Local
D.C. Black Pride leader Fowlkes elected chair of DNC LGBT Caucus
Equality Delaware leader elected as caucus secretary
Earl Fowlkes Jr. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
The Democratic National Committee’s LGBT Caucus voted unanimously on Thursday to elect D.C. gay Democratic activist and Black LGBT Pride leader Earl Fowlkes as the caucus’s chair.
The election took place during the DNC’s annual summer meeting in Scottsdale, Ariz. DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz was among several guests speakers at the LGBT Caucus meeting in which Fowlkes was elected.
“The meeting was our first official Caucus meeting since the [Democratic National] Convention so it gave us an opportunity to celebrate the president’s re-election, all of the amazing LGBT victories last November at the ballot box and all the wonderful progress made in state legislatures over the past few months,” said gay DNC member Jason Rae of Wisconsin.
Rae, who has served as the LGBT Caucus secretary, assumed the position of acting chair in January, when then Caucus Chair Rick Stafford of Minnesota and Vice Chair Sue Lovell of Texas left the DNC after their terms expired.
Rae said he chose to run for a position representing the Midwest Caucus on the DNC’s Executive Committee rather than for chair of the LGBT Caucus.
“I wanted to help bring an LGBT voice to the executive team for the Midwest Caucus,” he said.
Rae said the LGBT Caucus on Thursday elected Laura Calvo, an official with the Oregon Democratic Party, as vice chair; and Lisa Goodman, co-chair of the statewide LGBT organization Equality Delaware, as caucus secretary.
Goodman played a lead role last year in campaigning for a same-sex marriage equality law and a transgender non-discrimination law that were passed by the Delaware Legislature.
Fowlkes served last year as an Obama delegate to the Democratic National Convention. He currently serves as president and CEO of the Center for Black Equity, an international LGBT advocacy organization that Fowlkes helped found. The organization, formerly known as the International Federation of Black Prides, among other things, organizes D.C.’s annual Black Pride celebration and conference. Fowlkes is also a member of the Gertrude Stein Democratic Club, D.C.’s largest LGBT political organization.
Fowlkes was attending DNC related meetings on Friday and could not immediately be reached for comment.
Rae told the Blade that the subject of the National Stonewall Democrats did not come up at the LGBT Caucus meeting on Thursday. NSD, an LGBT group, ceased operating last December due to financial problems.
LGBT Caucus member Raymond Buckley, the openly gay chairman of the New Hampshire Democratic Party, told the Blade in February that he and other LGBT Caucus members were taking steps to resurrect NSD this year. In a phone interview on Friday, Buckley said he and the others working with him have made progress on the NSD front.
“We’re optimistic,” he said. “Some announcements will be coming soon.”
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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