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Comings & Goings
Kruse takes new role with Family Equality Council
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].
Julie Kruse
Congratulations to Julie Kruse who is starting a new position as Federal Policy Advocate with the Family Equality Council. Council CEO Rev. Stan J. Sloan said, “Julie’s record of committed service to the LGBTQ community speaks for itself, and we are privileged to have her join our public policy team to fight for lived and legal equality for LGBTQ families, especially in today’s challenging political climate.” Upon accepting the position Kruse said, “I’m excited to join the top-notch team at Family Equality Council in their critical work during this politically challenging time. I’m especially thrilled to return to advocacy with and for LGBTQ families and youth, to defend and advance the equal rights, opportunities, and supports we all deserve.”
As Federal Policy Advocate, Kruse will be based in D.C. and work closely with Chief Policy Officer Denise Brogan-Kator to implement and expand Family Equality Council’s public policy agenda. The Council connects, supports, and represents the 3 million LGBTQ parents in the country and their 6 million children of all ages. They provide a voice for LGBTQ families on Capitol Hill.
Kruse has more than 15 years of experience advocating for the LGBTQ community, immigrants, working families, women and girls. Her efforts have contributed to victories including relief from deportation for tens of thousands of LGBTQ immigrant families, ending “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” and stopping discriminatory tax audits of low-income families. Prior to her career in advocacy, she developed job training and educational programs leading to high-wage careers for women and girls. She was the founding director of the National Community Tax Coalition. She served on the Governor’s Commission on the Status of Women in Illinois and chaired its Pay Equity Working Group. She has taught at the college and high school levels in the U.S. and in Latin America. Kruse has worked for a number of organizations, including the National Center for Healthy Housing, Immigration Equality, and the Servicemembers’ Legal Defense Network.
Congratulations also to Jeffrey W. Groton who has accepted the position of Director of Finance with Mile High Early Learning, which is Denver’s oldest and largest provider of subsidized quality early childhood care and education serving thousands of Denver’s vulnerable children every year since 1970.
Groton is a proven organizational leader with a strong background in strategic business planning and financial management. He has a passion for driving effectiveness in organizational work life through strategic planning and innovative problem solving. That includes a track record of developing, restructuring and improving diverse operations across finance, IT, management, and HR. He is a big-picture thinker motivated by business challenges and competing priorities.
Groton worked for the International Association of Women Judges (IAWJ) and was recruited to that association based on his success with the National Association of Women Judges-USA (NAWJ). Prior to that he worked at Downey Associates International, Inc. and Envision EMI, Inc.
Groton served in the United States Air Force as a Command and Control Specialist with top-secret security clearance.
Jeffrey W. Groton
A gay man was murdered in Petersburg, Va., on March 13.
Shyyell Diamond Sanchez-McCray, who was also known as Saamel and Mable, was a drag queen who won the Miss Mayflower EOY pageant in 2015. Reports also indicate Sanchez-McCray, 42, was a well-known community activist in Virginia and in North Carolina.
Local media reports indicate police officers found Sanchez-McCray shot to death inside a home in Petersburg.
Sanchez-McCray’s brother, Jamal Mitchell Diamond, in a public statement the Washington Blade received from Equality Virginia and GLAAD, said Sanchez-McCray was not transgender as initial reports indicated.
“Our family has always embraced the fullness of who he was. He used the names Saamel, Shyyell, and Mable interchangeably, and we honor all of them. There is no division within our family regarding how he is being represented — only a shared commitment to preserving his truth with love and respect,” said Diamond.
“He was also deeply committed to community work through Nationz Foundation, where he worked and completed multiple state-certified programs to support marginalized communities,” added Diamond. “That work meant a great deal to him.”
Authorities have not made any arrests.
The Petersburg Bureau of Police has asked anyone with information about Sanchez-McCray’s murder to call Petersburg-Dinwiddie Crime Solvers at 804-861-1212.
District of Columbia
Trans Day of Visibility events planned
Rally on the National Mall scheduled for Saturday
The Christopher Street Project has a number of events planned for the 2026 Trans Day of Visibility, including a rally on the Mall and an “Empowerment Ball” at the Eaton Hotel. Plenaries, panel discussions and meetings with members of Congress are scheduled in the three days of programming.
Announced speakers include N.H. state Rep. Alice Wade; Commissioner of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago Precious Brady-Davis; activist and performer Miss Peppermint (“RuPaul’s Drag Race”); Lexington, Ky. Councilwoman Emma Curtis; Rabbi Abby Stein; D.C. activist and host Rayceen Pendarvis; Air Force Master Sgt. Logan Ireland; among other leaders, advocates and performers.
Conference programming on Thursday and Friday includes an educational forum and a Capitol Hill policy education day. Registration for the two-day conference has closed.
The “Trans Day of Visibility PAC Reception” is scheduled for Thursday, March 26 from 7:30-9 p.m. at As You Are (500 8th St., S.E.). Special guests include Rep. Dina Titus (D-Nevada) and Rep. Delia Ramirez (D-Ill.). Tickets are available at christopherstreetproject.org starting at $25.
The National Council of Jewish Women and the Christopher Street Project host a “Trans Day of Visibility Shabbat” on Friday, March 27 from 7-8 p.m. at Sixth & I (600 I St., N.W.). The service is to be led by Rabbi Jenna Shaw and Rabbi Abby Stein.
The “Now You See Me: Trans Empowerment Social & Ball” is scheduled for Friday, March 27 from 6-11 p.m. at the Eaton Hotel (1201 K. St., N.W.). The trans-themed drag ball is hosted by the Marsha P. Johnson Institute with support from the D.C. Mayor’s Office of LGBTQ+ Affairs, the Capital Ballroom Council, the Christopher Street Project, the Center for Black Equity, Generation for Common Good, and Parenting is Political. RSVP online at christopherstreetproject.org.
The National Transgender Day of Visibility Rally is scheduled for Saturday, March 28 on the National Mall at 11 a.m. The rally will include speakers and performances. Following the rally, attendees are encouraged to participate in the “No Kings” rally being held at Anacostia Park.
Virginia
Virginia General Assembly’s 2026 legislative session ends
Voters in November will consider repealing marriage amendment
The Virginia General Assembly’s 2026 legislative session ended on March 14.
Lawmakers have yet to approve a budget, but they did pass a resolution that paves the way for a referendum on whether to repeal the state’s constitutional amendment that defines marriage as between a man and a woman. Lawmakers also advanced House Bill 60, which would protect PrEP users from insurance discrimination.
Democratic Gov. Abigail Spanberger has until April 13 to decide to pass, amend, or veto legislation before it goes back to the House of Delegates on April 22.
Spanberger on Feb. 6 signed the bill that sets the stage for the marriage amendment referendum. Voters will consider whether to “remove the ban on same-sex marriage; (ii) affirm that two adults may marry regardless of sex, gender, or race; and (iii) require all legally valid marriages to be treated equally under the law?”
Equality Virginia has been working during this legislative cycle to urge lawmakers to allocate funding towards LGBTQ rights. The budget would expand funding for schools, competency training for the 988 suicide hotline, and funding to provide gender affirming care to LGBTQ youth.
“As the budget moves through conference and the Reconvene Session approaches on April 22, Equality Virginia remains focused on ensuring our victories this session translate into durable protections,” Equality Virginia Executive Director Narissa Rahaman told the Washington Blade in a statement. “Progress on marriage equality, nondiscrimination protections, and HIV care funding was essential, but Virginia must do more.”
Markwayne Mullin confirmed as next DHS secretary
Gay man murdered in Va.
Trans Day of Visibility events planned
Virginia General Assembly’s 2026 legislative session ends
Polish court rules country must recognize same-sex marriages from EU states
Queer American in Israel discusses Iran war’s impact
‘How We Survived’ panel set for March 25
Calendar: March 21-26
Small is beautiful: subcompact SUVs
