Local
Gay man who threatened U.S. senators pleads guilty
Schmitz gets probation for sending Twitter messages
Kyler George Schmitz was accused of threatening to shoot two senators. (Photo courtesy Facebook)
In a little-noticed development, a 28-year-old gay man arrested last June at his home in Alexandria, Va., for allegedly making threats to shoot at least two U.S. senators in the face in a series of Twitter messages pleaded guilty in December to making interstate threatening communications.
Judge Gerald Bruce Lee of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia sentenced Kyler George Schmitz to two years of supervised probation and 90 days of home detention.
The Dec. 21 sentence came after Schmitz accepted a plea bargain offer by prosecutors that included pleading guilty to one of five counts in an indictment that charged him with making an interstate threatening communication.
Prosecutors had asked the judge to sentence Schmitz to six months in prison and a three-year term of supervised release on probation.
They pointed to one Twitter message that Schmitz sent to a senator, whose identity has been withheld, saying, “I’m going to shoot you in the head for allowing someone to murder my loved ones.” In a message to another senator, Schmitz stated, according to U.S. Capitol Police, “I am literally going to buy a gun [and] shoot you in the face [and] watch your brains splat #BangBangByeBitch.”
“The government submits that its proposed sentence is appropriate and reasonable in light of the seriousness of the defendant’s conduct, the history and characteristics of the defendant, and the need for a just punishment,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander P. Berrang said in sentencing memorandum to the judge.
In a sentencing memo on Schmitz’s behalf, defense attorney Geremy Kamens said Schmitz sent his threatening messages days after he was traumatized over the mass shooting in Orlando by a gunman who took the lives of 49 mostly LGBT patrons in the Pulse nightclub. Added Kamens, “All of the evidence makes clear that Mr. Schmitz had no intention of carrying out his threats.”
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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