Local
Former Baltimore Pride coordinator charged with theft
Liller faces 10 years in prison; trial set for January


Paul Liller faces theft charges in Baltimore. (Washington Blade photo by Steve Charing)
Paul Liller, the former Baltimore Pride coordinator and deputy director and acting executive director of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Community Center of Baltimore and Central Maryland, has been charged with theft and theft-scheme. Court records indicate that Liller has been accused of stealing property or services valued from $1,000 to under $10,000 in violation of Md. Code Ann. [Crim.] §7-104. A summons was issued on Nov. 16.
These actions allegedly occurred between Aug. 15-Sept. 15 based on a complaint filed by Jabari Lyles, the president of the GLCCB board of directors and the centerās acting executive director.
The Baltimore Stateās Attorneyās office would not release charging documents in advance of the trial, but information obtained by the Blade indicates that the amount allegedly stolen was valued at $8,156.76. This includes various art supplies, crafting supplies, office supplies, transactions related to the ill-fated Halloween fundraiser OutRageous and unauthorized payment of wages to Liller.
The complaint filed by Lyles was on behalf of the GLCCB. āWe need to send a clear message that we will no longer as an organization tolerate these types of actions,ā Lyles told the Blade. āWe have a duty to protect community assets and report to the proper authorities any suspicions of impropriety. We have faith that the state will lead a fair and accurate investigation with our support and cooperation.ā
Liller appeared before District Court Judge Diana A. E. Smith without representation on Dec. 17. He explained to the court that he had not received the official documentation prior to his appearance as there had been an error in both his name and address on the court document.Ā Liller told the Blade he found out about the summons because of information in the online Maryland Judiciary Case Search.Ā Ā
At the Dec. 17 proceeding, the state was granted a trial postponement to allow for the receipt of bank records the prosecution had sought. Judge Smith explained to Liller the options for legal representation, which he is pursuing.
āI cannot speak on specifics regarding the case, but I do look forward to my name being cleared, and the truth coming out,ā Liller told the Blade. āWhen you have nothing to hide, you have no need to fear the judicial system.ā
If convicted of these crimes, which are felonies, Liller, 33, faces a maximum penalty of 10 years imprisonment and a maximum $10,000 fine for each of the charges. Additionally, if convicted, Liller could be ordered to make restitution.
As coordinator of the 40th anniversary of Baltimore Pride held July 25-26, it was Lillerās second stint (2009) in that capacity on behalf of the GLCCB. With considerable support from community members and local businesses, Liller brought the block party back to its traditional location in the Mount Vernon neighborhood following the controversial shift in 2014 to the Mount Royal area several blocks to the north. He also returned the Sunday festival to Druid Hill Park.
Since becoming the GLCCBās Pride coordinator in late 2014, Liller was appointed the GLCCBās development coordinator and then deputy director and acting executive director following the resignation of Joel Tinsley-Hall effective July 6.
Soon after the Pride celebrations concluded, rumors began surfacing throughout Baltimoreās LGBT community of missing money from Prideās coffers. There were also concerns about the perceived absence of accounting for outlays.
Those questions, coupled with Lillerās sudden resignation on Oct. 13, motivated GLCCBās leadership to hold a public town hall on Nov. 10 to address those matters as well as to provide community members an opportunity to discuss broader GLCCB issues.
At that meeting, Lyles and others charged that Liller used bad judgment in procuring the amount of T-shirts for Pride as well as creating the OutRageous event without authorization. He said that other financial questions were being investigated and that tighter financial controls were being put in place.
āRegarding 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,ā he told the Blade the next day, although he was not present at the meeting. āAccurate financials were provided monthly during board meetings. The GLCCB board was involved in decisions made as they chose to be at the time.ā He noted it was strange that there are no minutes for those meetings.
The trial is set for Jan. 29, 2016, at Baltimore District Court, 700 E. Patapsco Ave. in Baltimore.
District of Columbia
Activists, policy makers mark Celebrate Bisexual Day in D.C.
BiPlus Organizing US hosted event at HRC

BiPlus Organizing US on Saturday hosted a Celebrate Bisexual Day event at the Human Rights Campaign.
Fiona Dawson, co-founder of BiPlus Organizing US, and MƩlanie Snail, committee member of the organization, emceed the event. HRC Senior Vice President of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging Rebecca Hershey welcomed attendees.
Heyshey discussed her journey as a bisexual, mixed race, Jewish woman. Hershey paraphrased Adrienne Maree Brown, stating āchange is coming, we are creating change.ā
PFLAG Learning and Inclusion Manager Mackenzie Harte gave a presentation on the history of bisexual identities, defined terms surrounding gender and sexuality and went over statistics of discrimination and health disparities that bisexual individuals face.
Harte’s presentation noted 48 percent of bisexual individuals reported an annual income of less than $30,000, compared to 30 percent of gay men, 39 percent of lesbians and 28 percent of all adults in the U.S.
Harte went on to say 28 percent of bisexual students report having attempted suicide; and bisexual people have a higher risk of mood disorders, substance abuse and mental illness than their lesbian, gay, or straight cohorts. Bisexual people of all genders face higher rates of sexual assault than those same peers. One reason for these statistics is isolation: 39 percent of bisexual men and 33 percent of bisexual women report not being out to any health care provider, and only 44 percent of bisexual youth report having an adult they could turn to if they were sad.
Harte also spoke about the Bisexual Manifesto, which the Bay Area Bisexual Network wrote in 1990.
āThe bisexual manifesto very intentionally was not binary,ā Harte said.
They said the text works against the stigma and stereotypes that claim bisexuality is confined to āmale, female.āĀ
Tania Israel, a bisexual advocate and psychology professor at the University of California, Santa Barbara, shared some of her bisexual haikus, which she calls, ābikus.ā
Dawson moderated the next panel.
Panelists included Nicole Holmes, a bisexual advocate and public health professional, National Center for Transgender Equality Communications Director Leroy Thomas and NCTE Policy Counsel Kris Tassone.
The panel talked about how shame and stigma drive the statistics that negatively impact the bisexual community. Another word that came up as a driving force was āintersectionality.ā
Holmes said that when it comes to intersectionality, itās important to not just ālist identities,ā but to look deep into āthe purpose behind why we are talking about intersectional identitiesā in the first place.
Adrian Shanker, senior advisor on LGBTQ+ Health Equity for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, spoke about health equity for the bisexual community.
āStriving for health equity remains a core priority. It also remains an unmet dream,ā said Shanker. āQueer people have always had to be our own health advocates.ā While health equity may not be here yet, Shanker says there is much in the works for the LGBTQ community, bisexuals specifically.
Shanker cited a National Cancer Institute funding opportunity that invites research proposals to cancer care for sexual and gender minorities, stating bisexual specific proposals are welcome. The impending potential government shutdown may postpone it.
The Biden-Harris administration is also working to ban so-called conversion therapy at the federal level. Additionally, 988, the national suicide prevention hotline, began a program to offer specialized support for LGBTQ youth and young adults last year.
Shanker said bisexual people should prioritize preventative screenings for skin cancer, oral cancer, lung cancer, regular cervical and anal pap tests, mammograms, prostate exams and colonoscopies.
āIf you have a body part, get it screened,ā said Shanker.
Megan Townsend, senior director of entertainment research and analysis for the GLAAD Media Institute, did a presentation on bisexual representation in the media and opportunities for advancement.
Ā āI want to see bi+/pan colors displayed on the White House,” said Dawson. “I want every national LGBTQIA+ organization to be talking about us, to put our concerns front and center.”
The data presented can be found here.
Delaware
Flight attendants union endorses Sarah McBride
Del. lawmaker would be first transgender member of Congress

Delaware congressional candidate Sarah McBride has earned the support of the Association of Flight Attendants, the nationās most prominent flight attendant union.
Itās the second big labor endorsement for McBride after the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 27ās endorsement. The Association of Flight Attendants praised her for spearheading efforts to bring paid family and medical leave to Delaware, which will take effect in 2026.
āSarahās record in the Delaware Senate shows that she understands how to work collaboratively, build power and make big things happen,ā the unionās president, Sara Nelson, wrote in a press release shared exclusively with the Washington Blade. āThatās the kind of leader we need in Congress, and weāre proud to endorse her candidacy.ā
McBride also announced her support for creating a list of abusive passengers and banning them from flying. Each airline has a list of passengers banned from flying, but airlines donāt share the lists with each other, though Delta Air Lines has asked them, because of ālegal and operational challenges,ā as a representative for the airline industry trade group Airlines of America told a House committee in September 2021.
āRight now, someone can be violent towards a flight attendant or another passenger and walk directly off of that flight and onto one with a different airline to endanger more people,ā an Association of Flight Attendants spokesperson wrote in a statement.
The Protection from Abusive Passengers Act would put the Transportation Security Administration in charge of building the database of passengers fined or convicted of abuse and has bipartisan support but has sat idly in committee since March. It failed to pass last year, and civil rights groups including the American Civil Liberties Union have charged that the list would disproportionately target people of color and strip and a better step to reducing hostility would be making flights more comfortable. Reports of defiant and unruly passengers have more than doubled between 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic, and 2022.
āI thank the Association of Flight Attendants for endorsing our campaign,ā McBride wrote in the press release. āItās important that we recognize and celebrate the symbiotic relationship between strong, unionized workforces and the continued growth of employers here in our state.ā
The union representing 50,000 flight attendants across 19 airlines is putting pressure on airlines to grant union demands in contract negotiations. At American Airlines, unionized flight attendants voted to authorize a strike ā putting pressure on the airline to accede to its demands. Flight attendants at Alaska Airlines say they are ready to strike but have not voted to authorize one yet. United Airlines flight attendants picketed at 19 airports around the country in August, ratcheting up the pressure.
The unionās endorsement adds to a growing list of McBride endorsements, including 21 Delaware legislators, the United Food and Commercial Workers, the Human Rights Campaign, EMILYās List, and Delaware Stonewall PAC. McBride, who would be the first openly transgender politician in Congress, has powerful connections in Washington ā including with the White House ā and is favored to win Delawareās lone House seat.
A poll commissioned by HRC shows her leading the pack of three candidates vying for the seat ā 44 percent of ālikely Democratic votersā told pollster company Change Research, which works with liberal organizations. The poll of 531 likely Delaware Democratic primary voters, though, was conducted only online ā meaning those with less familiarity or access to the internet may not have been counted ā and Change Researchās methodology for screening likely voters is unclear. The company also did not provide a breakdown of respondents by age, gender, and race, but says it uses an algorithm to make the results representative.
Nelson said McBrideās time in Delawareās state Senate shows her prowess in building power and working collaboratively.
āThatās the kind of leader we need in Congress, and weāre proud to endorse her candidacy,ā she wrote.
Virginia
Lawsuit seeks to force Virginia Beach schools to implement state guidelines for trans, nonbinary students
Va. Department of Education released new regulations in July

Two parents in Virginia Beach have filed a lawsuit that seeks to force the city’s school district to implement the state’s new guidelines for transgender and nonbinary students.
NBC Washington on Friday reported Cooper and Kirk, a D.C.-based law firm, filed the lawsuit in Virginia Beach Circuit Court.
The Virginia Department of Education in July announced the new guidelines for which Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin asked. Arlington County Public Schools, Fairfax County Public Schools and Prince William County Schools are among the school districts that have refused to implement them.
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