Local
Hair Cuttery reinstates stylist fired over HIV status
Apologizes, says firing based on ‘erroneous information’


Brandon Smith was fired from a Maryland Hair Cuttery after he tested positive for HIV. (Photo courtesy of the ACLU of Maryland)
The company that owns the Hair Cuttery chain of hair salons has agreed to reinstate assistant manager and hair stylist Brandon Smith whom it fired from its salon in Greenbelt, Md., in August after learning he had tested positive for HIV.
The reinstatement and an accompanying public apology comes two weeks after the American Civil Liberties Union of Maryland filed a discrimination complaint on Smith’s behalf over the firing against the Vienna, Va., based Ratner Companies, the parent company of the Hair Cuttery and other name brand salons operating in Maryland, Virginia and D.C.
In a statement released on Wednesday, the ACLU of Maryland said it was pleased to announce that Brandon Smith and Ratner Companies had reached an agreement to resolve the complaint that “will both bring justice to Mr. Smith and strengthen the Companies’ commitment to fair treatment of its clients and employees.”
The ACLU complaint, which was filed with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, alleged that the Hair Cuttery shop that fired Smith had violated the federal Americans With Disabilities Act, which prohibits discrimination based solely on someone’s HIV status.
In a dismissal letter given to Smith at the time of the firing in August, the Ratner Companies said it based its action on a Maryland regulation of the cosmetology profession. According to the ACLU, the company claimed the regulation prohibits hair salons from employing someone working as a hair stylist who has an “infectious” or “contagious” disease such as HIV.
ACLU of Maryland Legal Director Deborah Jeon said at the time the legal group filed the complaint on Smith’s behalf that the company had misinterpreted the state regulation.
“You don’t get HIV by getting your hair cut, and we cannot allow unfounded fears to drive workplace discrimination against Marylanders living with HIV,” she said in an Aug. 9 statement. “The Hair Cuttery fired Brandon Smith notwithstanding the fact that he did not pose a significant risk to the health and safety of others, the applicable legal standard.”
In a statement released by the ACLU of Maryland on Wednesday, Dennis Ratner, founder and CEO of Ratner Companies, said, “Ratner Companies deeply regrets the dismissal of Mr. Smith from his employment with Hair Cuttery and sincerely apologizes for his termination, the company’s initial responsive statement based on erroneous information, and any harm done to Mr. Smith.”
Ratner’s statement adds, “Ratner Companies does not condone or tolerate illegal workplace discrimination of any kind, and it is not the company’s policy to terminate employees who are living with HIV or another disability.”
The ACLU of Maryland statement says Ratner Companies agreed to “make appropriate restitution to Mr. Smith” along with reinstatement. Jeon of the ACLU told the Blade the agreement reached calls for the company to provide Smith with back pay plus financial compensation for damages related to emotional distress caused by the firing.
“We are heartened by the quick action that Ratner Companies has taken to resolve the injustice suffered by Brandon Smith and to ensure that never again will an employee of Hair Cuttery or any other of the Companies’ salons be terminated because they are living with HIV,” the ACLU’s Jeon said in the group’s statement.
“It is our hope that this settlement sends a strong and clear message to other employers so that unfounded fears and misconceptions no longer drive workplace discrimination against those with disabilities,” she said.

State Sen. Ghazala Hashmi (D-Chesterfield) will face John Reid in the race to become Virginia’s next lieutenant governor.
Hashmi won the Democratic primary with 27.49 percent of the vote. She defeated former Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney, state Sen. Aaron Rouse (D-Virginia Beach), Babur Lateef, Victor Salgado and Alexander Bastani.
“Tonight, Virginians made history,” said Hashmi in a statement. “We didn’t just win a primary, we sent a clear message that we won’t be bullied, broken, or dragged backward by the chaos in Washington.”
Reid, a gay conservative talk show host, in April won the Republican nomination to succeed Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, who is running to succeed Gov. Glenn Youngkin.
The incumbent governor days after Reid secured the nomination called for him to withdraw his candidacy amid reports that a social media account with his username included “pornographic content.” Reid, who would become the first openly gay person elected to statewide office in Virginia if he wins in November, has strongly denied the reports.
Former state Del. Jay Jones defeated Henrico County Commonwealth’s Attorney Shannon Taylor in Democratic attorney general primary. Jones will face Republican Attorney General Jason Miyares in November.
Youngkin cannot run for a second, consecutive term.
Former Congresswoman Abigail Spanberger will face off against Earle-Sears in November. The winner will make history as the first woman elected governor in the state’s history.
Baltimore
More than 15K people attend Baltimore Trans Pride
Baltimore Safe Haven organized annual event

More than 15,000 people attended Baltimore Safe Haven’s annual Trans Pride on Saturday.
“Last year we had maybe 2,500, and the year before that, we had 5,000,” Renee Lau, administrative assistant for special projects coordinator for Baltimore Safe Haven, said. “In today’s political climate, it’s absolutely amazing.”
Lau said allies and other groups “went into hiding” for about a month or two after President Donald Trump’s inauguration, but then all at once, different organizations started to reach out.
“The community has really come together to support us,” Lau said. “It was a fun, exciting day.”
Baltimore Safe Haven Executive Director Iya Dammons in a press release said the “historic turnout” showed the transgender community’s strength, as well as their unity to fight for justice and equality for all LGBTQ people.
At the event, attendees were seen waving flags and shouting “Trans Lives Matter,” showing their support for the community.
On Friday, before Trans Pride, Baltimore Safe Haven opened their new building to the public, gathering notable attendees like the Baltimore City Council President Zeke Cohan, Council Member Antonio Glover, and representatives from the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation.
“(It) was historic in itself because … we’re the only direct service providers for people in the LGBT community,” Lau said.
Providing housing for 18- to 24-year-olds, Lau said the new building also serves as a community hub and has office spaces for workers.
With only a few hiccups of arguments between attendees and fixing street blockades during Trans Pride, Lau said the event showed what the community can do.
“It was amazing that so many people came out and had that much fun. We were all giddy by Sunday morning,” Lau said. “(It gave) Safe Haven exposure and continuity. We are not just an LGBT organization, we are an organization that supports the entire community.”
District of Columbia
Juvenile arrested for anti-gay assault in D.C.
Police say suspect targeted victim in house with Pride flags

D.C. police announced on June 16 that they have arrested a 13-year-old juvenile male on a charge of Assault With Significant Bodily Injury for allegedly throwing a rock through the window of a house in Northeast D.C. and “striking the victim in the face.”
In a statement announcing the arrest, police said the incident took place on Friday, June 6, and “LGBTQ+ flags were displayed at the front of the home.”
A separate D.C. police incident report obtained by the Washington Blade states, “Victim 1 reports he was sitting in his living room at the listed location watching television when a rock came through the front window and struck him about his left eye. Victim 1 suffered a laceration under his left eye.”
The report adds, “Victim 1 states he observed Suspect 1 running away.”
According to the June 16 statement issued by police, “On Sunday, June 15, 2025, officers located the suspect and placed him under arrest. [A] 13-year-old juvenile male of Northeast D.C., was charged with Assault With Significant Bodily Injury (Hate/Bias).”
The statement says the house where the incident occurred is located on the 400 block of 20th Street, N.E.
Similar to statements D.C. police have issued regarding LGBTQ bias-related cases in the past, the statement announcing this case says that while the case is being investigated as being potentially motivated by hate or bias, that designation could be changed at any time during the investigation.
It adds that a hate crime designation by D.C. police may not be prosecuted as a hate crime by prosecutors. Under D.C. law, juvenile cases are prosecuted by the Office of the D.C. Attorney General.
Since court records for cases involving juveniles are sealed from public access, the Blade could not immediately determine whether prosecutors designated the case as a hate crime.
It also could not immediately be determined if the juvenile charged in the case was being held in detention while awaiting trial at juvenile court or whether he was released to a parent or guardian and whether a judge set any conditions for release.
The police statement concludes by saying that the department’s Special Liaison Branch, which includes the LGBT Liaison Unit, is assisting with the investigation.
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