Local
Activists protest sodomy ruling at Indian embassy
Say ruling will lead to arrests, oppression of gays
Demonstrators descended on the Indian embassy Wednesday to protest a court ruling that reinstates a sodomy ban in the country. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
LGBT Indian nationals and about 20 supporters gathered outside the Indian embassy in Washington on Wednesday to protest a decision by India’s Supreme Court to reinstate a British colonial era law that criminalizes sodomy between consenting adults.
The ruling Wednesday overturned a 2009 decision by a lower court that declared the sodomy law violated India’s constitution. The ruling this week by the Supreme Court said it would be up to India’s Parliament to decide whether to repeal or retain the sodomy statute.
“The Indian Supreme Court just plunged its LGBT citizens – 15 million by conservative estimates – into being criminals yet again,” said Tushar Malik, an Indian citizen and gay activist working temporarily in Washington as a Global Engagement Fellow with the Human Rights Campaign.
“Four years of freedom I enjoyed back home, and today in a foreign country I am sad to see that me and my friends and my brothers and sisters – everyone in India who might not identity as straight – can get imprisoned, can go to jail for 10 years up to a life sentence,” he told participants in the protest.
The protesters gathered around a statue in front of the embassy on Massachusetts Avenue, N.W., of Mahatma Gandhi, the Indian freedom fighter and leader of the country’s non-violent movement to gain independence from Great Britain.
While facing the embassy, some of the protesters held signs saying, “I don’t want to leave my country to be free and equal,” and “Criminals in Our Own Country.”
Malik, who organized the protest, called on President Obama and the U.S. State Department to put pressure on India to repeal the sodomy law or take steps to petition the high court to reverse its decision.
Sapna Pandya, president of Khush D.C., a group representing LGBT people from South Asia, said Khush is inviting the LGBT community to attend a candlelight vigil outside the Indian embassy on Friday night to continue to the protest of the Supreme Court ruling.
She said the vigil was expected to begin at 6 p.m. at the site of the Gandhi statue, which is located in a small triangular park where Massachusetts Avenue, 21st Street, and Q Street intersect.
“The idea is to use the symbol of the candlelight to suggest that the Indian Supreme Court needs to be illuminated and needs to be re-enlightened,” she said. “We were all so joyous when the Delhi High Court read down [Article] 377 [the sodomy statute] in 2009. To see us go backwards into the darkness and going backwards in history is so upsetting,” she said.
She said another objective of the vigil is to suggest to the Indian government that the state of democracy in the country “is not well” in the wake of a Supreme Court decision that takes away freedoms from LGBT people.
Malik, who is from New Delhi, said that although the sodomy law for the most part was not enforced against consenting adults engaging in sexual acts in private, the law was used to discriminate against gay people by labeling them as law-breakers. He said the law was also used by police to harass LGBT people and by blackmailers to extort money from gay people.
“I am gay and I’m a criminal in the eyes of the law,” Malik told the gathering on Wednesday. “I’m not going to give up and I’m going to fight.”
A group of protesters gathered at the base of the statue of Mahatma Gandhi. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
A gay man was murdered in Petersburg, Va., on March 13.
Shyyell Diamond Sanchez-McCray, who was also known as Saamel and Mable, was a drag queen who won the Miss Mayflower EOY pageant in 2015. Reports also indicate Sanchez-McCray, 42, was a well-known community activist in Virginia and in North Carolina.
Local media reports indicate police officers found Sanchez-McCray shot to death inside a home in Petersburg.
Sanchez-McCray’s brother, Jamal Mitchell Diamond, in a public statement the Washington Blade received from Equality Virginia and GLAAD, said Sanchez-McCray was not transgender as initial reports indicated.
“Our family has always embraced the fullness of who he was. He used the names Saamel, Shyyell, and Mable interchangeably, and we honor all of them. There is no division within our family regarding how he is being represented — only a shared commitment to preserving his truth with love and respect,” said Diamond.
“He was also deeply committed to community work through Nationz Foundation, where he worked and completed multiple state-certified programs to support marginalized communities,” added Diamond. “That work meant a great deal to him.”
Authorities have not made any arrests.
The Petersburg Bureau of Police has asked anyone with information about Sanchez-McCray’s murder to call Petersburg-Dinwiddie Crime Solvers at 804-861-1212.
District of Columbia
Trans Day of Visibility events planned
Rally on the National Mall scheduled for Saturday
The Christopher Street Project has a number of events planned for the 2026 Trans Day of Visibility, including a rally on the Mall and an “Empowerment Ball” at the Eaton Hotel. Plenaries, panel discussions and meetings with members of Congress are scheduled in the three days of programming.
Announced speakers include N.H. state Rep. Alice Wade; Commissioner of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago Precious Brady-Davis; activist and performer Miss Peppermint (“RuPaul’s Drag Race”); Lexington, Ky. Councilwoman Emma Curtis; Rabbi Abby Stein; D.C. activist and host Rayceen Pendarvis; Air Force Master Sgt. Logan Ireland; among other leaders, advocates and performers.
Conference programming on Thursday and Friday includes an educational forum and a Capitol Hill policy education day. Registration for the two-day conference has closed.
The “Trans Day of Visibility PAC Reception” is scheduled for Thursday, March 26 from 7:30-9 p.m. at As You Are (500 8th St., S.E.). Special guests include Rep. Dina Titus (D-Nevada) and Rep. Delia Ramirez (D-Ill.). Tickets are available at christopherstreetproject.org starting at $25.
The National Council of Jewish Women and the Christopher Street Project host a “Trans Day of Visibility Shabbat” on Friday, March 27 from 7-8 p.m. at Sixth & I (600 I St., N.W.). The service is to be led by Rabbi Jenna Shaw and Rabbi Abby Stein.
The “Now You See Me: Trans Empowerment Social & Ball” is scheduled for Friday, March 27 from 6-11 p.m. at the Eaton Hotel (1201 K. St., N.W.). The trans-themed drag ball is hosted by the Marsha P. Johnson Institute with support from the D.C. Mayor’s Office of LGBTQ+ Affairs, the Capital Ballroom Council, the Christopher Street Project, the Center for Black Equity, Generation for Common Good, and Parenting is Political. RSVP online at christopherstreetproject.org.
The National Transgender Day of Visibility Rally is scheduled for Saturday, March 28 on the National Mall at 11 a.m. The rally will include speakers and performances. Following the rally, attendees are encouraged to participate in the “No Kings” rally being held at Anacostia Park.
Virginia
Virginia General Assembly’s 2026 legislative session ends
Voters in November will consider repealing marriage amendment
The Virginia General Assembly’s 2026 legislative session ended on March 14.
Lawmakers have yet to approve a budget, but they did pass a resolution that paves the way for a referendum on whether to repeal the state’s constitutional amendment that defines marriage as between a man and a woman. Lawmakers also advanced House Bill 60, which would protect PrEP users from insurance discrimination.
Democratic Gov. Abigail Spanberger has until April 13 to decide to pass, amend, or veto legislation before it goes back to the House of Delegates on April 22.
Spanberger on Feb. 6 signed the bill that sets the stage for the marriage amendment referendum. Voters will consider whether to “remove the ban on same-sex marriage; (ii) affirm that two adults may marry regardless of sex, gender, or race; and (iii) require all legally valid marriages to be treated equally under the law?”
Equality Virginia has been working during this legislative cycle to urge lawmakers to allocate funding towards LGBTQ rights. The budget would expand funding for schools, competency training for the 988 suicide hotline, and funding to provide gender affirming care to LGBTQ youth.
“As the budget moves through conference and the Reconvene Session approaches on April 22, Equality Virginia remains focused on ensuring our victories this session translate into durable protections,” Equality Virginia Executive Director Narissa Rahaman told the Washington Blade in a statement. “Progress on marriage equality, nondiscrimination protections, and HIV care funding was essential, but Virginia must do more.”
Markwayne Mullin confirmed as next DHS secretary
Gay man murdered in Va.
Trans Day of Visibility events planned
Virginia General Assembly’s 2026 legislative session ends
Polish court rules country must recognize same-sex marriages from EU states
Queer American in Israel discusses Iran war’s impact
‘How We Survived’ panel set for March 25
Calendar: March 21-26
Small is beautiful: subcompact SUVs
