Local

Edgar Luna-Mendoza dies at 39

Worked for Institute of International Finance

Published

10 years ago

November 24, 2015

Joey DiGuglielmo

Edgar Luna-Mendoza

Edgar Luna-Mendoza died at his U Street home on Nov. 10 according to his friend, Flavio Cardon. He was 39. The family is awaiting an autopsy report and do not know the cause of death. He was gay and worked for many years in the financial sector.

Luna-Mendoza was born in Puebla, Mexico, the youngest of five children. He attended the Faculty of Economics at the Universidad Autónoma de Nueva León (Monterrey) on a full scholarship, and after graduation obtained a job with Banco de México, the central bank of Mexico. The bank later financially supported his studies at the Johns Hopkins University School of International Studies Bologna Center in Italy from 2000 to 2001, and at the SAIS campus in Washington, D.C., from 2001 to 2002.

At SAIS, he made many friends. After graduating, he returned to the bank. In addition to putting in long hours at the office — a trademark work ethic that persisted in Mexico and D.C. — he became among other things an expert on the “Brady bonds” that had rescued the Mexican economy decades earlier.

Luna-Mendoza joined the Institute of International Finance in 2005, where he was a policy adviser in the Global Capital Markets Department. He was a key staffer in his department and served under a series of department heads whom he mentored.

Luna-Mendoza had many friends and was especially close to two bosses, one at central bank and another at the institute, friends said.

He enjoyed working out at local gyms such as Results and VIDA and following stars such as Paulina Rubio and Kylie Minogue.

A memorial service was held Nov. 22 in Washington. Classmates plan another in December and are working on establishing a scholarship in his name.

Luna-Mendoza is survived by his mother, Ignacia Mendoza, whom friends said he supported financially, and siblings Armando, Margarita, Juan Gabriel; and Clara Luna-Mendoza. He will be laid to rest in Puebla, Mexico. Donations can be made for the support of his mother at gofundme.com/gkax7bpg.

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Virginia

VIDEO: LGBTQ groups march in Va. inaugural parade

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Published

14 hours ago

January 17, 2026

Michael Key

Diversity Richmond and the Virginia Pride project of Diversity Richmond march in the 2026 Inauguration Parade on the grounds of the state capitol in Richmond, Va. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

The inaugural ceremonies for Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger were held in Richmond, Va. on Saturday. Among the groups marching in the parade were Diversity Richmond and the Virginia Pride project of Diversity Richmond.

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*The LGBTQ contingent in the inaugural parade in Richmond, Va. pass by the review stand on Jan. 17, 2026. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)*

Virginia

Va. Senate approves referendum to repeal marriage amendment

Outgoing state Sen. Adam Ebbin introduced SJ3

Published

22 hours ago

January 17, 2026

Staff reports

(Bigstock photo)

The Virginia Senate on Friday by a 26-13 vote margin approved a resolution that seeks to repeal a state constitutional amendment that defines marriage as between a man and a woman.

Outgoing state Sen. Adam Ebbin (D-Alexandria) introduced SJ3. The Senate Privileges and Elections Committee on Wednesday approved it by a 10-4 vote margin.

Same-sex couples have been able to legally marry in Virginia since 2014. Outgoing Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin in 2024 signed a bill that codified marriage equality in state law.

A resolution that seeks to repeal the Marshall-Newman Amendment passed in the General Assembly in 2021. The resolution passed again in 2025.

Two successive legislatures must approve the resolution before it can go to the ballot. Democrats in the Virginia House of Delegates have said the resolution’s passage is among their 2026 legislative priorities.

“It’s time for Virginia’s Constitution to reflect the law of the land and the values of today,” said Ebbin after Friday’s vote. “This amendment, if approved by voters, would affirm the dignity of all committed couples and protects marriage equality for future generations.”

Maryland

Layoffs and confusion at Pride Center of Maryland after federal grants cut, reinstated

Trump administration move panicked addiction and mental health programs

Published

2 days ago

January 16, 2026

Baltimore Banner

Merrick Moses, a violence prevention coordinator, works at the Pride Center of Maryland in Baltimore. (Photo by Ulysses Muñoz for the Baltimore Banner)

By ALISSA ZHU | After learning it had abruptly lost $2 million in federal funding, the Pride Center of Maryland moved to lay off a dozen employees, or about a third of its workforce, the Baltimore nonprofit’s leader said Thursday.

The group is one of thousands nationwide that reportedly received letters late Tuesday from the Trump administration. Their mental health and addiction grants had been terminated, effective immediately, the letters said.

By Wednesday night, federal officials moved to reverse the funding cuts by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, estimated to total $2 billion, according to national media reports. But the Pride Center of Maryland’s CEO Cleo Manago said as of Thursday morning he had not heard anything from the federal government confirming those reports.

The rest of this article can be read on the Baltimore Banner’s website.