Local
LGBT lawmakers assigned prominent roles
Clippinger takes Democratic Caucus Chair post
Del. Luke Clippinger (D-Baltimore City) is taking over as Democratic Caucus Chair in Annapolis.(Washington Blade file photo by Michael Key)
Soon after the start of the 2015 Maryland General Assembly, House Speaker Michael Busch (D-Anne Arundel) announced new committee leadership appointments that have raised the profile and influence of several members of the LGBT caucus. Among those to receive an important assignment is Del. Luke Clippinger (D-Baltimore City) who has been designated Democratic Caucus Chair.
The Caucus Chair leads the weekly caucus meeting where members of the Democratic caucus discuss the issues that will come up in the week to come in the House. Clippinger will be part of the Speakers leadership team, which includes the committee chairs, the Majority Whip, and Majority Leader. In addition, over the next several years Clippinger will be called on to provide campaign assistance for the caucus as a whole.
Clippinger, serving in his second term, represents District 46 in such neighborhoods in Baltimore City as Canton, Federal Hill, Fells Point, Locust Point, Greektown, Cherry Hill, Patterson Park, Brooklyn, Curtis Bay, and Little Italy.
“I’m honored to have earned the support of the Speaker and all of the members of the Democratic caucus,” Clippinger told the Blade. “I look forward to helping share the Democratic message over the next four years as we continue to encourage job creation, improve k-12 education, and protect our environment.”
Others in the LGBT caucus have also been given prominent roles. Del, Anne Kaiser (D-Montgomery) was named Majority Leader. Dels. Mary Washington (D-Baltimore City) and Bonnie Cullison (D-Montgomery) are Deputy Majority Whips. Del. Maggie McIntosh (D-Baltimore City) is chair of the powerful Appropriations Committee.
On the Senate side, Rich Madaleno (D-Montgomery) is Vice Chair of the Budget and Taxation Committee.
Besides these assignments, the above LGBT lawmakers sit on other committees. They all played pivotal roles in the passage of the Religious Freedom and Civil Protection Act in 2012 and the Fairness for All Marylanders Act in 2014.
District of Columbia
HRC to host National Rainbow Seder
Bet Mishpachah among annual event’s organizers
The 18th National Rainbow Seder will take place at the Human Rights Campaign on Sunday.
The sold out event is the country’s largest Passover Seder for the Jewish LGBTQ community.
Organizations behind the event include Bet Mishpachah, a local D.C. LGBTQ synagogue that Rabbi Jake Singer-Beilin leads, and GLOE an organization that sponsors events for the queer Jewish community.
The theme for this year’s Seder is “Liberation For All Who Journey: Remembering, Resisting, Rebuilding.” Rabbis Atara Cohen and Avigayil Halpern will lead it.
The Seder will honor the late GLOE co-chair Michael Singer. Singer also served on the Edlavitch DC Community Jewish Community’s board.
“This Seder is both a celebration of how far we have come and a call to continue building a more just and inclusive world.” Bet Mishpachah Executive Director Joshua Maxey told the Washington Blade.
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.
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