Local
New Maryland LGBT foundation debuts
Aims to promote culture, well-being of LGBT community
Matt Thorn is one of three co-founders of the newly launched Pride Foundation of Maryland. (Washington Blade file photo by Michael Key)
Coinciding with the 47th anniversary of the Stonewall uprising and to honor the victims of the Orlando massacre on June 12, a new tax-exempt, Internet-based, all-volunteer organization was launched June 28 called the Pride Foundation of Maryland.
It was formed to promote the culture, history, and well-being of Maryland’s LGBT community, according to the group’s press release announcing its formation.
Three individuals who previously had ties to the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Community Center of Baltimore and Central Maryland (GLCCB) founded the organization. Brian Gaither, Matt Newcomer and Matt Thorn are all former board members of the GLCCB. They have managed the basic financial, operational and regulatory obligations since June 2014 when the foundation was chartered.
Unique to many LGBT organizations, the foundation is designed to be managed entirely by volunteers. It employs social media and will use the talents of LGBT people “to create and promote programs that celebrate our lives and uplift us as individuals,” the statement notes.
“I’ve worked with a number of LGBT organizations. Some need staff. But the model for the Pride Foundation only works if it’s committed to the principle of being a volunteer-run organization,” says Thorn, who was the GLCCB’s executive director from 2013-2014.
The foundation is a shared resource of Maryland’s LGBT community, which will provide fundraising tools, targeted outreach and other support to those working to fulfill the foundation’s mission.
“Through its digital infrastructure, the foundation can support all programming conceived by and directed toward the multiple points of intersectionality in the diverse LGBT community,” says the statement. “Programming may include a speaker’s series, coordinated exhibits with Maryland institutions, festivals for our families or professional networking. Ultimately, the scale and scope of our programming will be determined by those who step forward to work through the foundation.”
For example, an LGBT family may want to organize an LGBT family fair. The foundation can help connect with existing organizations to plan the event. It can offer support in developing a fundraising page on the website, and it can send emails to other members of the foundation to publicize the event.
The foundation will not be housed in an office, and since it is all-volunteer organization, overhead costs are expected to be minimal. The founders expect to draw from volunteers throughout the community to carry out programs and events to reach every part of the community.
“Over time, the capacity of the Foundation will be enhanced by a broader base of supporters,” says the statement. “Our volunteers will become more efficient organizers, and our lists will become better qualified to connect individuals with programming that his most relevant to them.”
The founders say that there is no reason why the foundation could not be used to support the efforts of existing groups such as the Frederick Center, Baltimore’s GLCCB, and others.
“The financial woes that have plagued LGBT organizations are not going away,” Gaither told the Blade. “Unfortunately, we’re stuck in a place where we can’t afford to maintain them, but at the same time the community can’t afford to be without them. Shifting the model in the way that the foundation has been designed to do means we can be connected and organized without constantly shuffling for resources just to keep the lights on.”
To connect with the foundation, and to learn more, visit pridemd.org or email [email protected].
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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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