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D.C. 2024 Olympics bid lacks LGBT board member

Local gay sports activists back bid despite omission

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2024 Olympics, gay news, Washington Blade

2012 Summer Olympics Parade of Nations. (Photo by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport; courtesy Wikimedia Commons)

A campaign launched by a newly formed organization of prominent business and civic leaders to advocate for holding the 2024 Olympics in the Washington, D.C. metro area enjoys the support of the local LGBT sports community, according to longtime LGBT sports activists Brent Minor and Vince Micone.

ā€œWe are all for the Olympics in D.C.,ā€ said Minor, executive director of Team D.C., an umbrella coalition of LGBT sports groups and teams in the D.C. area.

But gay activist and blogger Michael Rogers has expressed concern that no out LGBT person was selected to serve on the 19-member board of Washington2024, the group thatā€™s preparing an Olympic bid for the D.C. area before the U.S. Olympic Committee.

Rogers said he opposes having the Olympics here on grounds that it would be a ā€œfinancial disaster.ā€ However, he said having an LGBT member on the Washington2024 board would better showcase the groupā€™s claim on its newly launched website that it represents the full diversity of the people of the D.C. area.

Penny Lee, Washington2024ā€™s communications director, told the Washington Blade on Tuesday that the composition of the groupā€™s board is still evolving and more people would be named to the board in the coming weeks and months.

ā€œWeā€™re continuing to find ways in which to engage all communities and be as diverse as absolutely possible,ā€ she said.

Minor and Micone, who played a lead role in D.C.ā€™s unsuccessful bid for the 2014 Gay Games, said they know some of the Washington2024 board members and supporters and believe the organization will be fully supportive of the LGBT community.

Among the board members are former D.C. Mayor Anthony Williams, a longtime LGBT rights supporter; and Paul Tagliabue, former commissioner of the National Football League and chair of the Georgetown University board. Tagliabue contributed $1 million in 2011 for an LGBT student life program at Georgetown and contributed $100,000 for the referendum campaign supporting Marylandā€™s same-sex marriage law in 2012.

Minor noted that Bob Sweeny, the former director of the Greater Washington Sports Authority and a lead adviser for Washington2024, was a strong supporter of the effort to bring the Gay Games to D.C.Ā Minor and Micone called Sweeny a strong LGBT community ally who would push for LGBT inclusion in an Olympics bid.

ā€œI donā€™t interpret the boardā€™s makeup as a slight,ā€ Minor said. ā€œIā€™m certain that if the time comes that D.C. wins the Olympic bid they will be fully inclusive of the LGBT community.ā€

Micone echoed Minorā€™s sentiment, saying he too is certain that the Washington2024 organization will work closely with LGBT sports activists in its effort to secure D.C.ā€™s selection by the U.S. Olympic Committee.

Under longstanding procedures for selecting an Olympic Games host in the U.S., the U.S. Olympic Committee solicits bids from interested U.S. cities. In the current process, the committee has narrowed its selection to four cities or regions ā€“ the D.C. metro region, Boston, Los Angeles and San Francisco. A selection of one of those cities is expected to be made sometime next year.

Whichever city is selected by the U.S. Olympic Committee would then compete with cities in other countries, with the International Olympic Committee making a final selection at a later date.

Jay Fissette, chair of the Arlington County Board whoā€™s gay, has also spoken out in favor of bringing the 2024 Olympics to the D.C. metro area.

ā€œWe agree with Washington2024 that this is an historic opportunity for our region to be part of the Olympic movement,ā€ Fissette told Channel 4 News.

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District of Columbia

Gay Episcopal minister to be reinstated 40 years after being defrocked

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Rev. Harry Stock (Facebook photo used with permission)

The Rev. Harry Stock, who is currently affiliated with D.C.ā€™s LGBTQ-supportive Westminster Presbyterian Church, has invited friends, colleagues, and members of the community to ā€œwitness a miracleā€ on Oct. 26 by attending a ceremony at an Episcopal church in Alexandria, Va., where he will be officially reinstated as an Episcopal priest.

In a Sept. 12 invitation to the ceremony that Stock sent by email, he states that the ceremony will take place 43 years after he was ordained as an Episcopal priest by a bishop in Charleston, W.Va., and 40 years after the same bishop defrocked him from the priesthood because he ā€œdeclared his love for another man at the altarā€ in a holy union ceremony.

ā€œAs a result of our Holy Union I received a letter from Bishop [Robert] Atkinson informing me that as a result of me declaring my love for another man at the altar he was revoking my Holy Orders and stripping me from the sacred order of priest and that I would no longer be permitted to function as a priest in the Episcopal Church,ā€ Stock says in his message. ā€œMy world fell apart,ā€ he wrote.

Stock notes that the Holy Union that led to his being defrocked was with his life partner Mark Kristofik. He said the two have been a couple for 45 years since 1979 and are now married.  

Biographical information that Stock provided shows that he received a bachelorā€™s degree from West Virginia University in 1969 and completed a study program at the West Virginia Episcopal Diocese School of Religion before receiving a Master in Divinity Degree in 1978 from Virginia Theological Seminary in Alexandria, Va., in 1978.

In the years since being defrocked Stock became known as an esteemed theologian. Beginning a short time after being defrocked, he became pastor in D.C. of a newly formed branch of the LGBTQ-supportive Metropolitan Community Church called  the MCC Church of the Disciples, where he served for 21 years. Biographical information he sent to the Washington Blade says in 1991 the nationwide Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches ordained him as a minister.

The biographical write up says Stock later became the founder and president of Scrolls Revealed Ministries for which he traveled over a period of 20 years across the country to churches, colleges, retreats, and conferences facilitating a seminar he created called ā€œBiblical Translation for Gay Liberation: How the Bible Does Not Condemn Homosexuality, An in-Depth Study.ā€

Stock said Scrolls Revealed Ministries is still active and he currently travels to churches as a guest preacher delivering a teaching sermon called ā€œHomophobia and the Bible: A Deadly Combination.ā€  

With that as a backdrop, Stock tells of the recent developments that brought about his upcoming reinstatement as an Episcopal priest in his email message inviting friends and colleagues to the Oct. 26 ceremony beginning at 10 a.m. at St. Paulā€™s Episcopal Church at 228 South Pitt St. in Alexandria. 

ā€œUpon learning of my story, The Rt. Reverend Matthew Cowden, VIII, current Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of West Virginia, requested a meeting with me via Zoom and on July 25 of last year we met,ā€ according to Stockā€™s email message. He said that was followed by an in-person meeting in October of 2023.

ā€œDuring our meeting Bishop Cowden said something that in my wildest dreams I never expected to hear, by saying, ā€˜On Behalf of the Episcopal Church, I apologize to you for what the church did to you back in 1984.ā€™ā€

Stock adds in his message, ā€œI found myself unable to speak and felt liberated, for the first time, from a pain that had plagued me for years. But, Bishiop Cowden didnā€™t stop there, he went on to say, ā€˜I also want to make right the mistake that was made those many years ago.ā€™ā€

According to Stockā€™s message, ā€œAfter a year of endeavoring through the Canons of the Episcopal Church and completing Canonical requirements and the joyous consent of the Bishops, and other committees and bodies responsibleā€ ā€“ his reinstatement was approved, and the reinstatement ceremony was scheduled for Oct. 26.

ā€œMiracles happen through moments of great beauty, prayer, faith, hope and especially through acts of great love,ā€ Stockā€™s message continues. ā€œThey happen through us and to us, and for me, one is about to manifest itself and turn what I thought was the greatest disappointment in my life into a blessing,ā€ he says in his message.

ā€œI am delighted to share this incredible blessing with you,ā€ his message continues. ā€œAnd if you are nearby, I would be honored to have you join me for this momentous occasion.ā€ His message says a Champagne reception will take place after the ceremony.

In recent years, Stock has preached and presided over communion services at Westminster Presbyterian Church.

In Southwest D.C. in the role of Parish Partner, a title given to ministers who are not officially ordained as Presbyterian ministers. Stock said that upon his reinstatement as an Episcopal priest on Oct. 26, he will continue his role as Parish Partner at Westminster since he still will not be an ordained Presbyterian minister.   

He nevertheless said his service at Westminster is important to him and he plans to remain there. He told the Blade that at the age of 83, he considers the West Virginia bishopā€™s decision to reinstate him as an Episcopal priest to be an act of correcting an injustice.

ā€œWhat the bishop is doing on Oct. 26 is doing what he calls making right the mistake that was made 40 years ago and validating my ministry,ā€ Stock said.  

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District of Columbia

In D.C., 28 percent of homeless youth identify as LGBTQ

Advocacy groups, D.C. agency respond to increase in numbers

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The number of homeless LGBTQ youth is on the rise.

Editorā€™s Note: This article is part of our 2024 contribution to the D.C. Homeless Crisis Reporting Project in collaboration with other local newsrooms. The collective works will be published throughout the week at bit.ly/DCHCRP.

The LGBTQ operated and LGBTQ supportive homeless shelters and transitional housing facilities in D.C. are operating at full capacity this year as the number of homeless city residents, including LGBTQ homeless residents, continues to increase, according to the latest information available.

The annual 2024 Point-In-Time (PIT) count of homeless people in the District of Columbia conducted in January, shows that 12 percent of the homeless adults and 28 percent of homeless youth between the age of 18 and 24 identify as LGBTQ.

The PIT count shows an overall 14 percent increase in homelessness in the city compared to 2023. This yearā€™s count of a total of 527 LGBTQ homeless people marks an increase over the 349 LGBTQ homeless people counted in 2023 in D.C. and 347 LGBTQ homeless counted in 2022.

Representatives of the LGBTQ organizations that provide services for homeless LGBTQ people have said the actual number of LGBTQ homeless people, especially LGBTQ youth, are most likely significantly higher than the annual PIT counts.

Liz Jaramillo, director of Youth Housing for the D.C. LGBTQ youth advocacy group SMYAL, which provides transitional housing for at least 55 homeless LGBTQ youth through four housing programs, said SMYAL staff members have observed a clear increase in the number of LGBTQ youth facing homelessness or housing insecurity.

She said the increase has been a topic of discussion with other groups providing homeless services for LGBTQ youth as well as with officials from the D.C. Department of Human Services (DHS), which provides support and funding for LGBTQ homeless related programs.

ā€œSo, I do think there has been an increase,ā€ Jaramillo said. ā€œWe see it during our meetings when we are talking with DHS and talking about the need for what the next steps will be for growing LGBTQ housing in general across the city.ā€

Among other things, Jaramillo and officials with other LGBTQ organizations, including the D.C. LGBTQ+ Budget Coalition, are calling on the city to expand its funding for LGBTQ homeless programs to keep up with the need to address the increasing number of LGBTQ homeless people in the city.

SMYAL began its housing program for LGBTQ youth in 2017. It was preceded by D.C.ā€™s Wanda Alston Foundation, which opened the cityā€™s first transitional housing program solely dedicated to LGBTQ youth facing homelessness between the ages of 18 and 24 in 2008. As of 2022, the Alston Foundation had opened two more LGBTQ youth homeless facilities.

Both SMYAL and the Alston Foundation provide a wide range of services for their LGBTQ youth residents in addition to a safe and stable shelter, including food and nutrition services, case management services, mental health counseling, crisis intervention, and employment related skills development and education services.

The two groups also have designated at least one of their housing facilities to offer their LGBTQ residents extended transitional housing for up to six years.

In September of 2021, at the time when the LGBTQ community services center Casa Ruby lost its city funding for its own longstanding LGBTQ youth homeless shelter, the Department of Human Services awarded a grant for the opening of a new LGBTQ youth homeless shelter to Covenant House, a nonprofit group that provides homeless youth services nationwide. In 2022, Casa Ruby closed all its operations.

At the time, Covenant House announced the facility would serve as a 24-bed LGBTQ youth shelter called Shine in the cityā€™s Deanwood neighborhood. In response to a request by the Washington Blade for an update on the status of the Shine facility, DHS released a statement saying the facility has been expanded to 30 beds and continues to receive DHS funding.

With most of the LGBTQ-specific homeless facilities in D.C. focusing on youth, the DHS opened the cityā€™s first official shelter for LGBTQ adults in August of 2022 following a ribbon-cutting ceremony led by D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser. The 40-person shelter is located at 400 50th St., S.E.

ā€œDHS continues to support LGBTQ adults through its low-barrier shelter, Living Life Alternative,ā€ DHS said this week in its statement to the Blade. The statement says the facility is operated by The Community Partnership for the Prevention of Homelessness, which refers to itself as TCP, through a DHS Sole Source grant. According to the statement, TCP ā€œsub awards the grant fundingā€ to a company called KBEC Group, Inc., which specializes in providing comprehensive social services and residential living for youth and adults. 

ā€œKBEC proactively offers intensive care management services allowing residents to overcome long-standing obstacles preventing them from obtaining and maintaining permanent housing,ā€ the DHS statement says in describing KBECā€™s involvement in the LGBTQ adult housing facility.

ā€œThese include connections to Behavioral Health Services, Substance Use Disorder (SUD) resources, Supportive Employment Job Training Programs, direct access to health care within the shelter at least once a month, and a comprehensive curriculum of Life Skills to include Financial Literacy Classes, Music Therapy, Art Therapy Classes, and Group Therapy sessions,ā€ the statement says. 

It says the goal of the program associated with the LGBTQ adult shelter is to enable its residents to be able to leave the facility within six months through assistance from programs leading to self-sufficiency. 

ā€œKBEC has successfully connected more than 50% of residents to some type of housing subsidy, whether through the Mayorā€™s Office of LGBTQ+ Affairs, DHS Housing Vouchers, or Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH),ā€ the statement says.  

A least two other non-LGBTQ locally based organizations ā€“ the Latin American Youth Center and Sasha Bruce Youthwork ā€“ also provide services for homeless LGBTQ youth, including housing services, the two groups state on their website.

Jaramillo, of SMYAL, and Hancie Stokes, SMYALā€™s communications director, told the Blade this week that SMYAL and other local LGBTQ organizations continue to advocate for LGBTQ cultural competency training for the staff at non-LGBTQ organizations or private companies that provide LGBTQ-related homeless services.

ā€œWe work closely with our community partners to make sure that when a queer young person is matched into their program or placed into their program that they are equipped with basic cultural competency to be able to provide those supportive services to folks,ā€ Stokes said. 

ā€œBut there is a great need for increased funding for programs like SMYAL and Wanda Alston, which is why we partner with the LGBTQ+ Budget Coalition to advocate for more funding on behalf of all LGBTQ+ housing programs,ā€ she told the Blade.

One example of a possible consequence of inadequate cultural competency training surfaced in April of this year when a transgender woman filed a discrimination complaint against a D.C. homeless shelter after it refused to allow her to stay in the womenā€™s section of the shelter, forcing her to stay in the menā€™s sleeping section.

The complaint was filed against the shelter operated by the Community for Creative Nonviolence at 245 2nd St., N.W., which is one of the cityā€™s largest privately operated shelters. A spokesperson for the shelter did not respond to a phone and email message left by the Blade asking for a response to the complaint.

Transgender rights advocates have said the denial of the placement of a transgender woman in the female section of a place of public accommodation such as a homeless shelter is a violation of the D.C. Human Rights Actā€™s ban on gender identity discrimination. 

Jaramillo and Stokes said SMYAL has responded to yet another growing need for homeless and housing services related to the cityā€™s immigrant community. Shortly after the shutdown of Casa Ruby, Stokes said SMYAL created an LGBTQ youth street outreach program that focuses on Spanish-speaking LGBTQ youth.

ā€œA lot of folks are experiencing homelessness,ā€ Stokes said. ā€œBut this is particularly working with queer and trans Spanish-speaking youth who are experiencing homelessness to either get them connected to housing services, health care, legal documentation or legal support, and education,ā€ she said.

ā€œAnd so, our team goes out to areas like Columbia Heights and other areas where we know a lot of these migrant populations are setting up communities. And this is an outreach directly to them and it builds rapport in the community.ā€

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Comings & Goings

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Joseph Poduslo

The Comings & Goings column is about sharing the professional successes of our community. We want to recognize those landing new jobs, new clients for their business, joining boards of organizations and other achievements. Please share your successes with us at [email protected]

Some people are especially inspiring to write about, and one such person is Joseph Poduslo. He is justly proud of his ā€œLuminary of the Yearā€ nomination, which is granted to survivors, caregivers, and researchers, by the Brain Industry Association of America (BIAA). I urge you to take a look at its website, and maybe help Poduslo raise some funds for this incredible organization. 

ā€œI have always wanted to share my journey to help and inspire others,ā€ he said. ā€œThe brain is the most amazing creation and retraining the brain takes time and effort. But Iā€™m doing it.ā€ You can read his story in his own words. You will find it as inspiring as I did.  

After spending time with his family in Texas, he is now back in D.C. He is Senior Vice President, and founding agent, the Poduslo Group. His bio notes, ā€œHis work for his real estate clients has garnered him industry-wide recognition. Joseph has been featured in the Washington Post, NBC, CNN, and in 2018, Washington Life Magazineā€™s ā€˜Most Influential Business Person Under Forty.ā€™ ā€¦ When Joseph is not redefining the real estate industry, he has invested in numerous small businesses and restaurants in downtown D.C. over the last 17 years. He founded the D.C. Progressive Dinner, an organization that helps SMYAL, a local non-profit. Joseph formerly served on the Capital Alliance Board in the DC area.ā€

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