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Comings & Goings
Scott Bloom to debut film ‘Raceland’
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 Scott Bloom on the completion of his film “Raceland.” It is the story of Blake and Lloyd, two old friends from the bayou. As kids they were thick as thieves. After being separated for a number of years, they’ve rekindled their friendship. During a day of fishing, Lloyd is tragically injured and Blake nurses him back to health. It’s during this time together they realize the love they had for each other back when they were kids, did not disappear but was rather buried under years of social cues and macho veneer.
Bloom has worked as a freelance editor in Southern California on hundreds of feature documentaries, sitcoms, film trailers and reality television episodes. In 2005, he left the edit suite and stepped behind the camera as producer and director of the award-winning documentaries, “Original Pride: The Satyrs Motorcycle Club,” “Call Me Troy” and “Out for the Long Run.” “Raceland” is his first narrative film, a personal story drawing from actual events in his life. Bloom has been invited to screen “Raceland” in one festival in Colorado and to premiere it on its own in New Orleans in early 2019.
Congratulations also to Christopher L. Pepin-Neff appointed a Senior Lecturer in Public Policy at the University of Sydney. He is also a Senior Research Fellow at the Palm Center, San Francisco.
Prior to moving to Sydney to continue his education, he worked as a researcher for the Pew Environmental Group in D.C., executive director of Outright Vermont in Burlington, a senior policy advocate with the Service Members Legal Defense Network and a staff assistant in the Office of former Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.).
He has authored a book that will be out this year, “FLAWS: Shark Bites and Emotional Public Policymaking.” He has written numerous journal articles including, “Reducing fear to influence policy preferences: An experiment with sharks and beach safety policy options.”
Pepin-Neff was an executive committee member for the University of Sydney LGBTQ Ally Network.
He earned his bachelor’s from James Madison University, his master’s in public policy from the University of Sydney; and his Ph.D. in public policy from the University of Sydney, Department of Government and International Relations.
Congratulations also to Peter Clark who was promoted to Assistant General Counsel and Tort Liability Program Manager with the Office of Risk Management for the District of Columbia. Clark has extensive experience managing various types of injury and property damage claims. About this position he said, “I believe my experience as an attorney and training manager as well as being an adjunct professor of paralegal studies is of great benefit to both the Tort Division and the District as a whole.”
He moved to the District from Massachusetts in 2016 to work for the District of Columbia. His experience includes working as a claims administrator with the Amity Insurance Co. in Braintree, Mass. and Unit Coordinator Training Manager with the New England Medical Center (Tufts) in Boston. In addition for more than 12 years he had a private law practice specializing in the areas of general liability, personal injury, premise liability, estate planning, and real estate closing.
Clark earned his bachelor’s from Suffolk University and his JD from the Southern New England School of Law. He also attended the San Diego School of Law in London, England where he did a Comparative law barrister internship and received highest honors.
Maryland
Evan Glass is leaning on his record. Is that enough for Montgomery County’s top job?
Gay county executive candidate pushing for equitable pay, safer streets, and cleaner environment
By TALIA RICHMAN | During a meet-and-greet at Poolesville Memorial United Methodist Church, Evan Glass got his loudest applause of the night with a plan he acknowledged was decidedly unsexy.
“Day one, I’ll hire a director of permitting services,” the county executive candidate said.
Doing so, he added, is a step toward easing the regulatory burdens that can stifle small businesses in Montgomery County.
The only problem? At least one of his fiercest competitors is making a similar pledge.
The rest of this article can be read on the Baltimore Banner’s website.
District of Columbia
D.C. bar, LGBTQ+ Community Center to mark Lesbian Visibility Week
‘Ahead of the Curve’ documentary screening, ‘Queeroke’ among events
2026 Lesbian Visibility Week North America will take place from April 20-26.
This year marks the third annual Lesbian Visibility Week, run by the Curve Foundation. A host of events take place from April 20-26.
This year’s theme is Health and Wellness. For the Curve Foundation, the term “lesbian” serves as an umbrella term for a host of identities, including lesbians, bisexual and transgender women, and anyone else connected to the lesbian community.
The week kicks off with a flag-raising ceremony on April 19. It will take place in New York, but will be livestreamed for the public.
“Queeroke” is one of the events being held around the country. It will take place at various participating bars on April 23.
As You Are, an LGBTQ bar in Capitol Hill, is one of eight locations across the U.S. participating. Their event is free and 21+.
On April 24, the D.C. LGBTQ+ Community Center will hold a screening of “Ahead of the Curve,” a documentary about the founder of Curve, Franco Stevens. The event is free with an RSVP.
April 25, is Queer Women in Sports Day. And on April 26, several monuments in New York will be illuminated.
Virtual events ranging from health to sports will be made available to the public. Details will be released closer to the start of Lesbian Visibility Week. Featured events can be found on the official website.
Some ways for individuals to get involved are to use #LVW26 and tag the official Lesbian Visibility Week account on social media posts. People are encouraged to display their lesbian flags, and businesses can hand out pins and decorate. They can also reach out to local lawmakers to encourage them to issue an official Lesbian Visibility Week.
District of Columbia
Whitman-Walker Health to present ‘Pro Bono Excellence’ award to law firm
Health center set to celebrate 40th anniversary of legal services program
Whitman-Walker Health, the D.C.-based community healthcare center that specializes in HIV/AIDS and LGBTQ-related health services, announced it will present its annual Dale Edwin Sanders Award for Pro Bono Excellence to the international law firm McDermott Will & Schulte at a May 6 ceremony.
“This year’s award is especially significant as it coincides with the 40th anniversary of Whitman-Walker Health’s Legal Services Program, marking it as the nation’s longest running medical-legal partnership,” a statement released by Whitman-Walker says.
“As a national leader in public health, Whitman-Walker celebrates our partnership with McDermott to strengthen the health center and to enable Whitman-Walker to reach more medical and legal clients,” the statement adds.
“McDermott’s firm-wide commitment to Whitman-Walker’s medical-legal partnership demonstrates a shared vision to serve those most in need,” Amy Nelson, Whitman-Walker’s director of Legal Services, says in the statement. “Our work protects individuals and families who face discrimination and hostility as they navigate increasingly complex administrative systems,” Nelson said.
“Pro bono legal services – like that of McDermott Will & Schulte – find solutions for people who have no place else to turn in the face of financial and health threats,” she added.
“Our partnership with Whitman-Walker Health is a treasured commitment to serving our neighbors and communities,” Steven Schnelle, one of the law firm’s partners said in the statement. “We are deeply moved by Whitman-Walker’s unwavering dedication to inclusion, respect, and equitable access to health care and social services,” he said.
The statement notes that the award for Pro Bono Excellence honors the legacy of the late gay attorney Dale Edwin Sanders. It says Sanders’s pro bono legal work for Whitman-Walker clients “shaped HIV/AIDS law for more than four decades by securing key victories on behalf of individuals whose employment and patient rights were violated.”
It says the Whitman-Walker Legal Services program began during the early years of the AIDS epidemic in the 1980s at a time when people with AIDS faced widespread discrimination and often needed legal assistance. According to the statement, the program evolved over the years and expanded to advocate for transgender people and immigrants.
Whitman-Walker spokesperson Lisa Amore said the presentation of the Dale Edwin Sanders Pro Bono Excellency Award will be held at the May 6 fundraising benefit for Whitman-Walker’s Legal Services Program. She said the event will take place at the offices of the DC law firm Baker McKenzie and ticket availability can be accessed here: https://www.whitman-walker.org/gtem-2026/
Evan Glass is leaning on his record. Is that enough for Montgomery County’s top job?
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