Local
Protester accuses Charles Village officials of homophobia
Demonstration follows Eagle liquor license flap
Brian Gaither protested outside the Charles Village Festival. (Blade photo by Steve Charing)
Brian Gaither of the Baltimore Homophobia Opposition Network (HON) stood on the island on Charles Street just outside the Charles Village Festival’s footprint on May 30 donning a rainbow boa and pink-framed sunglasses, playing Erasure on his boom box and handing out fliers to festival goers.
The flier that was titled “WANTED FOR HOMOPHOBIA” included the photographs of five key individuals who went on record opposing the liquor license transfer requested by the new owners of the Baltimore Eagle—a leather bar located on the corner of Charles and 21st streets—at a key liquor board hearing in March. In April, the board denied the license transfer request. HON is not affiliated with the Baltimore Eagle and was acting independently.
Gaither also carried a bullhorn, which he used to bellow to all within earshot the following:
“The Charles Village Civic Association, despite the excuses they offer, used procedural tools to oppose the opening of a gay business in Charles Village. In so doing the Charles Village Civic Association has made it clear that businesses catering to the LGBT community are not welcome here. Opposing businesses which cater to the LGBT community makes me, a Baltimore citizen, feel less welcome and less safe in Charles Village. Expressing a personal dislike of LGBT people, whether you say it or you use the neighborhood association to do it, is the essence of homophobia. Spending your money at the festival today directly supports the homophobia of the Charles Village Civic Association.”
The protest lasted two hours though it had been scheduled for five hours each of the two days of the festival. Brendan Coyne, a board member of CVCA, approached Gaither and told him that it was not the official position of the association to oppose the bar, Gaither told the Blade. Gaither later aborted the protest.
Gaither told the Blade, “If Sandy Sparks, the president of the CVCA, (one of the five pictured on the flier) was not acting in accordance with the desires of the rest of the board when she appeared before the Liquor Board to oppose the transfer of the license, then CVCA should take corrective actions to remedy the situation and make public their official position on the re-opening of the Eagle.”
He added, “I think of Charles Village as a diverse and inclusive part of Baltimore. So it was disappointing to watch video of the president of the neighborhood association go before the Liquor Board and oppose a gay business.”
Coyne disputed that assessment.
“I know of no one on the CVCA board who is opposed to the Baltimore Eagle on the grounds of it being a gay bar,” Coyne told the Blade in an email. “While there may be opposition in Charles Village and among other organizations on liquor license and land-use grounds, ours is an inclusive neighborhood that has long welcomed members of the LGBTQ community and continues to do so.”
He continued, “Happily, American society at large is finally catching up to where we’ve been for decades and I fervently hope that Mr. Gaither and others fighting the good fight against homophobia will choose better targets in the future.”
Efforts by the Baltimore Eagle’s ownership and supporters are underway to attempt to overturn the liquor board’s decision. More than 1,000 signatures have been gathered from an online petition at TheBaltimoreEagle.com.
CLARIFICATION: This story was updated to add attribution, reflecting that Gaither told the Blade about Coyne’s comments. The Blade has invited Coyne to contribute a quote explaining his position on the Eagle liquor license dispute and has offered op-ed space to CVCA to better explain its position.
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Congratulations to Yadiel Meléndez, on their new role as Community Associate, with the Wanda Alston Foundation. Meléndez is piloting a new role as a Community Associate at the Wanda Alston Foundation, where they support queer and trans young people in finding their footing, building independence, and experiencing a housing community where they are seen, valued, and affirmed. They are coming into this role with more than a decade of experience as a community organizer and operations specialist, supporting diverse communities through service, advocacy, and program coordination.
Previously they worked for Right Proper Brewing Shaw as a server and bartender and at Sephora, Washington, DC, and at FreshFarm, DC, in bilingual food access. They also worked freelance to build foundational structures for local queer BIPOC performance art coalitions, producing variety shows to curate space for marginalized performance artists in the community. They were a production manager for Haus of Hart Productions, a BIPOC centric performance art production. They also worked as field staff with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention in Stafford, Va.
Meléndez is bilingual, Spanish and English. Their work is guided by a commitment to dignity, safety, and trauma-informed engagement, particularly within LGBTQ and BIPOC communities.
Congratulations also to Ben Rosen LICSW, on his new role as program director, with the Wanda Alston Foundation. Rosen previously worked with Fountain House’s OnRamps program, helping to build a new, innovative outreach program for individuals considered chronically homeless, and living with serious mental illness, in the Times Square area of New York. Rosen is a Psychotherapist, having worked with SG Psychotherapy, and as the psychotherapist with the Nest Community Health Center (URAM).
Rosen has a B.F.A. in Theatre Arts: Musical Theatre, Minor in Psychology (Cum Laude) from Malloy University Conservatory; and his M.S.W. in Clinical Practice with Individuals, Families, and Groups, from The Silberman School of Social Work, Hunter College, N.Y. He is independently licensed in New York and Washington, D.C.
Rehoboth Beach
BLUF leather social set for April 10 in Rehoboth
Attendees encouraged to wear appropriate gear
Diego’s in Rehoboth Beach hosts a monthly leather happy hour. April’s edition is scheduled for Friday, April 10, 5-7 p.m. Attendees are encouraged to wear appropriate gear. The event is billed as an official event of BLUF, the free community group for men interested in leather. After happy hour, the attendees are encouraged to reconvene at Local Bootlegging Company for dinner, which allows cigar smoking. There’s no cover charge for either event.
District of Columbia
Celebrations of life planned for Sean Bartel
Two memorial events scheduled in D.C.
Two celebrations of life are planned for Sean Christopher Bartel, 48, who was found deceased on a hiking trail in Argentina on or around March 15. Bartel began his career as a television news reporter and news anchor at stations in Louisville, Ky., and Evansville, Ind., before serving as Senior Video Producer for the D.C.-based International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers union from 2013 to 2024.
A memorial gathering is planned for Friday, April 10, 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. at the IBEW International Office (900 7th St., N.W.), according to a statement by the DC Gay Flag Football League, where Bartel was a longtime member. A celebration of life is planned that same evening, 6-8 p.m. at Trade (1410 14th St., N.W.).
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