Local
Bowser names new members of LGBTQ Advisory Committee
All members of body replaced
The mayor’s new LGBTQ Advisory Committee: (left to right) Thomas Sanchez, David M. Pérez, Terrance L. Laney, Julius Agers, Nicole Armstead, Andrea Sharrin, Sheila Alexander-Reid, Glen Ackerman, Mayor Muriel Bowser, Jim Slattery, Victoria Kirby York, Consuella Lopez, Ruth Eisenberg, Dionne Reeder, AJ King, Sheldon Scott and Dr. Imani Woody. (Photo courtesy of the Office of the Mayor)
In keeping with her policy of appointing new faces to the numerous city boards, commissions and advisory committees, Mayor Muriel Bowser since taking office in January has replaced nearly all members of the Mayor’s LGBTQ Advisory Committee, according to sources familiar with the committee.
Among the mayor’s changes was the replacement of gay Democratic activists Earl Fowlkes and Barbara Helmick, who were appointed to the panel by Mayor Vincent Gray and served as chair and vice chair. Bowser named David Perez, former president of D.C.’s GLBT Latino History Project, as the new chair and National LGBTQ Task Force official Victoria Kirby York as vice chair.
Others named by Bowser include D.C. attorneys Glen Ackerman and Ruth Eisenberg, transgender activist Julius Agers, lesbian activist Letitia Gomez, LGBT seniors advocate Imani Woody and mayoral staffer and Brother Help Thyself President Jim Slattery.
Helmick said she and Fowlkes understand that the new mayor has the authority to appoint her own people to committees and other government bodies that were created to advise a sitting mayor.
“Earl and I were invited to step down and we did,” she said, noting that that message was delivered to them by Sheila Alexander-Reid, director of the Mayor’s Office of LGBTQ Affairs who oversees the advisory committee.
Shortly after replacing Fowlkes on the LGBTQ Advisory Committee, Bowser appointed him to the D.C. Commission on Human Rights, which required confirmation from the City Council. The Council quickly approved his nomination in July at which time he was sworn in as the Commission’s third openly LGBT member.
Baltimore
Transgender woman killed in Barclay community mourned by friends, advocates
Sophie Lee shot to death on Friday morning
By DARREONNA DAVIS | Denise Johnson imagined spending Sunday with her daughter, Sophie Lee, eating crabs at the park. Instead, she stood on a Barclay street corner Sunday evening surrounded by nearly 100 people who came to remember her daughter, a transgender woman who was fatally shot there Friday.
The 27-year-old woman was found in the 2400 block of North Calvert Street around 1:15 a.m. Friday, Baltimore Police said in a news release.
Lindsey Eldridge, a police department spokesperson, said it’s unclear if her identity had anything to do with her death and the investigation is ongoing.
The rest of this article can be read on the Baltimore Banner’s website.
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Congratulations to Jaime Christopher Pierce on their appointment to serve as a member of the Virginia Governor’s LGBTQ+ Advisory Board. Pierce was sworn in on Sept. 3 by Greg Parks, clerk of the Alexandria Circuit Court.
Pierce currently serves as vice chair of the Alexandria City LGBTQIA+ Task Force and as a member of the Alexandria Pride planning committee. They previously served on the board of directors of Equality Virginia.
Upon being sworn in, Pierce said, “Public service has been a central part of my life for more than 30 years, and this appointment gives me an opportunity to serve the Commonwealth in a different and very personal way. My career has allowed me to work with people and communities throughout Virginia, and I hope to bring that experience, along with my own lived experience and my involvement in the LGBTQ+ community, to the work of the Board.” They added, “Having Greg administer the oath makes the occasion even more meaningful because of his own historic role as Virginia’s first openly gay elected circuit court clerk.”
Pierce also serves as Circuit Court Services Manager for the Department of Judicial Services, at the Office of the Executive Secretary of the Supreme Court of Virginia. They began their career in Virginia’s judiciary in 1994 as a deputy clerk with the Virginia Beach Circuit Court and have since held several professional and leadership positions within the court system. Pierce is a member of the National Association for Court Management (NACM) and the Mid-Atlantic Association for Court Management. At the national level, Pierce participated in the workgroup that developed the National Association for Court Management’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Guide, a resource designed to help court professionals advance inclusive practices and strengthen access, fairness and belonging within the justice system.
Pierce earned a degree in Criminal Justice from Liberty University, and a certificate in Paralegal Studies from Norfolk State University.
Maryland
Md. groups receive state grants to fight hate crimes
Pride Center of Maryland among recipients
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore and the Governor’s Office of Crime Prevention and Policy are awarding a total of $10 million in grants in the 2027 fiscal year to nonprofit organizations that work to prevent hate crimes in the state.
The funds will be used to support those who feel targeted or discriminated against because of their race, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability status.
The Pride Center of Maryland is among the recipients. Churches, synagogues, mosques, and LGBTQ organizations are all eligible to receive grants
“The safety and security of all Marylanders is my top priority, so we are drawing a hard line because we have no tolerance for hate,” said Moore, according to media reports. “We are committed to protecting and ensuring safe and sacred spaces stay that way by investing in non-profit organizations, houses of worship, and community centers to protect and honor every community that makes our state so diverse and special.”
“Protection Against Hate Crime funding has strengthened the Pride Center of Maryland’s ability to protect, educate, and support the communities we serve … at a time of heightened concern associated with the Trump administration’s anti-LGBTQ/SGL (same-gender-loving) policies and pressures,” Pride Center of Maryland CEO Cleo Manago said. “PAHC funding helps us do more than improve physical security — it strengthens our community’s knowledge, preparedness, connection to resources, and ability to respond to hate with greater awareness and support.”
Maryland’s hate crimes law includes both sexual orientation and gender identity. The state’s nondiscrimination statute is also LGBTQ-inclusive.
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