Local
Anti-gay graffiti spray painted on home of Rehoboth couple
State Police fail to list incident as hate crime
CAMP Rehoboth’s Steve Elkins described the graffiti as containing ‘vile homophobic slurs.’ (Washington Blade file photo by Damien Salas)
An LGBT rights advocate in Rehoboth Beach, Del., has expressed concern that Delaware State Police chose not to designate as a hate crime a Sept. 23 incident in which anti-gay messages were spray painted on the house of a gay couple.
Steve Elkins, executive director of CAMP Rehoboth, an LGBT community center, told the Washington Blade that he saw photos of the graffiti spray painted in several places on the couple’s rented house. He said the messages were definitely “crude and homophobic.”
Master Corp. Gary Fournier of the State Police told the Blade in an email that an unidentified suspect or suspects spray painted “obscene gestures and words” on the house and a vehicle parked in the driveway on the 19000 block of John J. Williams Highway, which is near Delaware Coastal Highway 1 outside the Rehoboth Beach City limits.
Fournier said State Police have designated the incident as a case of criminal mischief and trespass.
“The investigation into this incident is on-going and is not being investigated as a hate crime,” he said.
He declined to disclose what the spray painted messages said or what the “obscene gestures” depicted. He also declined to say why police don’t believe the incident is a hate crime.
Gene Harris, one of the two men who live in the house, told WRDE TV News that he and his partner woke up about 8 a.m. on Sept. 24 and discovered what he called hate fueled messages scrawled on their home.
The Cape Gazette, a Rehoboth-area newspaper, published two photos showing graffiti painted in several places on the exterior walls, the roof, and the garage door of the house. The photos were not taken close enough to show what the graffiti depicted.
“It took us back 20 or 30 years to a feeling of shame and humiliation and somehow embarrassment – yes embarrassment,” Harris told the TV news station.
Elkins, who also spoke to the TV news station, told the reporter in an on-camera interview that he viewed the incident as a hate crime.
“It’s pretty scary to see what was painted not only on the front of the home but all around the house,” he said. “And even on…a car that belonged to a friend of theirs was sprayed with some vile homophobic slurs,” Elkins said in the TV interview.
“It made me sick to my stomach to see it,” he said.
Elkins told the Blade that among the words sprayed on the house was “cock sucker.”
Jason Miller, a spokesperson for the Delaware Attorney General’s Office, said the office was aware of the incident and was monitoring the police investigation. He said that if an arrest is made the Attorney General’s office would make an independent decision on what charge should be filed against the person or persons arrested.
“Through our own review of the case, we can upgrade the charges,” he said, adding that his office would list the incident as a hate crime if it determines such a charge is warranted.
The Delaware News Journal reported that the house in which the two gay men live is owned by Sussex County Council member Joan Deaver, who lives in a nearby house.
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
