Local
LGBT safe spaces in Md. mapped out
Accepting businesses urged to participate
‘If there’s even one place in some of Maryland’s communities where LGBT people feel safe, that’s something we want them to know,’ said Matt Thorn. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
The newly formed non-profit Pride Foundation of Maryland announced the launch of an LGBT Safe Spaces Project. This consists of a map that displays which Maryland businesses agree to honor the LGBTQ community and uphold key standards.
Those standards make certain: 1) all employees will treat every LGBT patron with dignity and respect, which includes equal levels of customer service; 2) all employees refrain from using slurs directed at LGBT people; 3) all employees understand displays of affection by LGBT people are no more or less indecent than similar displays of affection by non-LGBT people; and 4) employees will intervene on behalf of LGBT people when these standards are being ignored by other customers and patrons.
For a business to participate, the owner or general manager simply completes a “Commitment to be an LGBT Safe Space,” providing the location and other relevant information about the business.
“We’ll then confirm their commitment to these standards and add them to the map,” says Brian Gaither, one of the founders of the Pride Foundation of Maryland.
Since commencing on July 19, more than 40 locations have been added including four houses of worship, Gaither tells the Blade. “We’ve identified places in Washington, Carroll, Montgomery, Anne Arundel, Harford, and Talbot Counties as well as Baltimore City. We have cafés, restaurants, bars and salons. Other businesses, primarily in professional services, have also stepped up.”
He urges members of the LGBTQ community to identify supportive local businesses and ask them to formalize their commitment to be a safe space for LGBTQ people. “They’ll be in good company if they do,” says Gaither. “Chase Brexton Health Care, the Hotel Brexton, Parts & Labor, Charmington’s, Single Carrot Theatre and others are already on the map.”
Amanda Rothschild of Charmington’s, a café on N. Howard Street in Baltimore, explains, “This is a no-brainer to us. We’ve had a number of LGBT partners and employees here, and we’ve been public supporters of LGBT rights since we opened.”
Foundation board member Matt Thorn says, “If there’s even one place in some of Maryland’s communities where LGBT people feel safe, that’s something we want them to know. Over time, we’re confident more businesses will join the program.”
For more information about the program and to view the map, visit pridemd.org.
Baltimore
‘Heated Rivalry’ fandom exposes LGBTQ divide in Baltimore
Hit show raises questions about identity, cultural representation
By JOHN-JOHN WILLIAMS IV | “Heated Rivalry,” the surprise gay hockey romance that has captivated global audiences and become a cultural phenomenon, has inspired sold-out parties celebrating the characters from the steamy series, including in Baltimore.
For some, love of the show has exposed the loss of a once-vibrant gay nightlife in Charm City and splintered its LGBTQ community. It also brings up layered questions about identity, cultural representation, and the limits of identity politics.
In Baltimore, the majority of the parties also appear to be missing a key ingredient that has been a part of the show’s success: gay men at the helm. Last month, women hosted a dance party at Ottobar, a straight establishment.
The rest of this article can be read on the Baltimore Banner’s website.
Virginia
McPike wins special election for Va. House of Delegates
Gay Alexandria City Council member becomes 8th LGBTQ member of legislature
Gay Alexandria City Council member Kirk McPike emerged as the decisive winner in a Feb. 10 special election for a seat in the Virginia House of Delegates representing Alexandria.
McPike, a Democrat, received 81.5 percent of the vote in his race against Republican Mason Butler, according to the local publication ALX Now.
He first won election to the Alexandria Council in 2021. He will be filling the House of Delegates seat being vacated by Del. Elizabeth Bennett-Parker (D-Alexandria), who won in another Feb. 10 special election for the Virginia State Senate seat being vacated by gay Sen. Adam Ebbin (D-Alexandria).
Ebbin is resigning from his Senate next week to take a position with Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger’s administration.
Upon taking his 5th District seat in the House of Delegate, McPike will become the eighth out LGBTQ member of the Virginia General Assembly. Among those he will be joining is Sen. Danica Roem (D-Manassas), who became the Virginia Legislature’s first transgender member when she won election to the House of Delegates in 2017 before being elected to the Senate in 2023.
“I look forward to continuing to work to address our housing crisis, the challenge of climate change, and the damaging impacts of the Trump administration on the immigrant families, LGBTQ+ Virginians, and federal employees who call Alexandria home,” McPike said in a statement after winning the Democratic nomination for the seat in a special primary held on Jan. 20.
McPike, a longtime LGBTQ rights advocate, has served for the past 13 years as chief of staff for gay U.S. Rep. Mark Takano (D-Calif.) and has remained in that position during his tenure on the Alexandria Council. He said he will resign from that position before taking office in the House of Delegates.
Local
Local LGBTQ groups, activists to commemorate Black History Month
Rayceen Pendarvis to moderate Dupont Underground panel on Sunday
LGBTQ groups in D.C. and elsewhere plan to use Black History Month as an opportunity to commemorate and celebrate Black lives and experiences.
Team Rayceen Productions has no specific events planned, but co-founder Rayceen Pendarvis will attend many functions around D.C. this month.
Pendarvis, a longtime voice in the LGBTQ community in D.C. moderated a panel at Dupont Underground on Feb. 8. The event, “Every (Body) Wants to Be a Showgirl,” will feature art from Black burlesque artists from around the country. Pendarvis on Feb. 23 will attend the showing of multimedia play at the Lincoln Theatre that commemorates the life of James Baldwin.
Equality Virginia plans to prioritize Black voices through a weekly online series, and community-based story telling. The online digital series will center Black LGBTQ voices, specifically trailblazers and activists, and contemporary Black queer and transgender people.
Narissa Rahaman, Equality Virginia’s executive director, stressed the importance of the Black queer community to the overall Pride movement, and said “Equality Virginia is proud to center those voices in our work this month and beyond.”
The Capital Pride Alliance, which hosts Pride events in D.C., has an alliance with the Center for Black Equity, which brings Black Pride to D.C. over Memorial Day weekend. The National LGBTQ Task Force has no specific Black History Month events planned, but plans to participate in online collaborations.
Cathy Renna, the Task Force’s director of communications, told the Washington Blade the organization remains committed to uplifting Black voices. “Our priority is keeping this at the forefront everyday,” she said.
The D.C. LGBTQ+ Community Center is also hosting a series of Black History Month events.
The D.C. Public Library earlier this year launched “Freedom and Resistance,” an exhibition that celebrates Black History Month and Martin Luther King Jr. It will remain on display until the middle of March at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library at 901 G St., N.W.
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