Local
Clinton supporters plan 2 D.C. Pride fundraisers
Gay campaign manager to appear at June 11 event
Hillary Clinton (Washington Blade file photo by Michael Key)
Separate LGBT Pride fundraising events for the Hillary Clinton presidential campaign are scheduled to take place on successive nights on June 10 and 11 in Washington, with the second one to include appearances by U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) and four of her gay colleagues in the U.S. House.
That June 11 event is an official event of the Hillary for America campaign and is being co-hosted by D.C. gay Democratic activist Peter Rosenstein along with 22 other prominent LGBT rights advocates who signed on as co-hosts. Among them are former Human Rights Campaign presidents Joe Solmonese and Elizabeth Birch and former Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund CEO Chuck Wolfe.
The minimum donation required for admission to the event, which will take place at Lost Society Rooftop nightclub at 2001 14th St., N.W., is $100. It’s being billed as an “LGBT Pride Kick-Off Party In Support of Hillary for America” and will include an appearance by Clinton’s campaign manager Robby Mook, who’s gay. Clinton is not scheduled to attend. Visit hillaryclinton.com for tickets.
The other event set for June 10 is being organized by gay Democratic activist Lane Hudson as a “low dollar, grassroots” fundraiser that’s not an official event of the Clinton campaign. Hudson is promoting it on Facebook as a “Hillary for D.C. – Pride Edition – More Dance Party, Less Fundraiser.” The admission price is $20.16, and it will be held at D.C.’s historic Howard Theatre.
“What I’m intending to create is a new kind of event that targets folks that aren’t traditional political donors and tries to turn them into repeat donors,” Hudson told the Blade. He said he would announce in the next few days the names of some prominent officials who will attend as special guests.
Among those scheduled to attend the June 11 event as special guests, in addition to Baldwin, are out gay U.S. Reps. Jared Polis (D-Colo.), David Cicilline (D-R.I.), Sean Patrick Maloney (D-N.Y.), and Mark Takano (D-Calif.). Also scheduled to attend is U.S. Rep. Joe Kennedy III (D-Mass.), a strong LGBT rights ally.
Others who have endorsed the event and signed on as hosts are LGBT rights leaders Aisha Moodie-Mills, the current CEO of the Victory Fund; Scott Fay; Winnie Stachelberg; Tom Sheridan; Robert Raben; Claire Lucas; and Judy Dlugacz.
Rosenstein said the Clinton campaign is organizing its own low-cost fundraiser in D.C. that’s scheduled for June 23 with a $20 admission. He said it’s not a specific LGBT event but organizers are reaching out to the LGBT community to attend.
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.”
Markwayne Mullin confirmed as next DHS secretary
Gay man murdered in Va.
Trans Day of Visibility events planned
Virginia General Assembly’s 2026 legislative session ends
Polish court rules country must recognize same-sex marriages from EU states
Queer American in Israel discusses Iran war’s impact
‘How We Survived’ panel set for March 25
Calendar: March 21-26
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