Local
Town hall addresses Pride, financial concerns
Celebration slated for July 23-24 despite declining revenue
GLCCB board president Jabari Lyles addresses the town hall meeting. (Washington Blade photo by Steve Charing)
Under pressure from members of the community to account for the income and expenditures incurred during Pride 2015, the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Community Center of Baltimore and Central Maryland (GLCCB), held a town hall meeting on Nov. 10 at the Chase Brexton Mount Vernon Center. The gathering allowed new board president Jabari Lyles to address Pride-related issues, offer an overview of the organization and to welcome community input.
Lyles described the GLCCB’s structure and the financial data from the most recent Pride to a crowd of about 60. Pride, which is the GLCCB’s principal source of revenue, made a profit of $49,400 this year. In 2014, Pride netted $64,000.
Some in the community raised concerns about the absence of accounting for the outlays and questioned specific expenditures. These issues, coupled with the sudden resignation of Pride coordinator and deputy executive director Paul Liller, motivated GLCCB’s leadership to hold the town hall.
Lyles and others charged that Liller used bad judgment in procuring the amount of T-shirts for Pride, for example, as well as creating a fundraising Halloween event called OutRageous without authorization. OutRageous was cancelled because of a lack of sales and ultimately cost the GLCCB $9,000 with nearly half of that amount to be used as a credit for a future event involving the same caterer.
Liller, who was not present at the meeting, rejected the criticisms. “Regarding allegations of mismanagement for both OutRageous and Pride T-Shirts, I will say that during my time at the GLCCB, all my decisions were either run through the former executive director Joel Tinsley-Hall or the board of directors,” he told the Blade via email. “Accurate financials were provided monthly during board meetings (which strangely there are no minutes for). The GLCCB board was involved in decisions made as they chose to be at the time.”
Lyles stated that tighter financial controls have already been put in place including the hiring of a bookkeeper. Moreover, he announced that the next Pride celebration would take place July 23-24, 2016.
He also unveiled an updated strategic plan that was developed in 2012 but had largely been relegated to the back burner due to an ongoing turnover in leadership. Indeed, since the last town hall took place in July 2014, there have been four different board presidents and four different individuals in the role of executive director.
Nonetheless, Lyles who has been the board president since July and is acting as the interim executive director since Liller’s departure last month, promised a better accounting of funds, greater transparency, a stronger effort to make the board more inclusive and to expand services and programs.
He also announced the resurrection of the GLCCB Advisory Council and that the organization is actively pursuing new office space. The GLCCB has been housed on the third floor of the Waxter Center on Cathedral Street in Mount Vernon since February 2014.
While not nearly as contentious as the last GLCCB town hall meeting 15 months ago, this meeting also afforded community members an opportunity to sound off on matters of concern. Many of those who participated in the “open mic” portion of the program focused on the GLCCB’s mission and the need for diversity on the board.
Some members advocated for more youth programs while others support elder programs to cope with the aging LGBTQ population. A few offered to assist in partnering with other LGBT organizations and allies while some volunteered to help with fundraising. More involvement with faith-based groups and activities was also urged.
Overall, Lyles was pleased with the nearly three-hour meeting. “It’s refreshing to see the community willing to help us and be dedicated to our mission,” he told the Blade. He promised another town hall in March and that they will take place biannually.
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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