Local
D.C. trans birth certificate bill advances
Measure would repeal law requiring reassignment surgery
Council member David Catania authored the JaParker Deoni Jones Birth Certificate Equality Amendment Act of 2013. (Washington Blade file photo by Michael Key)
Two D.C. Council committees voted unanimously this week to approve a bill that, among other things, would repeal an existing city law that prevents transgender people from changing their birth certificate to reflect a change in gender unless they undergo gender reassignment surgery.
The bill, written by Council member David Catania (I-At-Large), is called the JaParker Deoni Jones Birth Certificate Equality Amendment Act of 2013 in honor of the transgender woman who was murdered in February 2012 while waiting for a bus in Northeast D.C.
“D.C. only allows trans people to change their birth certificate if those requesting changes have had sex-reassignment surgery,” Andy Bowen of the D.C. Trans Coalition told the Council’s Committee on Health at a May 16 hearing on the bill.
“This surgery costs many thousands of dollars,” Bowen said. “It is out of reach for the primarily low-income transgender population. It is not covered by most insurance policies. And it is not medically safe for some people.”
Bowen and other transgender advocates and their supporters told the committee that for many transgender people, surgery isn’t necessary for them to transition to another gender.
The legislation would amend the D.C. Vital Records Act of 1981 to require the city registrar to issue a new birth certificate designating a new gender for “any individual who provides a written request and a signed statement from a licensed healthcare provider that the individual has undergone a gender transition,” according to a statement released by the Committee on Health.
The bill would require that the original birth certificate of the transgender person be sealed when a new one is issued. The measure would also eliminate a requirement under existing law that people seeking a name change publicly announce the change in a newspaper or other publication.
Transgender advocates have said a new birth certificate and name change reflecting someone’s new gender are essential steps needed for transgender people to successfully complete their transition and live free from discrimination.
With Catania’s approval, the Committee on Health and the Committee on the Judiciary and Public Safety made seven changes to the bill that had been proposed by transgender activists, who said the changes would strengthen the bill’s protections for transgender people seeking a new birth certificate.
“For far too long, members of the transgender community have suffered intolerable discrimination and abuse,” said Council member Yvette Alexander (D-Ward 7), chair of the Committee on Health.
“The measure before us today is but one step we may take to bring protection and a sense of dignity to those who number among the most maligned members of society,” Alexander said.
The Committee on Health headed by Alexander approved the revised measure on Wednesday. The Committee on the Judiciary and Public Safety, chaired by Council member Tommy Wells (D-Ward 6) approved the bill on Thursday.
Twelve of the Council’s 13 members either co-introduced or co-sponsored the bill. Council member Marion Barry (D-Ward 8) was the only Council member that didn’t add his name as a co-introducer or co-sponsor.
The bill is expected to come before the full Council for the first of two votes or “readings” later this month.
D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray has said he supports the bill and would sign it when it reaches his desk.
“This has gone perfectly,” Bowen told the Blade on Thursday. “We got all the changes that we wanted and it passed in both committees unanimously. And the runway is clear for it to get its final Council vote.”
More than 20 witnesses representing a wide range of community groups and city agencies testified in support of the bill at the May 16 hearing, which was held jointly by the Health and Judiciary and Public Safety committees. No one testified against the bill.
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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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BLUF leather social set for April 10 in Rehoboth
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