Local
Baltimore Eagle loses liquor license
‘Our patrons are out of a bar’
The Baltimore Eagle has been closed since 2012. (Photo by A. Currell; courtesy CreativeCommons)
The three-member Baltimore City Liquor Board on April 9 unanimously denied the Baltimore Eagle’s ownership group a requested liquor license transfer claiming that the work on renovations was not completed within the requisite 180 days, deeming the license dead.
The bar, located at 2022 N. Charles St., closed in December 2012 following its sale, leaving many in the community uncertain as to the bar’s fate. Charles Parrish and Ian Parrish purchased the property for $300,000 and vowed to re-open it as the Baltimore Eagle after renovations are completed.
However, unanticipated problems with the structure, an excessive amount of trash, delays in an electrical line installation and other impediments prevented the renovations from being completed on time. Melvin Kodenski, an attorney for the group, argued at a March 12 hearing that there was precedent to waive the rule under certain circumstances and that he would present legal documents to the board.
The ownership group presented its evidence, but the board, led by former judge Tom Ward, dismissed it citing a seething 2013 audit of the liquor board that revealed corruption and other irregularities. The new board was given the charge to crack down on “zombie” licenses as well as other improprieties.
According to BaltimoreBrew.com, Ward said at the April 9 hearing, “It is very clear to us…that the 180-day rule in this case has been violated. You’re out of time. The license is gone.”
Ian Parrish and his supporters consider the decision to be an injustice.
“We’ve done everything we were advised to do by the Liquor Board itself,” Parrish, a Baltimore-area developer, told the Blade. “We met the board regularly to keep them informed of our progress, and they were happy with our work; we were told that our license was secure as long as we continued our pace, and we held up our end of the that agreement; we paid our fees, and they took our money. And now these three new commissioners show up out of nowhere, disrespect the city officials who were moving the project forward, and kill our project with their arbitrary decision. From all the way up on their bench it must be hard for them to see that their decision has real consequences here in our neighborhood.”
Parrish added, “I don’t know what their agenda is, but we know that a building in Baltimore is sitting vacant right now because of the Baltimore City Liquor Board, and a business that has been in operation for 20 years has been told to go away. My men are out of work and our patrons are out of a bar.”
He had hoped that the rebirth of the Baltimore Eagle as a gay bar was not the reason for opposition from nearby community groups but suspicions have arisen.
“The most upsetting thing is that the handful of people in opposition who were running around saying that ‘a gay bar could bring gay prostitution’ was allowed to get away with it,” Parrish said. “That’s what we were told when we attended the meeting of the Charles Village Land Use Committee—the organization where Commissioner [Dana] Moore used to serve as president. And most of these people don’t even live in the neighborhood. I am disgusted.”
Though the liquor board declared the license dead, Parrish and his supporters believe the project is not and will explore all legal channels available to make it happen.
“For better than 20 years, the Eagle has been a judgment-free environment, a place where people could go and just be themselves,” said Parrish. “The patrons and staff have always been good neighbors to me; and I may be just one guy, but as long as friends of the Eagle will stand with me, I will fight to re-open this landmark tavern.”
He urges friends of the Eagle to send letters of support to [email protected]. All letters will be forwarded to the Baltimore City Liquor Board, Council member Carl Stokes, Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake and Gov. Larry Hogan.
Virginia
Black transgender woman murdered in Va.
Shyyell Diamond Sanchez-McCray killed in Petersburg on March 13
A Black transgender woman was murdered in Petersburg, Va., on March 13.
Shyyell Diamond Sanchez-McCray, who was also known as Mable, was a drag queen who won the Miss Mayflower EOY pageant in 2015. Reports also indicate she was a well-known community activist in Virginia and in North Carolina.
Local media reports indicate police officers found Sanchez-McCray, 42, shot to death inside a home in Petersburg. These initial media reports also misgendered her.
“My heart is shattered and heavy with grief at the news of Shyyell Diamond Sanchez-McCray’s murder — the first trans life stolen from us this year,” said Victoria Kirby York, director of public policy and programs for the National Black Justice Coalition, in a statement.
Kirby York in her statement also criticized the media coverage of Sanchez-McCray’s murder.
“The early reports of Shyyell’s death stripped her of her identity by misgendering her, a deeply damaging and persistent failure by law enforcement and media that haunts these cases again and again,” she said. “Misgendering doesn’t just erase a person’s truth — it can derail justice entirely, or worse, bury a case in silence as investigators chase the wrong identity, the wrong face, the wrong name.”
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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