Local

Mayor, 5 Council members attend Stein Club awards

Democratic group honors local LGBT advocates

Published

12 years ago

October 4, 2013

Lou Chibbaro Jr.

Angela Peoples, Rod Snyder, Martin Garcia, Gertrude Stein Democratic Club, gay news, Washington Blade

The Stein Club marked its 37th anniversary last weekend. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray and five members of the City Council, three of whom are running for mayor, turned out for the Gertrude Stein Democratic Club’s annual awards reception and fundraiser on Sept. 28, at the Sonoma Restaurant and Wine Bar on Capitol Hill.

The event marked the 37th anniversary of the founding of the Stein Club, the city’s largest LGBT political organization.

Those named as recipients the club’s recognition for service to the LGBT community were LGBT Youth Pride Alliance Leader Nikisha Carpenter; D.C. Trans Coalition organizer Andy Bowen; and former D.C. Young Democrats President Toby Quaranta. The club also presented an award of recognition to the D.C.-based group TransLAW, which serves as a legal clinic providing assistance to the transgender community.

The Council members attending the event included Jim Graham (D-Ward 1), Jack Evans (D-Ward 2), Muriel Bowser (D-Ward 4), Kenyan McDuffie (D-Ward 5), and Tommy Wells (D-Ward 6). Evans, Bowser, and Wells have announced they are candidates for mayor in the April 1, 2014 Democratic primary.

The three have a strong record of support on LGBT rights issues as does Gray. Each voted for the city’s same-sex marriage law in 2009. Gray served as Council Chair at the time the marriage equality bill came up for a vote. Gray’s supporters in the LGBT community consider him to be the most LGBT-supportive politician to serve as D.C. mayor.

Gray has yet to say whether he will run for re-election for a second term. Some Stein Club members say they will have a hard time choosing among friends in the mayoral race.

Others have said LGBT voters, like other city residents, will likely choose a mayoral candidate based on non-LGBT issues.

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Virginia

VIDEO: LGBTQ groups march in Va. inaugural parade

Abigail Spanberger took office on Saturday

Published

12 hours ago

January 17, 2026

Michael Key

Diversity Richmond and the Virginia Pride project of Diversity Richmond march in the 2026 Inauguration Parade on the grounds of the state capitol in Richmond, Va. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

The inaugural ceremonies for Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger were held in Richmond, Va. on Saturday. Among the groups marching in the parade were Diversity Richmond and the Virginia Pride project of Diversity Richmond.

View on Threads

*The LGBTQ contingent in the inaugural parade in Richmond, Va. pass by the review stand on Jan. 17, 2026. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)*

Virginia

Va. Senate approves referendum to repeal marriage amendment

Outgoing state Sen. Adam Ebbin introduced SJ3

Published

20 hours ago

January 17, 2026

Staff reports

(Bigstock photo)

The Virginia Senate on Friday by a 26-13 vote margin approved a resolution that seeks to repeal a state constitutional amendment that defines marriage as between a man and a woman.

Outgoing state Sen. Adam Ebbin (D-Alexandria) introduced SJ3. The Senate Privileges and Elections Committee on Wednesday approved it by a 10-4 vote margin.

Same-sex couples have been able to legally marry in Virginia since 2014. Outgoing Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin in 2024 signed a bill that codified marriage equality in state law.

A resolution that seeks to repeal the Marshall-Newman Amendment passed in the General Assembly in 2021. The resolution passed again in 2025.

Two successive legislatures must approve the resolution before it can go to the ballot. Democrats in the Virginia House of Delegates have said the resolution’s passage is among their 2026 legislative priorities.

“It’s time for Virginia’s Constitution to reflect the law of the land and the values of today,” said Ebbin after Friday’s vote. “This amendment, if approved by voters, would affirm the dignity of all committed couples and protects marriage equality for future generations.”

Maryland

Layoffs and confusion at Pride Center of Maryland after federal grants cut, reinstated

Trump administration move panicked addiction and mental health programs

Published

2 days ago

January 16, 2026

Baltimore Banner

Merrick Moses, a violence prevention coordinator, works at the Pride Center of Maryland in Baltimore. (Photo by Ulysses Muñoz for the Baltimore Banner)

By ALISSA ZHU | After learning it had abruptly lost $2 million in federal funding, the Pride Center of Maryland moved to lay off a dozen employees, or about a third of its workforce, the Baltimore nonprofit’s leader said Thursday.

The group is one of thousands nationwide that reportedly received letters late Tuesday from the Trump administration. Their mental health and addiction grants had been terminated, effective immediately, the letters said.

By Wednesday night, federal officials moved to reverse the funding cuts by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, estimated to total $2 billion, according to national media reports. But the Pride Center of Maryland’s CEO Cleo Manago said as of Thursday morning he had not heard anything from the federal government confirming those reports.

The rest of this article can be read on the Baltimore Banner’s website.