Local
SMYAL LGBT youth house set to debut Jan. 7
Mayor Bowser to cut ribbon opening facility

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser is slated to cut the ribbon opening the SMYAL youth house. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser will be among those participating in a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Saturday, Jan. 7, for the opening of a new transitional house for homeless LGBT youth to be operated by SMYAL, the local LGBT youth services organization.
The newly built, eight-bedroom transitional house is located at 746 19th St., N.E. The ribbon-cutting event and a preview of the new house were scheduled to take place from 10 a.m.-noon.
“We’ve been hard at work setting up our new transitional housing program for homeless LGBTQ youth and we can’t wait to get it up and running,” SMYAL said in a statement released last week.
The statement says the IKEA store in College Park, “graciously offered to furnish the entire house, with over $15,000 in donations.”
SMYAL Executive Director Sultan Shakir first announced SMYAL’s plans for opening the house at SMYAL’s annual fundraising brunch in November. He said the house would be rented and operated by SMYAL under a one-year $300,000 grant from the D.C. Department of Human Services, which he expected to be renewed in subsequent years.
Shakir said the house and SMYAL’s transitional housing program would offer various services for LGBT people between the ages of 18 and 24 to help them get on their feet and become self-sufficient following a stay at the facility for up to 18 months.
Virginia
VIDEO: LGBTQ groups march in Va. inaugural parade
Abigail Spanberger took office on Saturday
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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Virginia
Va. Senate approves referendum to repeal marriage amendment
Outgoing state Sen. Adam Ebbin introduced SJ3
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
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.
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