Local
FreeState Legal, Equality Md. to celebrate merger
June 30 event planned in Baltimore
In January, the merger of two LGBT advocacy organizations—Equality Maryland and FreeState Legal—was announced to consolidate their efforts. The announcement indicated that the organizations “will merge to form a comprehensive, statewide direct legal services and policy advocacy organization that addresses the needs of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) Marylanders.” The new group will also continue to “focus on the needs of low-income LGBTQ Marylanders.”
FreeState Legal and Equality Maryland note that significant progress has been made but there is much more work to do. During the period since the announced merger, the combined organization is taking a grassroots approach as representatives embarked on listening tours throughout the state as well as conducted an online survey to determine the needs of LGBT Marylanders and how the organization can best serve the community.
These sessions were designed to solicit feedback from the LGBTQ community on what issues should be prioritized by the combined organization both in terms of substantive legal and policy issues, as well as which populations with intersecting identities most need barriers removed with the assistance of the newly formed organization.
“Passing a law and having protections on paper don’t provide any relief to the hundreds of LGBTQ people that call us every year who continue to experience discrimination in employment, health care, public accommodations, or housing, who risk losing custody of their children, or who face bullying and harassment in schools or foster care just because of their sexual orientation or gender identity,” Patrick Paschall, the executive director of FreeState Legal/Equality Maryland, told the Blade.
“We are at a pivotal moment for LGBTQ equality in our state and in our country,” explains Paschall. “At FreeState Legal and Equality Maryland we are creating a new model for state-based LGBTQ advocacy, a model based on ensuring that LGBTQ Marylanders experience actual, lived equality in their everyday lives. This means using all the tools — direct legal services, policy advocacy and community engagement — to ensure that the protections we have fought so hard for result in substantial improvements in the daily lives of LGBTQ Marylanders.
On June 30, the organization will celebrate the merger with a fundraiser from 6-9 p.m. at the Baltimore Museum of Industry, 1415 Key Highway in Baltimore. The event is called “Achieving Lived Equality,” and the new name, mission and vision for the organization will be unveiled then.
Adds Paschall, “We are excited to share that new model, along with our new name, mission, and vision, with the community at our fundraiser event on June 30, and we look forward to working with our partners across the state to continue make Maryland a leader in our country on LGBTQ legal and policy issues.”
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The Comings & Goings column also invites LGBTQ college students to share their successes with us. If you have been elected to a student government position, gotten an exciting internship, or are graduating and beginning your career with a great job, let us know so we can share your success.
Congratulations to Yadiel Meléndez, on their new role as Community Associate, with the Wanda Alston Foundation. Meléndez is piloting a new role as a Community Associate at the Wanda Alston Foundation, where they support queer and trans young people in finding their footing, building independence, and experiencing a housing community where they are seen, valued, and affirmed. They are coming into this role with more than a decade of experience as a community organizer and operations specialist, supporting diverse communities through service, advocacy, and program coordination.
Previously they worked for Right Proper Brewing Shaw as a server and bartender and at Sephora, Washington, DC, and at FreshFarm, DC, in bilingual food access. They also worked freelance to build foundational structures for local queer BIPOC performance art coalitions, producing variety shows to curate space for marginalized performance artists in the community. They were a production manager for Haus of Hart Productions, a BIPOC centric performance art production. They also worked as field staff with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention in Stafford, Va.
Meléndez is bilingual, Spanish and English. Their work is guided by a commitment to dignity, safety, and trauma-informed engagement, particularly within LGBTQ and BIPOC communities.
Congratulations also to Ben Rosen LICSW, on his new role as program director, with the Wanda Alston Foundation. Rosen previously worked with Fountain House’s OnRamps program, helping to build a new, innovative outreach program for individuals considered chronically homeless, and living with serious mental illness, in the Times Square area of New York. Rosen is a Psychotherapist, having worked with SG Psychotherapy, and as the psychotherapist with the Nest Community Health Center (URAM).
Rosen has a B.F.A. in Theatre Arts: Musical Theatre, Minor in Psychology (Cum Laude) from Malloy University Conservatory; and his M.S.W. in Clinical Practice with Individuals, Families, and Groups, from The Silberman School of Social Work, Hunter College, N.Y. He is independently licensed in New York and Washington, D.C.
Rehoboth Beach
BLUF leather social set for April 10 in Rehoboth
Attendees encouraged to wear appropriate gear
Diego’s in Rehoboth Beach hosts a monthly leather happy hour. April’s edition is scheduled for Friday, April 10, 5-7 p.m. Attendees are encouraged to wear appropriate gear. The event is billed as an official event of BLUF, the free community group for men interested in leather. After happy hour, the attendees are encouraged to reconvene at Local Bootlegging Company for dinner, which allows cigar smoking. There’s no cover charge for either event.
District of Columbia
Celebrations of life planned for Sean Bartel
Two memorial events scheduled in D.C.
Two celebrations of life are planned for Sean Christopher Bartel, 48, who was found deceased on a hiking trail in Argentina on or around March 15. Bartel began his career as a television news reporter and news anchor at stations in Louisville, Ky., and Evansville, Ind., before serving as Senior Video Producer for the D.C.-based International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers union from 2013 to 2024.
A memorial gathering is planned for Friday, April 10, 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. at the IBEW International Office (900 7th St., N.W.), according to a statement by the DC Gay Flag Football League, where Bartel was a longtime member. A celebration of life is planned that same evening, 6-8 p.m. at Trade (1410 14th St., N.W.).
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BLUF leather social set for April 10 in Rehoboth
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