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Comings & Goings
Jennings wins prestigious award for work with LGBT youth
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Congratulations to Kevin Jennings who received the Bob Angelo Medal from the COC Netherlands, known as the oldest still operating LGBTI organization in the world. The Bob Angelo Medal was established in 1991 to honor individuals, groups or organizations that contributed in an extraordinary way to the emancipation of lesbians, homosexual men, bisexual, transgender and intersex people (LGBTI). Among the previous winners are Council of Europe Commissioner of Human Rights Thomas Hammarberg (Sweden) and the South African imam Mushin Hendricks.
COC chair Astrid Oosenbrug presented the award during COC’s annual True Colors event in the sold out Paradiso venue in Amsterdam. Astrid said, “This award is presented to Kevin Jennings for his outstanding contribution to the improvement of the position of LGBTI youth in schools around the globe.”
“I was honored to receive the Bob Angelo medal from COC-Netherlands, the world’s oldest LGBTI rights organization,” Jennings said. “‘Bob Angelo’ was the code name used during the Second World War by Niek Engelschman, a Dutch resistance leader who founded the COC in 1946. I was humbled to receive an award in the name of such a brave and visionary leader who stood up for our community when the courage it took to do so was breathtaking.”
In 1988, Jennings established the world’s first Gender & Sexuality Alliance (GSA). It is thanks to the Gay and Lesbian School Education Network (GLSEN) that GSAs were set up in thousands of schools in the United States and worldwide. In the Netherlands there are now GSAs in about 80 percent of all high schools.
In 1994, Jennings was part of the founding committee for LGBT History Month, and also that year published the first book on the subject for young people (“Becoming Visible”). In 1997, a documentary he wrote and produced on LGBT history for young people, “Out of the Past,” won the Sundance Film Festival Audience Award for Best Documentary and in 2017 he was the executive producer for “The Lavender Scare,” a documentary detailing the 1950s witch hunts for LGBT federal employees. From 2012-2017, he worked as executive director of the Arcus Foundation, a leading international funder of LGBT human rights work. Prior to that, he served as the Assistant Deputy Secretary for Safe & Drug-Free Schools under President Obama. Jennings is currently president of the Tenement Museum in New York City. He has published seven books and holds degrees from Harvard, Columbia and NYU.
Congratulations also to Daniel Finkel the new vice president of Booking Experience and Supplier Strategy at TripActions. Ariel Cohen, co-founder and CEO of TripActions, said the company strives to make the lives of business travelers better by delivering a world-class experience. “We are thrilled to have Daniel join us to lead this effort and be part of the team that is focused on building an amazing experience for travelers,” Cohen said.
“I am truly excited to help continue TripActions’ journey of finding the optimal balance between customer experience, supplier differentiation and technology innovations,” said Finkel.
In his new role, Finkel will be responsible for scaling up the company’s shopping capabilities as well as expanding the depth and diversity of its content. He will also lead the company’s growing supplier relations team.
Finkel spent the past seven years at Expedia Group leading strategy and business development efforts. Prior to joining Expedia he held a leadership role at SRA International.
Virginia
Black transgender woman murdered in Va.
Shyyell Diamond Sanchez-McCray killed in Petersburg on March 13
A Black transgender woman was murdered in Petersburg, Va., on March 13.
Shyyell Diamond Sanchez-McCray, who was also known as Mable, was a drag queen who won the Miss Mayflower EOY pageant in 2015. Reports also indicate she was a well-known community activist in Virginia and in North Carolina.
Local media reports indicate police officers found Sanchez-McCray, 42, shot to death inside a home in Petersburg. These initial media reports also misgendered her.
“My heart is shattered and heavy with grief at the news of Shyyell Diamond Sanchez-McCray’s murder — the first trans life stolen from us this year,” said Victoria Kirby York, director of public policy and programs for the National Black Justice Coalition, in a statement.
Kirby York in her statement also criticized the media coverage of Sanchez-McCray’s murder.
“The early reports of Shyyell’s death stripped her of her identity by misgendering her, a deeply damaging and persistent failure by law enforcement and media that haunts these cases again and again,” she said. “Misgendering doesn’t just erase a person’s truth — it can derail justice entirely, or worse, bury a case in silence as investigators chase the wrong identity, the wrong face, the wrong name.”
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.”
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