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Marcus Brandon seeks to become first out black congressman

N.C. candidate says distinction would be โ€˜really significantโ€™ for black and LGBT people

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Marcus Brandon, North Carolina, Greensboro, gay news, Washington Blade
Marcus Brandon, North Carolina, Greensboro, gay news, Washington Blade

N.C. state Rep.Marcus Brandon (D-Greensboro) is running for Congress in North Carolina. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

Marcus Brandon has a chance to make history.

If he wins his bid to represent North Carolinaโ€™s 12th congressional district in the U.S. House, he could become the first openly gay black person elected to Congress.

Brandon, 39, says that distinction would be โ€œreally significantโ€ because black people within the LGBT community tend to suffer most in terms of discrimination, but he asks potential supporters to look at his full body of work as the reason to back his candidacy.

โ€œI tell people donโ€™t vote for me because Iโ€™m gay, [but] because I passed more bills than anybody in the race,โ€ Brandon said. โ€œAnd so, weโ€™re about effectiveness. So, for people to see my work, it really makes it a much more powerful conversation to say, โ€˜You know what, we really donโ€™t care about his sexuality; weโ€™re just glad he put 10 new schools in our district.'โ€

The congressional hopeful spoke to the Washington Blade on Thursday in the offices of the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund, which has endorsed his candidacy.

โ€œI felt that underrepresented communities, like the one I live in, were not really having true representation in terms of being able to deal with structural issues concerning our community, dealing with education and equality, dealing with income inequality, environmental inequality,โ€ Brandon said.

The 12th congressional district, which is located in central North Carolona and comprises portions of Charlotte, Winston-Salem and High Point, is heavily Democratic. It has been vacant since former Rep. Mel Watt resigned this year to head the Federal Housing Finance Agency and a special election has been set for November.

The district has a significant African-American population; 47.2 percent of the residents are white, while 44.6 percent are black. More than a quarter of residents in the district live below the poverty line.

โ€œThe social ills that come out of that โ€” I have the highest HIV rates, I have the highest infant mortality rates, I have the highest drop out rates,โ€ Brandon said. โ€œWhenever you say 41 percent of African-American males donโ€™t graduate, that number doubles in that community.โ€

Brandon has experience in the political arena and distinction of toppling an incumbent in his own party. In 2011, he was elected to represent Greensboro in the State House of Representatives after beating four-term lawmaker and newspaper owner Earl Jones in the Democratic primary. Heโ€™s currently the only openly gay member of the North Carolina General Assembly.

Yet again in his run for Congress, Brandon has competition for the Democratic nomination. Several other Democrats are in the race to claim the Democratic banner for the seat, including State Rep. Alma Adams, attorney George Battle III, attorney Curtis Osborne and State Sen. Malcolm Graham.

But Brandon said the most recent fundraising numbers reveal that only two Democratic candidates are in a position to โ€œrun a sufficient race here.โ€ Brandon has raised the most, taking in $213,804 and having $71,000 in cash on hand, while Adams comes in second, taking in $202,000 and having $92,000 in cash on hand. The primary is May 6.

โ€œIโ€™ve never lost an election, and I donโ€™t intend to lose this one,โ€ Brandon said. โ€œWe have the biggest organization, the one with the most momentum and we fully anticipate it to be a very close election, but I have no doubt that weโ€™ll win this race.โ€

David Wasserman, House editor at the Cook Political Report, said itโ€™s too early to determine what will happen in the primary, but added Brandon is a strong candidate.

โ€œItโ€™s so early in the race that itโ€™s difficult to tell who will comprise the top tier,โ€ Wasserman said. โ€œBut itโ€™s safe to say Brandon will be a formidable contender, because he appeals to multiple constituency groups in the Democratic Party.โ€

If elected to Congress, Brandon said heโ€™d work to address HIV/AIDS by restructuring the process of block grants from the U.S. government.

โ€œWe canโ€™t treat Cincinnati, Ohio, like you treat High Point, North Carolina, or Charlotte, North Carolina,โ€ Brandon said. โ€œI, as a state legislator, was never able to move that money around to people who could do the work simply because of the control the federal government has on a very generic way that we deal with funding.โ€

Brandon said one piece of legislation long-pursued by the LGBT community, the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, would be โ€œa big priorityโ€ for him.

The congressional hopeful said he sponsored a bill in the state legislature that would bar anti-LGBT workplace discrimination in North Carolina and worked to ensure it included teachers and protections for transgender people.

โ€œOne of my colleagues in the Senate did an ENDA bill that excluded teachers because they were fearful of the conversation,โ€ Brandon said. โ€œI think thatโ€™s why itโ€™s important to have LGBT people at the table when weโ€™re making policy because we know that any kind of conversation actually moves people from one place to the next, and thatโ€™s always been a vision for us. To exclude anybody from a conversation on equality is not something that we do.โ€

As ENDA languishes in Congress, Brandon said heโ€™d like to see President Obama sign an executive order prohibiting LGBT discrimination among federal contractors because it would serve as a โ€œreference pointโ€ for the passage of legislation.

โ€œI think it definitely would help simply because everybody needs a reference point to know whatโ€™s right,โ€ Brandon said. โ€œThereโ€™s a lot of fear-based rhetoric that goes along with this, and I think that if we have a reference point โ€ฆ it makes it a lot easier for that domino effect to take place.โ€

Brandon isnโ€™t the only openly gay black candidate in the middle of a congressional bid. Also pursuing a seat is Steve Dunwood, a Michigan candidate whoโ€™s seeking to represent Detroit in the U.S. House.

Brandon also isnโ€™t the only openly gay candidate running in North Carolina. Just this week, gay singer and โ€œAmerican Idolโ€ runner-up Clay Aiken announced that heโ€™s pursuing the Democratic nomination in the stateโ€™s 2nd congressional district in an attempt to unseat Rep. Renee Ellmers (R-N.C.).

Brandon said he welcomes a fellow openly gay congressional candidate in North Carolina running at the same time โ€” mostly because he thinks itโ€™s time for Ellmers to end her tenure as a member of Congress.

โ€œIโ€™m very excited about Clay running for Congress because Iโ€™m a Democrat and we really need that seat,โ€ Brandon said. โ€œRenee Ellmers has done nothing but show contempt and hate for our president, and so, I think Clay Aiken has studied issues and always been passionate about social issues. And heโ€™s just like me, heโ€™s just a guy that happens to be gay and wants to make change.โ€

Brandon was elected to the state legislature just one year before North Carolina approved Amendment One, a state constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage and marriage-like unions. Brandon voted against it but the legislature approved the measure, as did North Carolina voters.

Although Brandon said his state is ready for marriage equality, he blamed redistricting in favor of Republicans as the reason why it hasnโ€™t happened.

Amid numerous lawsuits making their way to the Supreme Court, including one filed in North Carolina, Brandon said a ruling from the high court would be a โ€œmuch quicker routeโ€ to bringing marriage rights to gay couples in the state.

โ€œI do believe the people of North Carolina, and polls shows that we are there, and North Carolina is ready for equality,โ€ Brandon said. โ€œI think the country is ready for equality, it just takes the political will, like it always does.โ€

Torey Carter, chief operations officer at the Victory Fund, said Brandonโ€™s election to Congress is important because no openly gay black person has ever been elected to the body.

โ€œNorth Carolina State Representative Marcus Brandonโ€™s endorsement from the Victory Fund comes at a key moment in history where currently in the United States Congress there is not an out gay black member of Congress,โ€ Carter said. โ€œWe are excited for Brandonโ€™s primary on May 6 where he will hopefully shatter one of the many glass ceilings that need to be broken.โ€

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Canada

Liberal Party wins Canadian election

Prime Minister Mark Carney railed against US tariffs, sovereignty threats

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Prime Minister Mark Carney (Screen capture via AFP News Agency/YouTube)

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carneyโ€™s Liberal Party won the countryโ€™s federal election that took place on Monday.

The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation notes the Liberals won 155 seats in parliament, compared to the 133 the Conservative Party won. The Liberals need 172 seats for a parliamentary majority.

Liberal Bruce Fanjoy defeated Pierre Poilievre, an anti-LGBTQ MP from Ontario who is the Conservativesโ€™ leader, by a 50.6-46.1 percent margin.

The Liberals last month elected Carney to succeed Justin Trudeau as the countryโ€™s prime minister. Mondayโ€™s election took place against the backdrop of growing tensions with the U.S. that stem from tariffs the Trump-Vance administration has imposed against Canada, and suggestions the country should become the 51st state.

โ€œOur strength lies in our resolve to work together,โ€ said Carney on Tuesday in a post to his X account. โ€œUnited, we will build Canada strong.โ€

Egale Canada, the countryโ€™s largest LGBTQ and intersex rights group, earlier this year announced it will not attend WorldPride and other events in the U.S. because of the Trump-Vance administrationโ€™s anti-transgender policies and โ€œeconomic warfare and threats to our national sovereignty.โ€

โ€œDemocracy thrives when people engage, and our voices are used in a way where we can say we voted with pride,โ€ said Egale Canada on Tuesday.

โ€œAs the new parliament takes shape, we recognize that the journey toward equity and inclusion โ€” especially for 2SLGBTQI communities โ€” extends far beyond election day,โ€ added the group in its post-election statement. โ€œThe work of understanding, addressing, and acting on the issues faced by 2SLGBTQI people must be ongoing, collaborative, and grounded in human rights and lived experience.โ€

Egale Canada said it looks โ€œforward to working with all members of parliament, both newly elected and returning, to help build a Canada where every person is treated with dignity, where diversity is celebrated, and where all are equal โ€” and none are other.โ€

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Obituary

Beloved schoolteacher, D.C. resident Patrick Shaw dies at 60

Colleagues, friends say he โ€˜touched so many livesโ€™ with warmth, kindness

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Patrick Shaw

Patrick Dewayne Shaw, a highly acclaimed elementary school teacher who taught and served as vice principal in several D.C. schools since moving to the District in 2002, died April 19 at the age of 60.

His friend Dusty Martinez said his passing was unexpected and caused by a heart related ailment.

โ€œPatrick touched so many lives with his warmth, humor, kindness, and unmistakable spark,โ€ Martinez said in a statement. โ€œHe was a truly special soul โ€“ funny, vibrant, sassy, and full of life, and we are heartbroken by his loss,โ€ Martinez wrote.

Among those reflecting on Shawโ€™s skills as an educator were his colleagues at D.C.โ€™s Mundo Verde Bilingual Public Charter School, where he served as a second-grade special education teacher since August 2023.

โ€œPatrick brought warmth, joy, and deep commitment to Mundo Verde,โ€ his colleagues said in an Instagram posting. โ€œHis daily Broadway sing-alongs, vibrant outfits, and genuine love for his students filled our community with energy and laughter,โ€ the posting says.

Biographical information provided by Martinez and Karen Rivera Geating, a senior inclusion manager at the Mundo Verde school and Shawโ€™s supervisor, shows Shaw had a distinguished 38-year teaching career and multiple degrees in the field of education.

He was  born and raised in Little Rock, Ark., and graduated from Little Rockโ€™s Catholic High School for Boys. 

He received two bachelorโ€™s degrees, one in philosophy from St. Meinrad Seminary College in Indiana and one in elementary education from the University of Minnesota in St. Paul. 

The biographical information shows Shaw received three masterโ€™s degrees. One is in secondary education and history from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. His second masterโ€™s degree is in special education from The Catholic University of Washington, D.C. His third masterโ€™s degree is in school administration from Trinity College in D.C.

Shaw began his teaching career in 1987 in Little Rock, Ark., as a fourth grade General Education Teacher at Our Lady of Good Counsel School and a short time later at Little Rockโ€™s St. Theresa Catholic School as a fourth-eighth grade teacher through December 1989. 

He next moved to Minnesota where he spent part of the 1990s as a fifth and sixth grade teacher and a physical education instructor, according to biographical information. His resume shows that from January 1995 to December 1998 he was associated with the Minnesota AIDS Project in Minneapolis.

He โ€œrecruited, interviewed and staffed volunteer education and transportation programs for people living with HIV and AIDS,โ€ his resume states.

Shaw next returned to Little Rock where he served from January 1998 to December 2004 as Theology Department Chair at the Mt. St. Mary Academy. His work included creating theology lessons for ninth-12th graders and creating a social justice program for 12th graders.

Upon moving to D.C., Shaw served as classroom teacher and vice principal at several schools, including the D.C. Public Schoolโ€™s Benning Elementary School; vice principal at Chavez Prep Public Charter School; vice principal at Bridges Public Charter School; Special Education Coordinator at Monument Academy Public Charter School; and Special Education Case Management and Math Intervention Specialist at D.C.โ€™s College Preparatory Academy for Boys.

โ€œPatrick dedicated 38 wonderful years to teaching, from 1987 to 2025, inspiring generations of students with his passion, wit, and kindness,โ€ Martinez said in his statement.  

Shaw was predeceased by his mother, Myrna G. Shaw, and is survived by his father, Thomas H. Shaw, his brother, James Shaw (Michele), his sister, Angela Mahairi (Wafai), and his cherished niece and nephews Austin, Tariq, Reed, Ramy, and Jasmine, according to information provided by Martinez.  

Martinez said  a funeral mass would soon be held in Little Rock, Shawโ€™s hometown.

โ€œHis family will be honoring one of his last wishes,โ€ Martinez wrote, โ€œto be returned home and remembered in a unique and meaningful wayโ€ โ€“ by having a tree planted in his honor, โ€œa living tribute to the full and beautiful life he lived.โ€

Details of the location of the planted tree will be shared soon to offer a place where โ€œfriends and family can visit, reflect, and stay connected with his spirit,โ€ Martinez states. 

In D.C. a celebration of life for Shaw is scheduled to be held Saturday, May 3, from 2-5 p.m. at JR.โ€™s bar at 1519 17th Street, N.W. Martinez points out that the tribute will be held during JR.โ€™s weekly Saturday โ€œShowtunesโ€ event, in which sing-along performances of famous Broadway musicals are shown on video screens.   

โ€œJR.โ€™s Saturday Showtunes were one of Patrickโ€™s absolute favorite traditions, and gathering in that spirit feels like the perfect way to honor him,โ€ Martinez said. 

โ€œMany have asked how they can help,โ€ Martinez concludes in his statement. โ€œIn response weโ€™ve created a GoFundMe page to support funeral expenses, help find a loving home for Patrickโ€™s beloved dog, Birdie, and assist with other needs during this difficult time.โ€

Any remaining funds, according to Martinez, will be donated to a charity โ€œthat reflects Patrickโ€™s passions and values.โ€

The GoFundMe page can be accessed at: gofundme.com/f/honoring-patrick-shaws-vibrant-legacy.

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District of Columbia

Ruby Corado sentencing postponed for third time

Attorneys say former Casa Ruby director has โ€˜significant medical issuesโ€™

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Ruby Corado has pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud. (Washington Blade file photo by Michael Key)

A federal judge on April 8 approved a request by defense attorneys to postpone the sentencing of Ruby Corado, the founder and executive director of the now closed D.C. LGBTQ community services organization Casa Ruby on a charge of wire fraud, from April 29 to July 29. 

Court records show that Judge Trevor N. McFadden of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia approved a motion filed by Coradoโ€™s two defense attorneys on that same day calling for the sentencing postponement on grounds of health issues.

โ€œMs. Corado has significant medical issues,โ€ the April 8 motion states. โ€œShe has an important medical appointment related to one of her diagnoses scheduled in June 2025 and will need time to recover from that appointment,โ€ it says.

The motion gives no further details on Coloradoโ€™s medical issues. A.J. Kramer, director of the D.C. Office of the Federal Public Defender, whose attorneys are representing Corado, said the office has a policy of never disclosing specific medical related information regarding its clients.

Court records show that prosecutors with the Office of the U.S. Attorney for D.C. did not object to the defense motion seeking the third sentencing postponement. 

The records show that an earlier postponement of the sentencing, from March 28 to April 29, was initiated by the judge due to a scheduling conflict. The first postponement from Jan. 10 to March 28 came at the request of Coradoโ€™s attorneys, court records show.

Corado pleaded guilty on July 17, 2024, to a single charge of wire fraud as part of a plea bargain deal offered by prosecutors. The charge to which she pleaded guilty says she allegedly diverted at least $150,000 โ€œin taxpayer backed emergency COVID relief funds to private offshore bank accounts for her personal use,โ€ according to a statement released by the U.S. Attorneyโ€™s office.

Prosecutors have said funds that Corado allegedly diverted for her own use were intended to be used by Casa Ruby in support of its various programs, including housing services for homeless LGBTQ youth and support for LGBTQ immigrants.

The U.S. Attorneyโ€™s statement also notes that in 2022, when โ€œfinancial irregularities at Casa Ruby became public,โ€ Corado sold her home in Prince Georgeโ€™s County, Md. and โ€œfled to El Salvador.โ€ It was at that time that Casa Ruby ceased its operations.

Court records show that FBI agents arrested Corado on March 5, 2024, at a hotel in Laurel, Md., shortly after she returned to the U.S. At the request of her attorney and against the wishes of prosecutors, another judge at that time agreed to release Corado into custody of her niece in Rockville, Md., under a home detention order.

The release order came seven days after Corado had been held in jail at the time of her arrest by the FBI.

Under the federal wire fraud law Corado could be sentenced to a possible maximum sentence of 30 years in prison, according to the U.S. Attorneyโ€™s statement. However, court observers have said that due to Coradoโ€™s decision to waive her right to a trial and plead guilty, prosecutors will likely ask the judge to hand down a lesser sentence than the maximum sentence.  

The statement by prosecutors points out that Coradoโ€™s decision to plead guilty to the one charge came after she had been charged in a criminal complaint filed on March 1, 2024, with bank fraud, wire fraud, laundering of monetary instruments, monetary transactions in criminally derived proceeds, and failure to file a report of foreign bank accounts. 

All those charges except for the wire fraud charge were dropped at the time of her guilty plea.

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