Local
Blade reporter robbed on street in Columbia Heights
Daytime attack not believed to be motivated by sexual orientation
Washington Blade political reporter Chris Johnson became yet another victim in a crime spree hitting the D.C. LGBT community in the past two weeks when three male suspects on Monday shoved him to the ground while he was walking on 13th Street, N.W., in Columbia Heights near his home and stole his cell phone and wallet.
D.C. police arrested two of the three suspects believed to have committed the daytime robbery a short time after it happened when a nearby witness called 911 and police arrived while the suspects were still in the area. The third suspect fled before police could apprehend him.
Johnson, while shaken over the incident, was not injured. He said the three young men who committed the robbery did not make any reference to his sexual orientation and he does not believe he was targeted because he’s gay. He said the three were not carrying a weapon.
A D.C. police spokesperson said one of the two arrested is a 17-year-old juvenile male of Southeast D.C. whose name will not be disclosed and the other is 21-year-old Jaleel Ware also of Southeast D.C. A police report says both were charged with robbery.
The robbery of Johnson came at the end of a two-week period in which at least five LGBT people were subjected to violent crimes or threats of violence. The most serious of the incidents was the June 13 murder of D.C. transgender woman Zoe Spears, 23, who was shot to death in Fairmount Heights, Md., just across the D.C. line near Eastern Avenue.
Prince George’s County police, who are investigating the murder, say they have no suspects and no known motive for the killing.
The other incidents include the attack and assault of a gay male couple walking on U Street, N.W. by a group of nearly a dozen male suspects while one or more of them shouted anti-gay names at the couple. One of the victims was hospitalized after suffering two broken teeth.
During the same two-week period a transgender woman was assaulted by one of three suspects who called her anti-trans names while she was in a grocery store in the city’s Eckington neighborhood. Another incident involved an unidentified male suspect who pulled out a gun and threatened three transgender women outside the Casa Ruby LGBT community center building on Georgia Avenue, N.W. None of the women were injured.
What appeared to be a sudden crime spree impacting the LGBT community prompted LGBT activists to hold a vigil against violence in Dupont Circle on June 21.
Baltimore
‘Heated Rivalry’ fandom exposes LGBTQ divide in Baltimore
Hit show raises questions about identity, cultural representation
By JOHN-JOHN WILLIAMS IV | “Heated Rivalry,” the surprise gay hockey romance that has captivated global audiences and become a cultural phenomenon, has inspired sold-out parties celebrating the characters from the steamy series, including in Baltimore.
For some, love of the show has exposed the loss of a once-vibrant gay nightlife in Charm City and splintered its LGBTQ community. It also brings up layered questions about identity, cultural representation, and the limits of identity politics.
In Baltimore, the majority of the parties also appear to be missing a key ingredient that has been a part of the show’s success: gay men at the helm. Last month, women hosted a dance party at Ottobar, a straight establishment.
The rest of this article can be read on the Baltimore Banner’s website.
Virginia
McPike wins special election for Va. House of Delegates
Gay Alexandria City Council member becomes 8th LGBTQ member of legislature
Gay Alexandria City Council member Kirk McPike emerged as the decisive winner in a Feb. 10 special election for a seat in the Virginia House of Delegates representing Alexandria.
McPike, a Democrat, received 81.5 percent of the vote in his race against Republican Mason Butler, according to the local publication ALX Now.
He first won election to the Alexandria Council in 2021. He will be filling the House of Delegates seat being vacated by Del. Elizabeth Bennett-Parker (D-Alexandria), who won in another Feb. 10 special election for the Virginia State Senate seat being vacated by gay Sen. Adam Ebbin (D-Alexandria).
Ebbin is resigning from his Senate next week to take a position with Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger’s administration.
Upon taking his 5th District seat in the House of Delegate, McPike will become the eighth out LGBTQ member of the Virginia General Assembly. Among those he will be joining is Sen. Danica Roem (D-Manassas), who became the Virginia Legislature’s first transgender member when she won election to the House of Delegates in 2017 before being elected to the Senate in 2023.
“I look forward to continuing to work to address our housing crisis, the challenge of climate change, and the damaging impacts of the Trump administration on the immigrant families, LGBTQ+ Virginians, and federal employees who call Alexandria home,” McPike said in a statement after winning the Democratic nomination for the seat in a special primary held on Jan. 20.
McPike, a longtime LGBTQ rights advocate, has served for the past 13 years as chief of staff for gay U.S. Rep. Mark Takano (D-Calif.) and has remained in that position during his tenure on the Alexandria Council. He said he will resign from that position before taking office in the House of Delegates.
Local
Local LGBTQ groups, activists to commemorate Black History Month
Rayceen Pendarvis to moderate Dupont Underground panel on Sunday
LGBTQ groups in D.C. and elsewhere plan to use Black History Month as an opportunity to commemorate and celebrate Black lives and experiences.
Team Rayceen Productions has no specific events planned, but co-founder Rayceen Pendarvis will attend many functions around D.C. this month.
Pendarvis, a longtime voice in the LGBTQ community in D.C. moderated a panel at Dupont Underground on Feb. 8. The event, “Every (Body) Wants to Be a Showgirl,” will feature art from Black burlesque artists from around the country. Pendarvis on Feb. 23 will attend the showing of multimedia play at the Lincoln Theatre that commemorates the life of James Baldwin.
Equality Virginia plans to prioritize Black voices through a weekly online series, and community-based story telling. The online digital series will center Black LGBTQ voices, specifically trailblazers and activists, and contemporary Black queer and transgender people.
Narissa Rahaman, Equality Virginia’s executive director, stressed the importance of the Black queer community to the overall Pride movement, and said “Equality Virginia is proud to center those voices in our work this month and beyond.”
The Capital Pride Alliance, which hosts Pride events in D.C., has an alliance with the Center for Black Equity, which brings Black Pride to D.C. over Memorial Day weekend. The National LGBTQ Task Force has no specific Black History Month events planned, but plans to participate in online collaborations.
Cathy Renna, the Task Force’s director of communications, told the Washington Blade the organization remains committed to uplifting Black voices. “Our priority is keeping this at the forefront everyday,” she said.
The D.C. LGBTQ+ Community Center is also hosting a series of Black History Month events.
The D.C. Public Library earlier this year launched “Freedom and Resistance,” an exhibition that celebrates Black History Month and Martin Luther King Jr. It will remain on display until the middle of March at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library at 901 G St., N.W.
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