Local
Harry Reid staffer runs for D.C. Council
Darrel Thompson seeks Ward 6 seat
Darrel Thompson (Photo courtesy of the Thompson campaign)
Native D.C. resident Darrel Thompson, who until last week worked as a deputy chief of staff for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), announced his candidacy on Sunday for the Ward 6 City Council seat being vacated by incumbent Tommy Wells, who’s running for mayor.
“I’m the one who will bring new leadership to Ward 6,” Thompson told about 75 people who packed the roof deck space of Cava Mezze Restaurant in the Barracks Row section of Capitol Hill.
Thompson told the Blade he’s a longtime supporter of LGBT rights, including marriage equality. He portrayed himself in his announcement speech as an experienced public servant who will bring fresh leadership to a City Council in which too many of its members have put “self-interest” ahead of the public interest.
Although he didn’t mention him by name, supporters attending Thompson’s announcement ceremony said his repeated references to the need for new leadership in Ward 6 most likely were aimed at one of his expected opponents in the April 1 Democratic primary, Charles Allen, Wells’ chief of staff. Allen served as chair of the Ward 6 Democratic Committee until his term ended on Oct. 1.
Others expected to enter the Ward 6 Council race are ANC Commissioner David Garber, who represents a district near the Washington Nationals Stadium, and Josh Hart, a Capitol Hill civic activist.
As a Capitol Hill resident, Thompson said he loves the “rich diversity” of the neighborhood and the city as a whole, citing the mix of young and old, black and white, and “gay and straight,” among other groups that he believes benefits the city.
“We are better for our diversity,” he said. “We need to strengthen it.”
Thompson told the Blade following his remarks at his announcement gathering that he is a strong supporter of LGBT rights, including marriage equality.
“I absolutely believe that folks should be able to get married no matter who they love,” he said. “That’s where I stand.
He said that as a senior adviser to Reid for eight years he has worked on issues to advance LGBT equality, including the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, or ENDA, which would prohibit employment discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. He said he has also assisted Reid in pushing for more federal funding for AIDS-related programs.
Maryland
Parents sue Anne Arundel schools, allege officials hid child’s gender transition
America First legal Foundation filed lawsuit on July 8
By CODY BOTELER | Two parents, backed by a conservative nonprofit group, are suing Anne Arundel County Public Schools over the school system’s policies related to transgender children.
The suit, filed Wednesday in Maryland’s U.S. District Court, accuses staff at an unidentified county high school of lying to the parents, identified as John Doe and Jane Doe, about their child, identified as Mary Doe.
The Does allege the school “socially transitioned” their child without notice or their consent by using a masculine name and masculine pronouns for Mary Doe.
The rest of this article can be found on the Baltimore Banner’s website.
District of Columbia
Campaign launched to elect more LGBTQ candidates to ANC seats
Capital Stonewall Democrats behind Queering ANCs effort
The Capital Stonewall Democrats, D.C.’s largest local LGBTQ political group, announced on July 7 it has launched a campaign to help elect large numbers of LGBTQ candidates to the city’s Advisory Neighborhood Commissions.
The D.C. local government is believed to be unique among U.S. cities in currently having 46 Advisory Neighborhood Commissions consisting of 345 single-member districts in neighborhoods throughout the city in which unpaid Advisory Neighborhood Commissioners are elected for two-year terms.
The commissions are charged with considering a wide range of policies and programs impacting their neighborhoods, including traffic, parking, recreation, street improvements, liquor licenses, zoning, economic development, police protection, sanitation and trash collection, and D.C.’s annual budget, according to the ANC website.
Although the ANCs do not have authority to set or reject policies or proposals, such as applications for liquor licenses, city agencies are required to give “great weight” to ANC recommendations, according to the law creating the ANCs.
Kent Boese, a gay former ANC commissioner, currently serves as executive director of the D.C. Office of ANCs.
“We are launching the most ambitious hyperlocal LGBTQ+ candidate pipeline initiative in the country,” said Stevie McCarty, the Capital Stonewall Democrats president, in a July 7 statement that announced the Queering ANCs campaign.
“As an ANC member, I know firsthand how these seats shape our neighborhoods, from housing and public safety to sanitation,” McCarty says in the statement. “I’m proud to lead this effort to ensure more LGBTQ+ Washingtonians see themselves as leaders in their communities,” he said.
The ANC Rainbow Caucus, which was created by LGBTQ ANC members, shows on its website that there are currently 38 caucus members consisting of elected LGBTQ ANC commissioners serving in the current 2025-2026 two-year term.
The website shows there are LGBTQ commissioners who are caucus members in each of the city’s eight wards, with six in Ward 1, eight in Ward 2, one in Ward 3, six in Ward 4, five in Ward 5, three in Ward 6, eight in Ward 7, and one in Ward 8.
The Washington Blade couldn’t immediately determine how many of them will be running for re-election in D.C.’s general election in November. But McCarty said Capital Stonewall Democrats hopes to recruit many more LGBTQ candidates to run for ANC seats.
The D.C. Board of Elections website shows the deadline for filing 25 required petition signatures to be placed on the ballot is Aug. 5.
A Queering ANCs website launched this week by Capital Stonewall Democrats provides details on how to run for an ANC seat and offers help for those interested in running.
“Think of someone in your building, neighborhood, friend group, community organization, or professional network who cares deeply about D.C. and would make a strong leader,” McCarty says in his statement. “Send them QueeringANCs.org and personally ask them to consider running,” he said.
The website can be accessed at QueeringANCs.org.
Baltimore
Ron Singer, owner of popular Mount Vernon gay bar Leon’s, dies
66-year-old’s funeral to take place Friday
By CAYLA HARRIS | Ron Singer, the owner of Baltimore’s popular gay bar Leon’s Backroom, died Tuesday, the venue announced in a social media post. He was 66.
“For more than 20 years, Ron made Leon’s a place so many people were proud to call home,” the post reads. “He will be deeply missed.”
The Mount Vernon bar, typically open from 4 p.m. to 2 a.m. daily, is still open Thursday, but doors will close at midnight so staff can attend his funeral Friday morning. Services are scheduled to begin at 9:30 a.m. at Sol Levinson’s Chapel.
The rest of this article can be read on the Baltimore Banner’s website.
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