Local
GLAA revises ratings for Evans, two others
Mayoral candidate submits new information to group
GLAA upgraded its evaluation of Jack Evans. (Washington Blade file photo by Michael Key)
The Gay and Lesbian Activists Alliance on Tuesday changed its rating for D.C. Council member and mayoral candidate Jack Evans (D-Ward 2) from a +8 to +9, saying it based the revision on new information that Evans submitted to the group.
At its regularly scheduled monthly meeting on March 11, the group also upgraded its ratings for Democrat Calvin Gurley, who’s running for D.C. Council Chair against incumbent Phil Mendelson, from a 0 to a +1; and for Darrel Thompson, a Democrat running for the Ward 6 D.C. Council seat, from +2 to +3. GLAA gave Mendelson a rating of +10 in its initial round of ratings.
The group’s ratings are based on a scale of -10 to +10, with +10 being the highest possible rating.
“The leading development in this round of mid-campaign adjustments is the revised rating of Democrat Jack Evans (+9), which puts him in a tight cluster with Democratic Mayor Vincent Gray (+10) and fellow Democratic challenger Tommy Wells (+9.5),” GLAA President Rick Rosendall said in a statement. Wells is a Ward 6 Council member who’s giving up his Council seat to run for mayor.
GLAA says Gurley’s original rating of 0 was based on his not turning in a GLAA questionnaire, which asks about candidates’ positions on LGBT-related issues. When Gurley later returned the questionnaire it only resulted in a one point increase because his answers were “uninformed, argumentative, and lack substance,” GLAA says in a statement.
The group’s statement says Thompson’s original questionnaire responses were “weak” and lacked a response to a question asking about his record or accomplishments on LGBT issues. He later submitted information on his record, GLAA says, resulting in a boost in his rating from +2 to +3. The new information discussed Thompson’s past work on LGBT-related issues as a staff member for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), former House Majority Leader Dick Gephardt (D-Mo.), and then Sen. Barack Obama.
GLAA’s rating system assigns a maximum of plus or minus three points to a candidate’s record.
Thompson has said through a spokesperson that his GLAA rating doesn’t reflect what he considers his strong support across the board for LGBT rights. GLAA has said its ratings are based on its assessment of whether a candidate’s questionnaire responses go beyond an expression of support to show an understanding of the issues and insight into how they can be addressed.
Baltimore
‘Heated Rivalry’ fandom exposes LGBTQ divide in Baltimore
Hit show raises questions about identity, cultural representation
By JOHN-JOHN WILLIAMS IV | “Heated Rivalry,” the surprise gay hockey romance that has captivated global audiences and become a cultural phenomenon, has inspired sold-out parties celebrating the characters from the steamy series, including in Baltimore.
For some, love of the show has exposed the loss of a once-vibrant gay nightlife in Charm City and splintered its LGBTQ community. It also brings up layered questions about identity, cultural representation, and the limits of identity politics.
In Baltimore, the majority of the parties also appear to be missing a key ingredient that has been a part of the show’s success: gay men at the helm. Last month, women hosted a dance party at Ottobar, a straight establishment.
The rest of this article can be read on the Baltimore Banner’s website.
Virginia
McPike wins special election for Va. House of Delegates
Gay Alexandria City Council member becomes 8th LGBTQ member of legislature
Gay Alexandria City Council member Kirk McPike emerged as the decisive winner in a Feb. 10 special election for a seat in the Virginia House of Delegates representing Alexandria.
McPike, a Democrat, received 81.5 percent of the vote in his race against Republican Mason Butler, according to the local publication ALX Now.
He first won election to the Alexandria Council in 2021. He will be filling the House of Delegates seat being vacated by Del. Elizabeth Bennett-Parker (D-Alexandria), who won in another Feb. 10 special election for the Virginia State Senate seat being vacated by gay Sen. Adam Ebbin (D-Alexandria).
Ebbin is resigning from his Senate next week to take a position with Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger’s administration.
Upon taking his 5th District seat in the House of Delegate, McPike will become the eighth out LGBTQ member of the Virginia General Assembly. Among those he will be joining is Sen. Danica Roem (D-Manassas), who became the Virginia Legislature’s first transgender member when she won election to the House of Delegates in 2017 before being elected to the Senate in 2023.
“I look forward to continuing to work to address our housing crisis, the challenge of climate change, and the damaging impacts of the Trump administration on the immigrant families, LGBTQ+ Virginians, and federal employees who call Alexandria home,” McPike said in a statement after winning the Democratic nomination for the seat in a special primary held on Jan. 20.
McPike, a longtime LGBTQ rights advocate, has served for the past 13 years as chief of staff for gay U.S. Rep. Mark Takano (D-Calif.) and has remained in that position during his tenure on the Alexandria Council. He said he will resign from that position before taking office in the House of Delegates.
Local
Local LGBTQ groups, activists to commemorate Black History Month
Rayceen Pendarvis to moderate Dupont Underground panel on Sunday
LGBTQ groups in D.C. and elsewhere plan to use Black History Month as an opportunity to commemorate and celebrate Black lives and experiences.
Team Rayceen Productions has no specific events planned, but co-founder Rayceen Pendarvis will attend many functions around D.C. this month.
Pendarvis, a longtime voice in the LGBTQ community in D.C. moderated a panel at Dupont Underground on Feb. 8. The event, “Every (Body) Wants to Be a Showgirl,” will feature art from Black burlesque artists from around the country. Pendarvis on Feb. 23 will attend the showing of multimedia play at the Lincoln Theatre that commemorates the life of James Baldwin.
Equality Virginia plans to prioritize Black voices through a weekly online series, and community-based story telling. The online digital series will center Black LGBTQ voices, specifically trailblazers and activists, and contemporary Black queer and transgender people.
Narissa Rahaman, Equality Virginia’s executive director, stressed the importance of the Black queer community to the overall Pride movement, and said “Equality Virginia is proud to center those voices in our work this month and beyond.”
The Capital Pride Alliance, which hosts Pride events in D.C., has an alliance with the Center for Black Equity, which brings Black Pride to D.C. over Memorial Day weekend. The National LGBTQ Task Force has no specific Black History Month events planned, but plans to participate in online collaborations.
Cathy Renna, the Task Force’s director of communications, told the Washington Blade the organization remains committed to uplifting Black voices. “Our priority is keeping this at the forefront everyday,” she said.
The D.C. LGBTQ+ Community Center is also hosting a series of Black History Month events.
The D.C. Public Library earlier this year launched “Freedom and Resistance,” an exhibition that celebrates Black History Month and Martin Luther King Jr. It will remain on display until the middle of March at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library at 901 G St., N.W.
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McPike wins special election for Va. House of Delegates
Top Democrats re-introduce trans bill of rights
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