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Comings & Goings
Bizzell elected president of LGBT Bar Association
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 Wesley Bizzell elected President of the National LGBT Bar Association. Upon his election, he said, “So much has changed since the National LGBT Bar Association was founded over 30 years ago in the midst of the AIDS crisis. However, we continue to face a different crisis today, as both our community and the idea of equality for all remain under attack throughout our country.”
Wesley is Senior Assistant General Counsel, External Affairs and Managing Director of Political Law and Ethics Programs for Altria Client Services LLC (“ALCS”). He is a recognized authority on political compliance law. He chairs the Conference Board’s Committee on Corporate Political Spending, a committee of American corporations dedicated to accountability, education, and engagement on issues of corporate political activity. He is a faculty member for the Practicing Law Institute’s annual Corporate Political Activities conference and co-chair of the Conference Committee for the Council on Governmental Ethics Laws. In 2018, COGEL awarded Bizzell its highest honor, the COGEL Award, for making a “demonstrable and positive contribution to the fields of campaign finance, ethics, elections, lobbying and freedom of information over a significant period of time.”
Previously, he was an attorney in Winston & Strawn LLP’s Federal Government Relations and Regulatory Affairs Practice Group. He spent more than six years on Capitol Hill, serving as an aide to Arkansas Sens. David Pryor and Dale Bumpers. Bizzell is active in promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion within the legal and corporate communities. In both 2017 and 2018, he was named by London’s Financial Times as one of the 100 worldwide OUTstanding Leading LGBT+ Corporate Executives for his work on diversity and inclusion issues.
Congratulations also to Eva N. Juncker who joined Paley Rothman as a principal in the firm’s Family Law practice and a member of its litigation group. She said, “I am thrilled to bring my family law practice to Paley Rothman expanding its Northern Virginia presence and areas of practice to include LGBTQ+ family law and legal services.” Juncker’s years as a qualified guardian ad litem enable her to simultaneously focus on the independent best interests of a child while also focusing on a client’s stated goals. She was lead counsel on a case of nationwide first impression successfully arguing for recognition of a same-sex common law marriage in the District of Columbia. She has been a featured lecturer over the course of her career, educating her peers and the public on matters of family law in all three jurisdictions where she practices: Maryland, District of Columbia, and Virginia. She was selected as a Virginia Rising Star by Super Lawyers in 2008, recognized as one of the Best LGBT Lawyers under 40 by the National LGBT Bar Association in 2011, and recognized as one of Bethesda’s top divorce lawyers by Bethesda Magazine in 2013 and 2017.
Congratulations also to the newly elected GLASS bipartisan steering committee, the Senate LGBTQ staff association. Co-chair: Robert Curis (Sen. Debbie Stabenow), Co-chair: Tré Easton (Sen. Patty Murray), Treasurer: Hans Hansen (Agriculture Committee), Secretary: Trelaine Ito (Sen. Brian Schatz), Social Engagement Director: Donald Pollard (Sen. Tim Kaine), Communications Director: Pablo Sierra-Carmona (Sen. Kyrsten Sinema), At-Large Director: Brennen McAndrew (Sen. Bill Cassidy), At-Large Director: Mairéad Lynn (HELP Committee), At-Large Director: Russell Page (Sen. Martin Heinrich).
The GLASS Caucus is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization open to all whose purpose is to raise awareness of issues affecting the LGBTQ community, increase visibility and promote the welfare and dignity of LGBTQ employees of the United States Senate by providing a safe environment for social interaction and professional development. GLASS strives to advance LGBTQ interests on Capitol Hill by hosting various events that enhance LGBTQ visibility and working with offices to strengthen protections for LGBTQ employees.
Rehoboth Beach
Rehoboth Summer Kickoff Party set for May 15 with Ashley Biden
The Washington Blade’s 19th annual Summer Kickoff Party is scheduled for Friday, May 15 in Rehoboth Beach, Del.
Ashley Biden, daughter of President Joe Biden, has joined the list of speakers, the Blade announced. She will accept an award on behalf of her brother Beau Biden for his LGBTQ advocacy work as Delaware attorney general. (Her appearance was rescheduled from last year.)
The event, to be held this year at Diego’s (37298 Rehoboth Ave. Ext.) from 5-7 p.m., is a fundraiser for the Blade Foundation’s Steve Elkins Memorial Fellowship in Journalism, which funds a summer position reporting on LGBTQ news in Delaware. This year’s recipient will be introduced at the event.
The event will also feature remarks from state Rep. Claire Snyder-Hall. New CAMP Rehoboth Executive Director Dr. Robin Brennan and Blade editor Kevin Naff will also speak. The event is generously sponsored by Realtor Justin Noble, The Avenue Inn & Spa, and Diego’s.
A suggested donation of $25 is partially tax deductible and includes a drink ticket and light appetizers. Tickets are available in advance at bladefoundation.org/rehoboth or at the door.
District of Columbia
Curve magazine honors Washington Blade publisher
Lynne Brown named to 2026 Power List
Washington Blade Publisher Lynne Brown has been named to the 2026 Curve Power List celebrating LGBTQ+ women and nonbinary individuals in North America who are blazing trails in their chosen fields.
“From sports and entertainment icons to corporate leaders and lawmakers, these individuals are breaking barriers, challenging norms, and shaping the future,” Curve Foundation/Curve magazine said in announcing this year’s list, which includes ABC newscaster Robin Roberts, comedian/actress Hannah Einbinder, and singer/actress Renee Rapp, among others.
Brown has worked for the Washington Blade for nearly 40 years. She was named publisher in 2007 before becoming a co-owner in 2010.
“I am honored to be recognized by Curve magazine during Lesbian Visibility Week,” Brown said. “Receiving this Curve honor is twofold. I was an early subscriber to Curve. I enjoy the product and know its history. Its journalism, layout and humorous features have inspired me.
“As an owner/publisher, receiving recognition from a similar source acknowledges my work and efforts, with a sincerity I truly appreciate. Franco Stevens, the publisher of Curve, is a business person of duration, experience, and purpose. The fact that they are in the media business, and honoring me and my publication makes it a tiny bit sweeter.”
Nominations for the Curve Power List come from the community: peers, mentors, fans, and employers.
Curve explained the significance of the list in its announcement: “An annual, publicly nominated list of impactful LGBTQ+ women and nonbinary changemakers is crucial in current times to counter discrimination, legislative rollbacks, hostility, and the invisibility of queer women within mainstream and marginal spaces and endeavors. Such a list also fosters encouragement and solidarity, and elevates voices and achievements—from high-profile roles to under appreciated areas of life.”
Rehoboth Beach
Auction of Rehoboth’s Blue Moon canceled
Details on sale of iconic bar, restaurant not disclosed
The Blue Moon in Rehoboth Beach, Del., has been an iconic presence in the local LGBTQ community for four decades but its status remains murky after a sheriff’s auction of the property was abruptly called off on Tuesday.
The property was listed for sale in December. At that time, owner Tim Ragan told the Blade that he is committed to preserving its legacy as a gay-friendly space.
“We had no idea the interest this would create,” Ragan said in December. “I guess I was a little naive about that.”
Ragan explained that he and longtime partner Randy Haney were separating the real estate from the business. The two buildings associated with the sale were listed by Carrie Lingo at 35 Baltimore Ave., and include an apartment, the front restaurant (6,600 square feet with three floors and a basement), and a secondary building (roughly 1,800 square feet on two floors). They were listed for $4.5 million.
The bar and restaurant business is being sold separately; the price was not publicly disclosed.
But then, earlier this year, the Blue Moon real estate listing turned up on the Sussex County Sheriff’s Office auction site. The auction was slated for Tuesday, April 21 but hours before the sale, the listing changed to “active under contract” indicating that a buyer has been found but the sale is not yet final. As of Wednesday morning, the listing has been removed from the sheriff’s auction site.
Ragan didn’t respond to Blade inquiries about the auction. Back in December, he told the Blade, “It’s time to look for the next people who can continue the history of the Moon and cultivate the next chapter,” noting that he turns 70 this year. “We’re not panicked; we separated the building from the business. Some buyers can’t afford both.”
The identity of the buyer was not disclosed, nor was the sale price.
Rehoboth Summer Kickoff Party set for May 15 with Ashley Biden
Curve magazine honors Washington Blade publisher
Auction of Rehoboth’s Blue Moon canceled
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