Local
50th anniversary of March on Washington nears
LGBT contingent planned for Aug. 24 commemoration
Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s 1963 March on Washington will be celebrated next month. (Photo in public domain)
Local organizers of the 50th anniversary commemoration of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s 1963 civil rights March on Washington are calling on members of the LGBT community to participate in the re-enactment of the historic march set to take place Aug. 24 on the National Mall.
D.C. statehood and gay rights activist Jerry Clark, who was appointed by Mayor Vincent Gray to a committee to help recruit volunteers and participants for the march, said he is calling on local and national LGBT groups to help organize an “identifiable” LGBT contingent in the march.
“I would like to see an eye-catching LGBT contingent,” said Clark, who noted that national organizers of the march are supportive of LGBT equality.
Clark said LGBT activists involved with the march are committed to the goals and objectives of the event set by national organizers, including officials with the groups that worked with Martin Luther King on the 1963 march. Among them are the NAACP, Southern Christian Leadership Conference and the A. Philip Randolph Institute.
Also playing a key role in organizing the 50th anniversary march and a week of related events is the King Center, the Atlanta-based organization created by the late Coretta Scott King, King’s widow, and other King family members.
King’s daughter, Bernice A. King, CEO of the King Center, said in a June 23 statement announcing plans for the 50th anniversary commemoration that a broad coalition of civil rights organizations would be involved in a series of events leading up to the Aug. 24 march.
“Our coalition hopes to make the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington and my father’s famous ‘I Have a Dream’ speech a meaningful experience which addresses the urgent causes of jobs, justice and freedom,” Bernice King said.
A July 8 statement released by the New York City-based National Action Network, headed by civil rights leader and commentator Rev. Al Sharpton, named more than 20 civil rights, labor, and faith-based organizations that are recognized as co-endorsers of the march. Among them are five national LGBT groups: the Human Rights Campaign, National Black Justice Coalition, Family Equality Council, National Gay & Lesbian Task Force and Old Lesbians Organizing for Change.
Clark said members of Mayor Gray’s local organizing committee are encouraging supporters from all communities to sponsor local events during the week leading up to the Aug. 24 march. He said he expects at least one event to honor Bayard Rustin, the out gay civil rights organizers credited with playing the lead role in organizing the 1963 March on Washington as one of King’s top lieutenants.
Rustin died in 1987 at the age of 75.
A spokesperson for the King Center in Atlanta said on Tuesday that organizers have yet to announce the names of the speakers at the march and rally set to take place at the Lincoln Memorial, the same location where King delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech. Clark said he was hopeful that at least one LGBT representative would be selected to speak at the event.
Black gay activists in D.C. were credited with persuading organizers of the 1983 20th anniversary commemoration of the March on Washington to agree to allow black lesbian poet and writer Audre Lorde speak at that event.
The decision to allow Lorde to speak came after then D.C. congressional Del. Walter Fauntroy, one of the lead organizers of the 1983 march, initially opposed allowing an LGBT speaker. Fauntroy’s opposition prompted local black gay activists Phil Pannell, Mel Boozer, Ray Melrose, and Gary Walker to stage a sit-in at Fauntroy’s Capitol Hill office. The four were arrested in an action that drew national media coverage.
Following behind the scenes negotiations in which Gil Gerald, an official with the National Coalition of Black Gays, spoke directly with Coretta Scott King by phone, Mrs. King and other top leaders of the march agreed to have an out gay speaker.
Gerald, who isn’t involved in this year’s march, said he is hopeful that an LGBT person will be chosen as a speaker.
District of Columbia
Judge rescinds stay-away order in Capital Pride anti-stalking case
Evidence hearing to determine if order should be reinstated against Darren Pasha
A D.C. Superior Court judge on April 17 rescinded an anti-stalking order he approved in February at the request of Capital Pride Alliance against local LGBTQ activist Darren Pasha.
In a ruling at a court status hearing, Judge Robert D. Okum agreed with defendant Darren Pasha’s stated concern that the initial order was too broad and did not specify who specifically he must stay at least 100 feet away from, as called for in the order.
Okum ruled on April 17 that the initial order, which he noted was oral rather than written, would be suspended until an evidentiary hearing takes place in which Capital Pride will need to present evidence justifying the need for such an order.
“I’m fine with scheduling a hearing at which the plaintiff can present evidence, and the defendant can present evidence,” Okum said. “But I’m not fine with just continuing this oral TRO [Temporary Restraining Order] that Mr. Pasha really doesn’t even have notice of. That seems unfair,” he said.
After asking both Pasha and Capital Pride Alliance Attorney Nick Harrison when they would be available for the evidence hearing, Okum set the date for April 27 at 11 a.m. in Superior Court.
The case began when Capital Pride Alliance, the D.C.-based LGBTQ group that organizes the city’s annual Pride events, filed a Civil Complaint on Oct. 27, 2025, against Pasha, accusing him of engaging in a year-long effort to harass, intimidate, and stalk Capital Pride’s staff, board members, and volunteers.
The complaint was accompanied by a separate motion seeking a restraining order, preliminary injunction, and anti-stalking order prohibiting Pasha from “any further contact, harassment, intimidation, or interference with the Plaintiff, its staff, board members, volunteers, and affiliates.”
In his initial ruling in February, Okum issued an order requiring Pasha to stay at least 100 feet away from Capital Pride staff, board members, and volunteers until the April 17 status hearing. He reduced the stay-away distance from the 200 yards requested by Capital Pride.
Pasha, who has so far represented himself in court without an attorney, has argued in multiple court filings and motions that the Capital Pride stalking allegations are untrue. In his initial 16-page response to the complaint, Pasha said it appears to be a form of retaliation against him for a dispute he has had with Capital Pride and its former board president, Ashley Smith, who has since resigned from the board.
“It is evident that the document is replete with false, misleading, and unsubstantiated assertions,” Pasha’s court response states.
At the April 17 hearing, Okum also ruled that, as standard procedure for civil complaints such as this one, he has ordered both parties to enter into court-supervised mediation to attempt to reach a settlement rather than go to trial.
In an earlier ruling Okum denied Pasha’s request for a jury trial, stating that civil cases such as this must undergo a trial with the judge determining the verdict under existing civil court statutes.
The April 17 court hearing was held in a courtroom at the courthouse, but as allowed under current court rules, Capital Pride attorney Harrison and Capital Pride official June Crenshaw participated virtually through a video connection. Pasha attended the hearing in the courtroom.
“This matter is proceeding through the court in the normal course,” Capital Pride released in a statement. “We look forward to presenting the relevant evidence at the scheduled hearing. Capital Pride Alliance remains committed to maintaining a safe and respectful environment for our staff, volunteers, and community, and to addressing concerns through appropriate channels.”
“This is clearly a case of retaliation,” Pasha told the Blade after the hearing. “Today the judge removed the stay-away order and asked Capital Pride Alliance to present enough evidence and examples to see if a stay-away order should be granted,” he said. “Because Pride is coming up in June, we need to see where this is going.”
District of Columbia
Gay D.C. police lieutenant arrested on child porn charges
Matthew Mahl once served as head of LGBT Liaison Unit
D.C. police announced on April 14 that they have placed one of their lieutenants, Matthew Mahl, on administrative leave and revoked his police powers after receiving information that he was arrested in Maryland one day earlier.
Although the initial D.C. police announcement doesn’t disclose the reason for the arrest it refers to a statement by the Harford County, Md. Sheriff’s Office that discloses Mahl has been charged with sexual solicitation of a minor and child porn solicitation.
“On Tuesday, the Harford County Sheriff’s Office contacted MPD’s Internal Affairs Division shortly after arresting Lieutenant Matthew Mahl,” the D.C. police statement says.
“The allegations in this case are extremely disturbing, and in direct contrast to the values of the Metropolitan Police Department,” the statement continues. “MPD’s Internal Affairs Division will investigate violations of MPD policy once the criminal investigation concludes,” it says.
“MPD is not involved in the criminal investigation and was not aware of the investigation until yesterday,” the statement adds.
Mahl served as acting supervisor of the MPD’s then Gay & Lesbian Liaison Unit in 2013 when he held the rank of sergeant. D.C. police officials placed him on administrative leave and suspended his police powers that same year while investigating an undisclosed allegation.
A source familiar with the investigation said Mahl was cleared of any wrongdoing a short time later and resumed his police duties. Around the time he was promoted to lieutenant several years later Mahl took on the role as chairman of the D.C. Police Union, becoming the first known openly gay officer to hold that position.
NBC 4 reports that Mahl, 47, has served on the police force for 23 years and most recently was assigned to the department’s Special Operations Division.
Records related to Mahl’s arrest filed in Harford County District Court, show Sheriff’s Department investigators state in charging documents that he allegedly committed the offenses of Sexual Solicitation of a Minor and Child Porn Solicitation on Monday, April 13, one day before he was arrested on April 14.
The court records show he was held without bond during his first appearance in court on April 14. A decision on whether he would be released while awaiting trial or continue to be held without bond was scheduled to be determined during an April 15 bond hearing. The outcome of that hearing could not be immediately determined.
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.
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