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Paul Kuhns for mayor of Rehoboth Beach

Put an end to incompetent government in resort town

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Paul Kuhns, gay news, Washington Blade

Vote Paul Kuhns for Rehoboth Beach mayor.

The City of Rehoboth Beach is a small community in Sussex County, the southernmost county in Delaware. Thousands like me first got to know it as a summer vacation destination. Today, it is home to a small group of 1,624 actual voters, those who own property within the city limits and are eligible to vote. If you are one of the lucky ones who owns property in the city, you need to register to vote by the deadline which is on or before July 13.

As a property owner you are eligible to vote even if you don’t live there full time. By law you can vote in Rehoboth Beach elections even if you normally vote in Maryland, Virginia, D.C., Philadelphia or somewhere else. You can also register and request an absentee ballot if you won’t be in town on Aug. 12. With such a small number of voters you have an even greater responsibility to do your civic duty. You can vote by absentee ballot. An affidavit must be completed. Affidavits may be downloaded from the city’s website or by calling City Hall at 302-227-6181 to request an affidavit be mailed to you

Many don’t realize the Rehoboth Beach zip code, 19971, includes thousands whose homes and businesses include the address Rehoboth Beach but who live outside the approximately one mile boundaries of the actual city and aren’t eligible to vote in the Aug. 12 election for mayor and City Commission. But what happens in the City of Rehoboth impacts their lives and property values so it makes the 1,624 voters even more important.   

For the past 30 years, the denizens of the City of Rehoboth have elected the same mayor. A mayor who over the years has made homophobic remarks; who apparently doesn’t really understand, or want to acknowledge, how the business community in the city drives tourism; who often conducts the business of the city in secret; who was born into wealth owning a large compound in the city and has a personal interest in keeping property taxes low and finding ways to tax everyone else to pay the bills.

His latest, and hopefully the last, incompetent decision was to build the new City Hall complex currently going up on Rehoboth Avenue. Because of poor planning and the mayor making many decisions on the project in secret, the unsightly edifice known to many as Cooper’s Palace (Sam Cooper being the name of the current mayor) is millions of dollars over budget and way behind schedule. In a recent letter to the Cape Gazette, a resident of the city said he and his wife “Recently walked down Rehoboth Avenue and passed our new (unfinished) $22,000,000 City Hall.” He added “what impressed me the most was the cost of the $22,000,000 building worked out to over $13,500 for each of the 1,624 registered Rehoboth voters.” Many voters in the city who I have talked to hope this obscenity is the final act for this mayor and that the majority of voters will have reached a point where they will no longer tolerate incompetent leadership.

The voters are lucky because this year there is a great alternative who has tossed his hat into the ring. His name is Paul Kuhns and he currently serves on the Board of Commissioners. Kuhns is a longtime resident of Rehoboth and a businessman in the city. He has a comprehensive understanding of budgets and reality. He has been speaking to voters and explaining, “There are critical financial, environmental and quality of life issues that require a studied long view, with a contemporary vision. It’s time to let the sun shine on all city activities, be totally accountable to the citizens, and be proactive in every area of our government.”

Kuhns added, “As mayor, I want to work with all of the commissioners to discuss ideas and form solutions. I want to be a part of great team rather than try to be the only one on the field. We are a substantial tourist destination as well as a great place to live. We must be able to balance tourism with a high quality of life for our residents. We need to encourage close relationships with our local, county and state peers in order to work on issues that continue to affect us all. Under the current mayor, those relationships do not exist today. I will work to ensure there is complete community outreach because I understand there are many more people in the 19971 zip code that are impacted by what we do in our one square mile city.”

The current mayor clearly sees himself as an entity unto himself. He likes working alone, having secret meetings with city staff and contractors, keeping elected commissioners in the dark. If you take the time to look at the City of Rehoboth website you might not even know that a City Board of Commissioners exists. Paul Kuhns will change that.

On Aug. 12, the 1,624 voters in the City of Rehoboth can make a real difference in their town. Electing Paul Kuhns as mayor will see Rehoboth Beach grow in positive ways over the next decades. So voters can either reelect a mayor who doesn’t believe in, or understand, long-term capital planning and who chooses to run the city on a day-to-day basis; or they can elect Kuhns who has promised that among other things he will focus on process. He said “Our city government lacks formal policies and procedures that should be inherent in any orderly city government. Our policies must be much more proactive. Currently, the city is only reactive after continued complaints. This may have worked in the 80’s when we were a sleepy little town outside of the summer season, but it is not responsible management today.”

Those like myself who have been coming to Rehoboth Beach for decades love that it is still in some ways the town we first fell in love with. At the same time we understand for the city to prosper and grow the person elected mayor must understand the world as it is today and not govern like the current mayor who appears to be living in the past — building a city hall palace without any regard for the people of the town who have to pay for it.   

If you have questions for Paul Kuhns he has shared his email and phone number with the people of the City of Rehoboth Beach, which is a clear indication of the kind of hands-on and transparent mayor he will be. He can be reached at [email protected], or at 302-430-8484 and is happy to answer any specific questions you may have. You should also plan to attend the candidate forum at CAMP on Friday, July 28 at 6 p.m., 37 Baltimore Ave. in Rehoboth Beach. You can hear for yourself why Paul Kuhns will make a great mayor for the City of Rehoboth Beach.

For questions or other information regarding elections, registration to vote and absentee ballots contact Donna Moore at 302-227-6181, ext. 108, or email [email protected].

Peter Rosenstein is a longtime LGBT rights and Democratic Party activist. He writes regularly for the Blade.

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TRAITOR: Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has blood on his hands

Nation’s highest-ranking gay public official is a MAGA sell out

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Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

It’s an odd dichotomy: President Trump appoints the highest-ranking openly gay government official in history in Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, yet he launches cruel attacks on transgender Americans. 

Make no mistake: Those attacks are claiming lives. Trans people are killing themselves. I know of one trans person who died by suicide on Election Night, overwhelmed by fear of the incoming administration. Trump’s attacks have driven trans Americans and their families to flee the country and move to Canada, as the Blade has reported. 

None of this is hypothetical or melodramatic. It’s real life and happening everywhere. 

And so when Bessent was confirmed as Treasury Secretary, I wrote an op-ed urging him to educate Trump about the plight of trans Americans and the destructiveness of the attacks on the community. I waited 90 days for some sign that Bessent has a heart or at least a modicum of decency but sadly, I must report that he does not. 

The attacks on the LGBTQ community under Trump keep coming. Last week’s news that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is planning to retire the national 988 crisis lifeline for LGBTQ youth on Oct. 1 is just the latest evidence that this administration doesn’t just dislike us — they want us dead.

“Ending the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline’s LGBTQ+ youth specialized services will not just strip away access from millions of LGBTQ+ kids and teens — it will put their lives at risk,” Trevor Project CEO Jaymes Black said in a statement.

The service for LGBTQ youth has received 1.3 million calls, texts, or chats since its debut, with an average of 2,100 contacts per day in February.

Make no mistake: cutting this service will kill young LGBTQ people.

Just a couple of weeks earlier, Trump’s administration announced the Office of Infectious Disease and HIV/AIDS Policy would be gutted. 

“In a matter of just a couple days, we are losing our nation’s ability to prevent HIV,” said HIV+Hepatitis Policy Institute Executive Director Carl Schmid.

And prior to that, Trump issued a series of executive orders targeting the trans community — restricting access to affirming healthcare, banning trans service members from the military, barring trans women and girls from playing sports, eliminating the “X” gender marker on passports, and barring students assigned male at birth from using women’s restrooms.  

Let’s be very clear: When you deny someone the ability to use the bathroom, you deny their humanity.

So back to Scott Bessent, the billionaire hedge fund manager now running our economy into the ground. As many Trump protesters have noted: silence is complicity. And Bessent has been silent on all of these horrific attacks on trans Americans and their basic humanity. He is spineless and a traitor to the LGBTQ community. 

Bessent runs the U.S. Treasury and reportedly has Trump’s ear on all matters related to the economy. He could easily push Trump in a better, more compassionate direction, yet there is no evidence he has done that. 

“The LGBTQ+ community is counting on openly LGBTQ+ nominees like Scott Bessent to step up for the community,” said Human Rights Campaign President Kelley Robinson after the inauguration. Sadly, it’s become clear we cannot count on Bessent. As I wrote in January, Trump likes his queer people gay, white, cis, rich, and obedient. 

Bessent has ignored the Blade’s interview requests. (And after this is published, I have no illusions he will change his mind.) The mainstream media, increasingly cowed by Trump, have failed to ask Bessent even the most basic questions about his views on trans equality and Trump’s attacks. 

As a member of the LGBTQ community, Bessent has a responsibility to at least speak up on behalf of trans people who are suffering. But Republicans today have lost their spines. They genuflect before their Dear Leader, line their own pockets, and leave the rest of us to deal with the consequences. 

The crisis is real. People are dying. Trans people especially are suffering. The rest of us must do what we can to mitigate that suffering and to speak out in defense of our trans friends. 


Kevin Naff is editor of the Washington Blade. Reach him at [email protected].

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Congressional Equality Caucus should participate in WorldPride

Make bold statement about our commitment to LGBTQ rights

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(Washington Blade file photo by Michael Key)

The Trump administration, by its actions, has already hurt WorldPride. By attacking trans people, they have gotten many nations to suggest to trans citizens they not come to the United States. Canada’s queer group has said it is advising its people not to come. It is sad in so many ways. But despite what the felon in the White House is doing, WorldPride will be a success. It can be a time to not only have fun, but to make a point to the administration and the world. What was the old saying, “We’re here, we’re queer, and we’re not going anywhere, so get used to it.”  The LGBTQ community in the United States has made great strides since Stonewall in 1969, and there is no way we are going back into the closet. 

One way we can make a strong statement is if every member of the Congressional Equality Caucus would come out and join hands with constituents from their state, who are coming to D.C. for WorldPride. Together, they can take a stand for equality. Together, they can make a statement about our country to the world; that the United States values and supports its LGBTQ community. 

This year from May 17-June, we are anticipating huge crowds in Washington, D.C. for WorldPride. Let us together make sure they are all safe and that they have an exciting and fun time while here. But at the same time we should use this gathering to speak out, for our community here, and the LGBTQ community around the world. 

We must show the felon in the White House, and his MAGA acolytes in Congress, and around the nation, all those who would keep us down, we can, and will, stand up for ourselves. We are only willing to move one way, and that is forward toward full equality. Many years ago, during the early fight for recognition of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, there was an event staged by the group ACT UP, called ‘hands around the White House.’ It is time to stage something like that again. 

With all the attacks on the trans community, and as threats to the entire LGBTQ community continue, we need to stand together, and stay strong. We need to join with everyone else who is fighting back against the felon, and his Nazi sympathizing co-president, in the White House. To join in the demonstrations, fight back, and not fall for the distractions meant to take us from our goals. Those goals must include defeating every Republican in elections in 2025, and taking back Congress in 2026. I say every Republican, only because today there is no longer a rational Republican Party. That party has become a MAGA Party, or ‘Cult of Trump.’ That is sad, but it’s true. It is not up to Democrats, or independents, to change the Republican Party; it is up to us to ensure their defeat until they change themselves. 

Until then we must work hard to elect Democrats across the nation. From school board, to county council, from statehouse to Congress. For the LGBTQ community that is the only way we will move forward on equality. It is the only way we can defeat those who want to ban books about our lives, and try to force us back in the closet. We must say a resounding NO to that. 

We must vote for Democrats because history shows us, any other vote, a vote for a third party, helps Republicans win. The reality, like it or not, is today there are only two parties that can win a general election. Yes, in a few rare districts, a third party has won. But this is rare and let’s not take the chance of that happening if there isn’t a history in your state, or district, or community, where it happened in the past. Be smart! While you may not like everything the Democratic Party stands for, it has proven, its members stand for the rights of the LGBTQ community. The incredible progress since Stonewall has been because the Democratic Party has worked with the activists in our midst, to make that progress. Let’s not give up now and move backwards with the MAGA Party. Together, let’s retake our government, and continue to move forward until we have full equality. That must be the goal we join hands for, and pledge to work toward. 


Peter Rosenstein is a longtime LGBTQ rights and Democratic Party activist.

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How I changed my documents

Process in Md. cost around $300

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identification, gay news, Washington Blade
(Bigstock photo)

With legislation making it more difficult for transgender and gender non-conforming people to change their passports and other documents, it is now a race against the clock to change as many of them as possible. 

Trans Maryland and Advocates for Trans Equality are among the groups that offer workshops and online resources.

Here’s how I did it in Maryland:

A letter from your primary care provider

The first thing you’ll need to get any of this rolling is a document from your primary care provider that shows proof of hormone therapy, gender incongruence, or both. In my experience, this is important to have prior to getting anything started because some states require some sort of proof in order to certify the change.

Some courts may need a therapist’s letter as well, but it depends on what state you live in. With this document, you’ll be able to bring it to the respective offices and it will give a valid reason for you to get your desired gender marker.

A court order

The next thing you will need is a court order that recognizes your gender identity. It is a precaution just to avoid any wasted time or confusion at any offices going forward. You will go to the circuit court website for what state/county you reside in and find a document that is a petition to change your gender. Here is an example from Maryland. 

You will print that document and fill out the petition for your respective titles with or without a name change and take it to the Circuit Court. Some courts may require the appointment. There, you will present the petition and letter and pay a fee — Maryland’s fee is $165, however there are fee waivers for those that apply. After, you will wait some weeks for the court order to show up.

Social Security card

Unfortunately, as of January 2025, the Social Security Administration has ceased any gender changes in their system. As with the fight for passports reflecting the holder’s proper gender identity, the Human Rights Campaign and the American Civil Liberties Union may bring a case to regain access in the future.

Identity card/driver’s license

After getting your primary care letter and court order, make a standard appointment for Identification Services at the local DMV and bring the paperwork. Though the Maryland Court’s website says there is no need to get a court order to change any documents, the clerk at the Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration (Maryland’s DMV) stressed that I needed the updated Social Security card changed in order to get an updated ID.

I was able to get it changed prior to the Trump-Vance administration, however given the current circumstances, if there is any pushback from any clerk or official who say they require a Social Security card, very adamantly cite the official gov website if applicable, and use the court order, despite the fact you should not need one to get your ID updated.

Birth certificate

Should all have gone well with the ID, the last document to amend is the birth certificate. 

Unfortunately, this may be the most difficult document that you are able to amend because it must be done within your home state and some states, such as Oklahoma, Florida, Tennessee, and Texas, have already banned altering birth certificates. 

In D.C., where I changed my own, there have been no known issues or legislation passed for changing the name and gender marker on the document. You will search your state government websites for the vital records department, find a Gender Designation Application and fill out the necessary information. The D.C. application is here:

On D.C.’s application, you must sign the document in front of a notary in order for it to be valid. Several mail offices, such as UPS, offer notary services for relatively cheap. Upon getting the application notarized, you can bring all documents you have already updated along with the court order and primary care letter to an appointment at the vital records office. All the previous work done should make this fairly easy if you are in a state that hasn’t made heavy strides to halt the process. 

All in all, with about a month of your time, about $300, and a state that supports your right to self-actualization, you should still be able to change most of your documents.

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