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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.
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 Congresswoman Sarah McBride (D-Del.) on being honored with this year’s Stonewall Award from Whitman-Walker Health. Amy Nelson, senior director of Legal Services, said, “Congresswoman Sarah McBride is working to make healthcare accessible to all, and this award recognizes her support of healthcare as a human right. Our legal program supports families facing unprecedented challenges to stay healthy and safe – families that Congresswoman McBride champions with a deep understanding of the issues they face and the legislative expertise of how to support them.”
McBride, in a press release, said, “I am honored to accept this year’s Stonewall Award from Whitman-Walker Health — an organization that has spent 40 years doing vital work to ensure every person can access the dignity of care. In the wealthiest and most developed nation on earth, the ability to receive care should not be a matter of luck—it should be the law of the land. I am proud to be recognized as a partner in this work and to support Whitman-Walker Health in their mission to build a healthier society for all.”
Congratulations also to Wes Drummond who will join Clear Space Theatre Company in Rehoboth Beach, Del., as its third artistic director. Managing Director Joe Gfaller said, “This is an exciting moment of growth for Clear Space as we welcome Wes to join our remarkable team. I am confident he will be an excellent partner as we work with our entire staff, board, and committed team of volunteers, to ensure Clear Space can achieve its full potential in pursuit of our mission to unite and enrich our community through every production on stage, and every arts-based learning program we offer throughout our community.”
On accepting the position Drummond said, “I’m honored to join Clear Space Theatre Company as artistic director, and beyond excited for what we’re about to create together. Clear Space has established itself as a vital and vibrant part of the cultural life of coastal Delaware, and I feel incredibly fortunate to step into this next chapter alongside such a passionate and dedicated team. Rehoboth Beach is a place defined by creativity and community, and I look forward to listening, learning, and building meaningful relationships across the region in the months ahead. My vision is to help Clear Space continue to grow as a bold, forward-thinking, cultural force, that champions fearless storytelling.”
Drummond served in leadership roles at Duluth Playhouse in Duluth, Minn., from 2021 to 2026, including four years as executive director followed by one year as executive producing artistic director, guiding the organization through a period of significant transformation and stability in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. As a director, he has worked extensively in New York City, Chicago, and at regional theaters across the country, directing both musical theater and plays with a focus on storytelling that bridges classical works with contemporary perspectives. He has collaborated with leading figures in the industry, including Tony Award-winning director Matthew Warchus, and Tony-nominated director Michael Greif. He is an associate member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society.
Wes earned his MFA in directing, Penn State University, where he studied under Tony-nominated director, Susan H. Schulman.
Virginia
Va. Supreme Court invalidates Democrat-backed redistricting plan
Voters narrowly approved new congressional districts last month
The Virginia Supreme Court on Friday struck down a Democrat-backed redistricting plan that voters approved last month.
Ten of 11 of Virginia’s congressional districts favor Democrats in the plan that passed by a 51-48 vote margin in last month’s referendum.
The Human Rights Campaign PAC is among the groups that support it. The court by a 4-3 majority invalidated the referendum results.
District of Columbia
Maren Morris to headline Capital Pride Concert
Grammy award-winning singer/songwriter came out as bisexual in 2024
Capital Pride Alliance, the group that organizes D.C.’s annual LGBTQ Pride events, announced on May 7 that nationally acclaimed singer-songwriter Maren Morris, who identifies as bisexual, will be the headline performer at this year’s Capital Pride Concert scheduled for June 21.
The concert takes place as part of the annual Capital Pride Festival held on Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., usually between 3rd Street near the U.S. Capitol and 9th Street.
“Morris, known for her genre-blending sound and outspoken support of LGBTQ+ rights, will be joined by a standout lineup, including acclaimed queer rapper Leikeli47, pop icon Lisa Lisa, Juno-nominated producer and DJ from the ‘Heated Rivalry’ soundtrack, Harrison, and ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ Season 18 winner Myki Meeks,” according to a statement released by Capital Pride.
“In a moment when LGBTQ+ people are being challenged across the country, the Capital Pride Concert is a space where our community is fully seen and heard,” Ryan Bos, the Capital Pride Alliance CEO and president, said in the statement. “Bringing Maren Morris to the stage reflects this year’s theme: Exist, Resist, Have the Audacity,” Bos said.
The statement notes that the concert takes place as part of the annual D.C. Pride Festival, which is open to the public free of charge, with tickets available for purchase for specific areas listed as the Capital Stage Pit Zone and the VIP Concert Zone.
It says the festival takes place from 12 –10 p.m. and points out that in addition to the music performed by multiple other performers on several stages, festival attendees “can explore hundreds of exhibitors, community organizations, and artisans, along with multiple food courts and beverage gardens throughout the festival footprint.”
Information on the Capital Pride Alliance website shows that the festival takes place one day after the annual Capital Pride Parade, scheduled for June 20 and which is expected to travel from 14th and T Streets, N.W., to Pennsylvania Ave., N.W., where it is expected to end at 9th Street.
The statement adds that following the stage performances during the June 21 festival, which are expected to conclude around 8 p.m., “the celebration will continue with the Capitol Sunset Dance Party, closing out the evening against the backdrop of the U.S. Capitol.”
The online publication Today, which is part of the NBC “Today” television show, reported that Morris came out as bisexual in a 2024 during Pride. It reports Morris “shared several images of herself holding a Pride flag to mark the occasion, writing, ‘Happy to be the B in LGBTQ+’”
Comings & Goings
Learn more about queer love
Calendar: May 8-14
Va. Supreme Court invalidates Democrat-backed redistricting plan
Maren Morris to headline Capital Pride Concert
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