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Comings & Goings
Leeds to open new bar; Penchina to chair Victory board
The ‘Comings & Goings’ column chronicles important life changes of Blade readers.
Comings & Goings recognizes the achievements of members of the LGBT community and highlights job openings in organizations working to advance LGBT rights. Please continue to share information about yourself and let friends know they can contact us at [email protected].
Daniel Penchina
Congratulations to Daniel Penchina, recently elected as co-chair of the Victory Campaign Board. VCB is a national group of community leaders dedicated to electing more openly LGBT candidates to public office by promoting the work of the Victory Fund in their communities. Elected by their peers to serve two-year terms, VCB members recruit qualified openly LGBT candidates to run for office and review and endorse Victory Fund’s candidates to ensure that LGBT voices are represented in government. From large cities to small towns, red states to blue, VCB members are helping to raise awareness of Victory Fund’s work and its mission.
Daniel is an active member of the LGBT community and a principal at the Raben Group. He previously served as president of “Q” Street, the organization of LGBT lobbyists, and worked on the Hill for a number of members of Congress, including Jan Schakowsky, Christopher Murphy and Jerrold Nadler.
We are also celebrating with Jamie Leeds, chef extraordinaire and owner of Hank’s Oyster Bar. Her new bar, The Twisted Horn, will open in two weeks in the Petworth neighborhood of D.C. at 819 Upshur St., N.W. It will be managed by Megan Coyle of Hank’s. It is a craft cocktail bar with a menu highlighting seasonally driven cocktails made with local ingredients, house infusions and innovative combinations, including such unique drinks such as Scarlet Billows, Blackwell Rum, Camparno Anitca and more. The menu will include classic cocktails and craft beers such as Day of the Dead Hefeweizen or Atlas Rowdy Rye and wines available by the glass or bottle.
Guests are invited to partake of a Jamie Leeds-designed snack menu consisting of bar favorites such as assorted pickles from their neighbors Gordy’s Pickle Jar, as well as a selection of cheese and charcuterie, among other items. The candlelit interior design and décor is edgy and industrial, while maintaining a neighborhood feel. The bar has 30 stools, with an additional 10 seats at high-top tables. There are also plans to house an outdoor patio with approximately 40 seats. Information at twistedhorndc.com. Congrats also go to Hank’s Dupont manager, Jeff Strine, who has been promoted to director of HR and training for Jaime’s growing business.
Jamie Leeds (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
Jeff Strine
Two good jobs are available at PFLAG National. PFLAG is the nation’s largest family and ally organization supporting the LGBT community. PFLAG has more than 400 chapters and 200,000 members.
Director of Development Amy Sauerwalt, a PFLAG parent with a teenager who is transgender, is looking to add managers of major gifts and corporate development to her team.
The Major Gifts Manager will have primary responsibility for planning, coordinating and implementing the major donor and planned giving programs to meet the organization’s major gifts fundraising goals and planned giving program objectives. They will also be responsible for coordination of other staff and board members to cultivate additional solicitation. The Corporate Development Manager will be responsible for soliciting, researching, cultivating and strengthening PFLAG’s corporate relationships resulting in gifts and grants to support PFLAG’s organizational and programmatic needs. To learn more, contact PFLAG at 202-467-8180.
Rehoboth Beach
Rehoboth Summer Kickoff Party set for May 15 with Ashley Biden
The Washington Blade’s 19th annual Summer Kickoff Party is scheduled for Friday, May 15 in Rehoboth Beach, Del.
Ashley Biden, daughter of President Joe Biden, has joined the list of speakers, the Blade announced. She will accept an award on behalf of her brother Beau Biden for his LGBTQ advocacy work as Delaware attorney general. (Her appearance was rescheduled from last year.)
The event, to be held this year at Diego’s (37298 Rehoboth Ave. Ext.) from 5-7 p.m., is a fundraiser for the Blade Foundation’s Steve Elkins Memorial Fellowship in Journalism, which funds a summer position reporting on LGBTQ news in Delaware. This year’s recipient will be introduced at the event.
The event will also feature remarks from state Rep. Claire Snyder-Hall. New CAMP Rehoboth Executive Director Dr. Robin Brennan and Blade editor Kevin Naff will also speak. The event is generously sponsored by Realtor Justin Noble, The Avenue Inn & Spa, and Diego’s.
A suggested donation of $25 is partially tax deductible and includes a drink ticket and light appetizers. Tickets are available in advance at bladefoundation.org/rehoboth or at the door.
District of Columbia
Curve magazine honors Washington Blade publisher
Lynne Brown named to 2026 Power List
Washington Blade Publisher Lynne Brown has been named to the 2026 Curve Power List celebrating LGBTQ+ women and nonbinary individuals in North America who are blazing trails in their chosen fields.
“From sports and entertainment icons to corporate leaders and lawmakers, these individuals are breaking barriers, challenging norms, and shaping the future,” Curve Foundation/Curve magazine said in announcing this year’s list, which includes ABC newscaster Robin Roberts, comedian/actress Hannah Einbinder, and singer/actress Renee Rapp, among others.
Brown has worked for the Washington Blade for nearly 40 years. She was named publisher in 2007 before becoming a co-owner in 2010.
“I am honored to be recognized by Curve magazine during Lesbian Visibility Week,” Brown said. “Receiving this Curve honor is twofold. I was an early subscriber to Curve. I enjoy the product and know its history. Its journalism, layout and humorous features have inspired me.
“As an owner/publisher, receiving recognition from a similar source acknowledges my work and efforts, with a sincerity I truly appreciate. Franco Stevens, the publisher of Curve, is a business person of duration, experience, and purpose. The fact that they are in the media business, and honoring me and my publication makes it a tiny bit sweeter.”
Nominations for the Curve Power List come from the community: peers, mentors, fans, and employers.
Curve explained the significance of the list in its announcement: “An annual, publicly nominated list of impactful LGBTQ+ women and nonbinary changemakers is crucial in current times to counter discrimination, legislative rollbacks, hostility, and the invisibility of queer women within mainstream and marginal spaces and endeavors. Such a list also fosters encouragement and solidarity, and elevates voices and achievements—from high-profile roles to under appreciated areas of life.”
Rehoboth Beach
Auction of Rehoboth’s Blue Moon canceled
Details on sale of iconic bar, restaurant not disclosed
The Blue Moon in Rehoboth Beach, Del., has been an iconic presence in the local LGBTQ community for four decades but its status remains murky after a sheriff’s auction of the property was abruptly called off on Tuesday.
The property was listed for sale in December. At that time, owner Tim Ragan told the Blade that he is committed to preserving its legacy as a gay-friendly space.
“We had no idea the interest this would create,” Ragan said in December. “I guess I was a little naive about that.”
Ragan explained that he and longtime partner Randy Haney were separating the real estate from the business. The two buildings associated with the sale were listed by Carrie Lingo at 35 Baltimore Ave., and include an apartment, the front restaurant (6,600 square feet with three floors and a basement), and a secondary building (roughly 1,800 square feet on two floors). They were listed for $4.5 million.
The bar and restaurant business is being sold separately; the price was not publicly disclosed.
But then, earlier this year, the Blue Moon real estate listing turned up on the Sussex County Sheriff’s Office auction site. The auction was slated for Tuesday, April 21 but hours before the sale, the listing changed to “active under contract” indicating that a buyer has been found but the sale is not yet final. As of Wednesday morning, the listing has been removed from the sheriff’s auction site.
Ragan didn’t respond to Blade inquiries about the auction. Back in December, he told the Blade, “It’s time to look for the next people who can continue the history of the Moon and cultivate the next chapter,” noting that he turns 70 this year. “We’re not panicked; we separated the building from the business. Some buyers can’t afford both.”
The identity of the buyer was not disclosed, nor was the sale price.
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