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.”
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.).
District of Columbia
D.C. Council member honored by LGBTQ homeless youth group
Doni Crawford receives inaugural Wanda Alston Legacy Award
About 100 people turned out Tuesday evening, April 7, for a presentation by D.C.’s Wanda Alston Foundation of its inaugural Wanda Alston Legacy Award to D.C. Council member Doni Crawford (I-At-Large) for her support for the foundation’s mission to support homeless LGBTQ youth.
Among those who attended the event was Japer Bowles, director of D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser’s Office of LGBTQ Affairs, who delivered an official proclamation issued by Bowser declaring April 7, 2026 “A Day of Remembrance for Wanda Alston.”
Alston, a beloved women’s and LGBTQ rights activist, served as the city’s first director of the then newly created Office of LGBTQ Affairs under then-Mayor Anthony Williams from 2004 until her death by murder on March 16, 2005.
To the shock and dismay of fellow LGBTQ rights advocates, police and court records reported Alston, 45, was stabbed to death inside her Northeast D.C. house by a man high on crack cocaine who lived nearby and who stole her credit cards and car. The perpetrator, William Martin Parrott, 38, was arrested by D.C. police the next day and later pleaded guilty to second-degree murder. He was sentenced in July 2005 to 24 years in prison.
Crawford was among those attending the award event who reflected on Alston’s legacy and outspoken advocacy for LGBTQ and feminist causes.
“I am deeply humbled and honored to receive this inaugural award,” Crawford told the Washington Blade at the conclusion of the event. “I think the world of Wanda Alston. She has set such a great foundation for me and other Council members to build on,” she said.
“Her focus on inclusivity and intersectionality is really important as we approach this work,” Crawford added. “And it’s going to guide my work at the Council every day.”
Crawford was appointed to the D.C. Council in January of this year to replace then Council member Kenyan McDuffie (I-At-Large), who resigned to run for D.C. mayor as a Democrat. She is being challenged by four other independent candidates in a June 16 special election for the Council seat.
Under the city’s Home Rule Charter written and approved by Congress, the seat is one of two D.C. Council at-large seats that cannot be held by a “majority party” candidate, meaning a Democrat.
A statement released by the Alston Foundation last month announcing Crawford’s selection for the Wanda Alston Legacy Award praised Crawford’s record of support for its work on behalf of LGBTQ youth.
“From behind the scenes to now serving as an At-Large Council member, she has fought fearlessly for affordable housing, LGBTQ+ funding priorities, and racial justice,” the statement says. “Council member Crawford’s leadership reflects the same courage and conviction that defined Wanda’s legacy.”
Organizers of the event noted that it was held on what would have been Wanda Alston’s 67th birthday.
“Today’s legacy reception was a smashing success,” said Cesar Toledo, the Alston Foundation’s executive director. “Not only did we come together to celebrate Wanda Alston on her birthday, but we also were able to raise over $10,000 for our homeless LGBTQ youth here in D.C.,” Toledo told the Blade.
“In addition to that, we celebrated and we acknowledged a rising star in our community,” he said. “And that is At-Large Council member Doni Crawford, who we named the inaugural Wanda Alston Legacy Award recipient.”
At the request of D.C. Council Chair Phil Mendelson (D-At-Large) the Council voted unanimously on Jan. 20, 2026, to appoint Crawford to the Council seat being vacated by McDuffie.
Council records show she joined McDuffie’s Council staff in 2022 as a policy adviser and later became his legislative director before McDuffie appointed her as staff director for the Council’s Committee on Business and Economic Development for which McDuffie served as chair.
Calendar: April 10-16
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