Local

Former AIDS exec pleads guilty to theft

Wynkoop accused of stealing $250,000

Published

9 years ago

December 21, 2016

AIDS, red ribbon, gay news, AIRS, gay news, Washington Blade, Blair Wynkoop Blair Wynkoop, 58, the former executive director of a non-profit AIDS organization, pled guilty on Dec. 12 to a charge of interstate transportation of stolen property, according to a statement released by the Office of the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia.

The statement says Wynkoop, of Portland, Ore., allegedly stole at least $250,000 from the AIDS organization, which the statement doesn’t identify by name and refers to as “Company A.” However, a Google search of Wynkoop’s name shows that he served as executive director of AIDS Global Action, Inc., which reportedly operated out of Portland but had ties to New York and Washington, D.C.

The U.S. Attorney’s statement says Wynkoop became executive director of the organization in 2008. The statement describes the group as a non-profit that “sought to address the needs of people with HIV or AIDS.” It says the group “operated as a consortium of independent charities and received charitable donations itself and functioned as a pass-through for donations to its member charities.”

“While he was executive director, Wynkoop wrote checks and made wire transfers from the bank accounts of ‘Company A’ to himself,” the statement says.

Officials with many of the nation’s most prominent national AIDS organizations, including AIDS United and The AIDS Institute, told the Blade they have never heard of AIDS Global Action or Wynkoop.

Wynkoop is scheduled for sentencing in U.S. District Court on March 17. He faces a possible sentence of 24 to 46 months in jail, according to the U.S. Attorney’s statement.

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Virginia

VIDEO: LGBTQ groups march in Va. inaugural parade

Abigail Spanberger took office on Saturday

Published

8 hours ago

January 17, 2026

Michael Key

Diversity Richmond and the Virginia Pride project of Diversity Richmond march in the 2026 Inauguration Parade on the grounds of the state capitol in Richmond, Va. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

The inaugural ceremonies for Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger were held in Richmond, Va. on Saturday. Among the groups marching in the parade were Diversity Richmond and the Virginia Pride project of Diversity Richmond.

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*The LGBTQ contingent in the inaugural parade in Richmond, Va. pass by the review stand on Jan. 17, 2026. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)*

Virginia

Va. Senate approves referendum to repeal marriage amendment

Outgoing state Sen. Adam Ebbin introduced SJ3

Published

16 hours ago

January 17, 2026

Staff reports

(Bigstock photo)

The Virginia Senate on Friday by a 26-13 vote margin approved a resolution that seeks to repeal a state constitutional amendment that defines marriage as between a man and a woman.

Outgoing state Sen. Adam Ebbin (D-Alexandria) introduced SJ3. The Senate Privileges and Elections Committee on Wednesday approved it by a 10-4 vote margin.

Same-sex couples have been able to legally marry in Virginia since 2014. Outgoing Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin in 2024 signed a bill that codified marriage equality in state law.

A resolution that seeks to repeal the Marshall-Newman Amendment passed in the General Assembly in 2021. The resolution passed again in 2025.

Two successive legislatures must approve the resolution before it can go to the ballot. Democrats in the Virginia House of Delegates have said the resolution’s passage is among their 2026 legislative priorities.

“It’s time for Virginia’s Constitution to reflect the law of the land and the values of today,” said Ebbin after Friday’s vote. “This amendment, if approved by voters, would affirm the dignity of all committed couples and protects marriage equality for future generations.”

Maryland

Layoffs and confusion at Pride Center of Maryland after federal grants cut, reinstated

Trump administration move panicked addiction and mental health programs

Published

2 days ago

January 16, 2026

Baltimore Banner

Merrick Moses, a violence prevention coordinator, works at the Pride Center of Maryland in Baltimore. (Photo by Ulysses Muñoz for the Baltimore Banner)

By ALISSA ZHU | After learning it had abruptly lost $2 million in federal funding, the Pride Center of Maryland moved to lay off a dozen employees, or about a third of its workforce, the Baltimore nonprofit’s leader said Thursday.

The group is one of thousands nationwide that reportedly received letters late Tuesday from the Trump administration. Their mental health and addiction grants had been terminated, effective immediately, the letters said.

By Wednesday night, federal officials moved to reverse the funding cuts by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, estimated to total $2 billion, according to national media reports. But the Pride Center of Maryland’s CEO Cleo Manago said as of Thursday morning he had not heard anything from the federal government confirming those reports.

The rest of this article can be read on the Baltimore Banner’s website.