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Comings & Goings

Meet NLGJA’s new intern, DC Vote’s new director

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Benjamin Jake Lubbehusen, Eric Fanning, Comings & Goings, gay news, Washington Blade

The ‘Comings & Goings’ column chronicles important life changes of Blade readers.

The Comings & Goings column is about sharing the professional successes of our community. We want to recognize those landing new jobs, new clients for their business, joining boards of organizations and other achievements. Please share your successes with us at [email protected].

Jeremy Leffler, gay news, Washington Blade

Benjamin Jake Lubbehusen

Congratulations to Benjamin Jake Lubbehusen who is the new membership intern at the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association.

Lubbehusen is a student at the University of Maryland, College Park and is pursuing a double degree in Broadcast Journalism and Government & Politics. He regularly hosts and contributes to an evening news and entertainment show called “Drop the Pop” for WMUC, the university radio station. Lubbehusen is a member of the university’s Phi Alpha Delta Pre-Law chapter, various SGA committees and the school’s longest running all-male a capella group, the UMD Generics.

He was born and raised in Howard County, Maryland. He began his college career at Howard Community College where he found his passion for public speaking and communications, through his position as a student ambassador for the college’s Welcome Center.

Upon being notified of the internship Jake said, “It is an honor to intern at an organization that works on behalf of such critical members of the community and I couldn’t be more excited to see where this opportunity with NLGJA takes me.”

Congratulations to Jeremy Leffler, who has a new position as executive director, Policy-Private Markets with Health Care Service Corporation (HCSC). He said, “I will be representing the largest consumer-owned insurance company in the country and fourth largest insurer overall, on private market health plan and pharmacy/prescription drug issues.” The position’s responsibilities are diverse. They include policy research, subject matter expertise, legislative and regulatory analysis as well as internal stakeholder discussion on the development of key enterprise policy positions. Jeremy hopes the development and dissemination of those positions will be central to shaping the federal policy landscape. He will be collaborating with key stakeholders and trade associations.

Prior to joining HCSC, he was director of Public Policy for Sanofi-Aventis and COO and head of government affairs for BayBio. He also worked for Eli Lilly & Company as manager of Federal Public Policy. His association experience includes a stint as assistant director of federal affairs with the American Academy of Physician Assistants.

Leffler also served as an ANC commissioner in D.C. from 2012-2014.

Jeremy Leffler

Finally, congratulations to Robert “Bo” Shuff who recently began his new position as executive director of DC Vote. He previously was on staff as director of advocacy.

Shuff is a results-oriented professional with experience in campaign and organization management, public and media affairs, development and fundraising and staff recruitment, training, and development. DC Vote is the leading organization in the District of Columbia fighting for statehood.

Shuff is well known in D.C., having served as campaign manager for Muriel Bowser’s successful mayoral campaign. He has worked for Five Corners Strategies, and was National Field Director, Program Manager for FieldWorks Consulting. Prior to that he served as director of education and public policy for Equality Ohio and had worked as associate field director for the Human Rights Campaign. He attended George Washington University.

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Comings & Goings

Ryan Levi to lead D.C. chapter of NLGJA

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Ryan Levi

The Comings & Goings column is about sharing the professional successes of our community. We want to recognize those landing new jobs, new clients for their business, joining boards of organizations and other achievements. Please share your successes with us at [email protected]

Congratulations to Ryan Levi on assuming the presidency of the D.C. chapter of the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association (DCNLGJA). 

“I’m incredibly excited to take on this new leadership role with an organization full of incredible journalists,” Levi said. “In these uncertain and challenging times for many in our queer and trans community, I hope NLGJA can continue to be a space for queer and trans D.C. journalists to connect with their peers, find support, grow in their careers, and build community.”

Levi’s background includes being a reporter and producer with Tradeoffs Washington, D.C., where he reported and produced podcast episodes for the national nonprofit health policy news organization. Topics included ransomware attacks on hospitals, bias and AI in health care, and bringing Medicaid to incarcerated people. He was the lead reporter on The Fifth Branch, a special three-part series on mental health crisis response. His reporting was featured on NPR, PBS NewsHour, The Marshall Project, and Slate. He was a producer for KQED News, San Francisco, where he reported and produced sound-rich feature stories, developed, and executed engagement strategy, provided editorial feedback, and mixed pieces for the weekly Bay Curious podcast. Before that he was a producer and reporter at KBIA News in Columbia, Missouri. 

Levi earned his bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Missouri, and a bachelor’s degree in Spanish, College of Arts and Science. He has won numerous honors and recognition for his work, including: Region 2 Edward R. Murrow Best News Series award for Three Refugees, Three Journeys to California; and second place 2017 Hearst Journalism Awards Radio Competition (reporter).

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District of Columbia

LGBTQ-friendly senior living community to open near Dupont Circle

Luxury assisted living apartments located in the former Fairfax Hotel

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An upscale senior and assisted living apartment building located two blocks from Dupont Circle is set to open this month.

An upscale senior and assisted living apartment building located two blocks from Dupont Circle, which is scheduled to hold a grand opening ceremony on Feb. 12, has announced it is “LGBTQ+ friendly.”

A statement released by the new seniors home, called the Inspir Embassy Row, located at 2100 Massachusetts Ave., N.W., says it is proud to have received recognition as a SAGECare Platinum Credentialed Provider from the New York City-based LGBTQ seniors advocacy and training group SAGE.

“To earn this prestigious credential, a minimum of 80 percent of Inspir’s management and non-management staff completed comprehensive training in LGBTQ+ aging cultural competency,” the statement says.

“The program covered crucial topics including historical and contemporary LGBTQ+ struggles, proper terminology usage related to sexual orientation and gender identity, and strategies to address the unique challenges faced by this demographic,” according to the statement sent to the Washington Blade.

Inspir Embassy Row’s general manager, Tim Cox, who is gay and said he lives with his husband just five blocks from the soon to open facility, provided the Washington Blade with a tour of the senior living building. He said it includes 174 apartments, including studio apartments and one and two-bedroom apartments.

Tim Cox is general manager of Inspir Embassy Row. (Washington Blade photo by Lou Chibbaro, Jr.)

Residents have signed up for about 45 of the apartments so far, Cox said, including some LGBTQ residents, who will begin moving in on Feb. 18. He said the upscale building is open to seniors who currently do not need assisted living services as well as those who need different levels of care, including memory loss care.

He said a doctor and nurse practitioner will be among the staff team providing services for residents. Although most of the apartments have a kitchenette with a refrigerator and microwave but no cooktop and a limited number have full kitchens, Cox said three meals a day will be served in the building’s large, first floor dining room. The building also includes common areas with spaces for entertainment such as the showing of movies and a large grand piano for visiting performers.

“At Inspir Embassy Row, we’re dedicated to creating an inclusive environment that celebrates the diversity of our residents,” Cox said in the statement released by the building, which is the former home of the Fairfax Hotel.

(Washington Blade photo by Lou Chibbaro, Jr.)

“This SAGECare certification is a testament to our commitment to providing personalized, compassionate care that respects and honors the identities and experiences of all our residents, including those in the LGBTQ+ community,” Cox said.

He added, “Our goal is to create a home where every resident feels valued, respected and free to be themselves. The SAGECare certification is just the beginning of our journey to set a new standard for inclusive senior living in Washington, D.C.”

But the monthly rent for residents of Inspir Embassy Row will likely place it out of reach for many potential senior residents. Cox said the monthly rent for a one-room studio apartment is $8,100, with the monthly cost of a one-bedroom apartment ranging from $11,500 to about $15,000. A two-bedroom apartment will cost $18,500 per month.

Some of those costs will be covered for residents who have long-term care insurance, Cox said.

Asked if potential residents who can afford the monthly costs at Inspir Embassy Row would be better off staying in their own homes and hiring staff and others to comfortably assist them, Cox said Inspir provides far more than just meals and a place to stay.

(Washington Blade photo by Lou Chibbaro, Jr.)

When remaining at your own home “you’re isolated, you’re lonely, you don’t have activities,” he said. “When you have people coming to care for you, they’re not there as companions,” Cox said. “So, for this, we give them opportunities. We take them to the Kennedy Center. We have music here on a daily basis.”

Cox added, “We have authors come in. We have speakers that are renowned coming in. Since we’re on Embassy Row, we’ll have ambassadors come in to introduce their country. So, really it is being able to get to know our community better and being social, interactive.”

The statement released by Inspir Embassy Row says the facility will provide “LGBTQ+ specific activities, events, or support groups to allow residents the opportunity to share similar experiences with other residents,” and there will be “partnerships with local LGBTQ+ organizations.” 

(Washington Blade photo by Lou Chibbaro, Jr.)
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District of Columbia

Officials praise D.C. Office of LGBTQ Affairs, raise concern over funding delays

Leaders of local advocacy groups testify at Council oversight hearing

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Local officials praised the work of Office of LGBTQ Affairs Director Japer Bowles. (Washington Blade file photo by Michael Key)

Officials with five local LGBTQ community organizations and officials with another four groups that also provide services for LGBTQ D.C. residents testified before a D.C. Council performance oversight hearing on Jan. 30 that examined the work of Mayor Muriel Bowser’s Office of LGBTQ Affairs.

The hearing, which also examined the Mayor’s Office of Veterans Affairs and Office of Religious Affairs, was called by D.C Council member Brianne Nadeau (D-Ward 1) in her role as chair of the Council’s Committee on Public Works and Operations. 

Nearly all the witnesses praised what they called the LGBTQ Affairs Office’s longstanding support for the D.C. LGBTQ community through a wide range of services and programs and what they called the “dedicated” work of its director, Japer Bowles.

Officials with at least four of the LGBTQ organizations, including the D.C. LGBTQ Budget Coalition and the LGBTQ youth advisory group SMYAL, expressed concern over what they called long delays in funding from grants awarded to LGBTQ and LGBTQ supportive groups by the Office of LGBTQ Affairs.

Several of the witnesses, including Kimberley Bush, executive director of the D.C. LGBTQ+ Community Center, who submitted written testimony, said the funding delays were being caused by other D.C. government agencies that administer city grant programs. 

Bush stated that the delays in funding for the LGBTQ+ Community Center for a  $50,000 Community Development Grant and a $50,000 Violence Prevention and Response Team (VPART) Grant, “by no fault” of the LGBTQ Affairs Office, “caused extraordinary and substantial financial strain on our cash flow.”

Heidi Ellis, coordinator of the D.C. LGBTQ+ Budget Coalition, raised a related issue of concern that the mayor’s office, based on “shifting priorities,” sometimes significantly lowers the level of grant funds from the Office of LGBTQ Affairs to community-based LGBTQ grant recipients.

Ellis and other witnesses at the hearing referred to this as “yo-yo funding and shifting of mayoral priorities” that they said makes it difficult for LGBTQ groups receiving city grants to continue their programs and services.  

In his own testimony, and in response to questions from Nadeau and D.C. Council member Zachary Parker (D-Ward 5), who is the Council’s only gay member, LGBTQ Affairs Office Director Bowles said some of the delays in grant payments were due to a vacancy in the office staff position that administers the grants, which he said has now been filled.

Among other things, Bowles said the complexity of the grant approval process, which he said involves “different layers of funding decisions” by other D.C. government offices, also has caused some delays. He said that despite what he called some of his office’s challenges, the office continues to expand its role in supporting the local LGBTQ community.

“With Mayor Bowser’s leadership and support, I’m proud to have led efforts that transformed the office,” he stated in his testimony. “We secured the bid for WorldPride 2025, expanded our grant programs from $75,000 to over $6 million, revamped our community engagement strategy, and much more,” he said.

“These changes have had a direct impact on addressing public safety concerns and providing housing and support to vulnerable residents,” he added. According to Bowles, his office’s LGBTQIA+ Community Development Grant program saw a record expansion in fiscal year 2024, with more than $1 million awarded to 29 community-based organizations. (The Washington Blade has been a recipient of a grant that funds a journalism fellow who reports on local LGBTQ community news.)

“These grants support a wide range of LGBTQIA+ dedicated initiatives, including mental health counseling, youth leadership, and arts and culture projects,” he said. “As part of our broader advocacy efforts, we secured funding for the Violence Prevention and Response Team, which provides trauma-informed legal and counseling services to survivors of hate-based incidents.”

Among the LGBTQ officials who praised Bowles’s work and the LGBTQ Affairs Office while raising concerns about the office’s ability to carry out its ambitious programs was Vincent Slatt, chair of the D.C. Advisory Neighborhood Commission’s Rainbow Caucus. The caucus currently consists of 38 out LGBTQ ANC commissioners based in all eight D.C. wards.   

Slatt called on Mayor Bowser and the D.C. Council to increase the number of full-time staff members for the LGBTQ Affairs Office from its current six staff members to 10 or 11 full-time staffers.

“To address these challenges, we strongly recommend increasing the office’s staff to match the scale of its responsibilities and the growing needs of our community,” Slatt told the committee. He added that the office’s current “chronic staffing and budget shortage disparities will become even more concerning in light of the recent and anticipated homophobic and transphobic attacks expected from the White House and Congress.”

The other LGBTQ community witnesses who praised the LGBTQ Affairs Office’s overall work were Rebecca York, SMYAL’s director of Youth Development and Community Engagement; Justin Johns, director of operations for the D.C. LGBTQ+ Community Center; Ryan Bos, executive director of the Capital Pride Alliance; and Bo Belotti, development manager for the community services organization HIPS.

In response to a request from the Washington Blade for comment on whether the mayor and other city officials were taking steps to address the issue of grant funding delays raised at the D.C. Council hearing, the office of the mayor released this statement: “Washington, D.C. is proud to support the LGBTQIA+ community. The Mayor’s Office of LGBTQ Affairs continues to deliver impactful programs with its dedicated staff, and we are always assessing ways to enhance support across all community affairs offices.”

The Office of the D.C. Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development (DMPED) responded to the Blade inquiry with its own statement: “DMPED has been working closely and collaboratively with the D.C. LGBTQ+ Community Center to finalize their grant agreement. We are proud to support this transformative project that is delivering a world-class services center for our LGBTQ community.”

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