couples should not be a partisan issue. The governor also responded to reports the executive committee of the Sussex County Republican Committee on Monday approved a non-binding resolution to remove John Fluharty, the state GOP’s gay executive director, over his support of same-sex marriage.
“It’s just one more reason that the Republicans really need to think through how they’re going to win elections in the future,” Markell said. “People are looking for political parties that are open and inclusive and that have big tents. I know a lot of Republicans who don’t share the view of some of those who wanted to push him out.”
Neighboring Maryland is among the nine states and D.C. in which same-sex couples can legally marry.
Lawmakers in Rhode Island and Illinois are expected to vote on proposals in the coming weeks that would extend marriage rights to gays and lesbians in their respective states.
Markell said he spoke earlier this year with Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley about same-sex marriage, although he described the issue as “state-by-state.” He applauded Equality Delaware for its efforts leading up to HB 75’s introduction.
“The most important thing we have is a very strong group of advocates,” Markell said. “They [Equality Delaware] have done just an excellent job and I think that will be the single most important factor in getting something done here.”
A Global Strategy Group poll that Equality Delaware commissioned in February shows 54 percent of Delawareans support same-sex marriage. An ABC News/Washington Post survey released last month indicates 58 percent of Americans back nuptials for gays and lesbians.
“We’re a reflection of the changing mood nationally around this issue,” Markell told the Blade in response to a question about how he feels Delaware factors into the same-sex marriage movement that continues to gain momentum. “Four years ago in Delaware it was legal to discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation, and we have a potential of going in four years from that to marriage equality. That is a major step forward.”
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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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