Local
Calvin Steinmetz dies at 62
Attorney and gay sports league enthusiast
Calvin Steinmetz
Calvin Steinmetz, an attorney who practiced law for more than 30 years in D.C., Maryland and Virginia and most recently in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., died Dec. 5 at his home in Wilton Manors, Fla., following a year-and-a-half battle with brain cancer, according to Brian Boyle, his partner of 30 years. He was 62.
Friends and associates said Steinmetz’s law practice took on a wide range of cases over the years, including criminal defense work, civil litigation and “nuts and bolts” legal work such as preparing wills and trusts, powers of attorney and estate planning and administration.
They noted his friendly demeanor and close attention to details and the needs of his clients made him especially popular with those who retained his services for years, with many becoming friends.
“Cal was one of the good guys,” said D.C. gay activist Robert York. “He had a way of making any stranger feel like a longtime friend. He was a friend, mentor and a leader on the field of softball and even more so in the field of life.”
York was referring to Steinmetz’s lifelong passion for softball as well as basketball and bowling, which his former law partner in Washington, Steve Weinberg, said manifested itself in Steinmetz’s dedicated support for gay sports leagues in D.C. and later in Fort Lauderdale.
For many years Steinmetz, a native New Yorker, sponsored and played for a gay softball team in D.C. that he named Calmets, Weinberg said, after his beloved New York Mets baseball team. The team is part of the Chesapeake and Potomac Softball League, known as CAPS, an LGBT sports league for which Steinmetz served as commissioner, Weinberg said.
Steinmetz was born and raised in Brooklyn, N.Y. He received a bachelor’s degree in history from the University of Rochester in New York in 1974 and a law degree from George Washington University School of Law in 1977.
Although he planned to start his law practice in the D.C. metropolitan area, Weinberg said Steinmetz applied for and became qualified to practice law in Florida after taking his first job with a D.C. law firm that specialized in abortion rights cases in several states, including Florida.
Steinmetz also became licensed to practice in D.C., Virginia and Maryland and eventually was admitted to take cases before federal district and appeals courts in those three jurisdictions as well as before the U.S. Supreme Court.
For most of his years practicing in D.C., Steinmetz and various law partners, including Weinberg, worked out of offices at 2141 P St., N.W., just off of Dupont Circle, in the heart of the city’s most visible gay neighborhood.
Shortly after moving his law practice to Fort Lauderdale in 2009, Steinmetz opened an office on Wilton Drive in the heart of Wilton Manors, a small city that boasts of having the Ft. Lauderdale area’s highest concentration of LGBT residents.
“Cal was a great friend, a great athlete and a great lawyer,” said Lori Bott and Geri English in a Facebook message.
In addition to Boyle, Steinmetz is survived by his sister, Barbara Parker, his nephew Jody Parker and Parker’s wife Jordana, and his niece Mara Smith and her husband Mike.
“Donations in his memory should be made to your local No Kill Animal Shelter or Rescue League,” Boyle said.
A celebration of life gathering in Steinmetz’s honor was scheduled for 2 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 14, at the Fort Lauderdale LGBT community center known as Pride Center-Equality Park in Wilton Manors, Fla.
Weinberg said a celebration of life gathering in D.C. is expected to be held Jan. 17 at a time and location to be announced soon.
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.”
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