Local
Loudoun school board includes LGBT people in ‘anti-hate’ statement
Denounces white supremacy, systemic racism
The Loudoun County, Va., School Board on Sept. 24 approved a strongly worded resolution condemning white supremacy, hate speech, and hate crimes against a wide range of minority groups, including LGBT people.
The resolution came in response to a report commissioned by Loudoun County Public Schools officials that found racial minority students, especially African Americans, have been subjected to a “hostile learning environment” in school and that school system officials were not appropriately addressing the issue.
The report is based on a comprehensive study conducted by an educational consulting firm hired by the school system. It focuses mostly on reported incidents of racial slurs, insults and harassment encountered by students in their “everyday” school interactions.
Rob Doolittle, a spokesperson for Loudoun Public Schools, told the Washington Blade that school officials are committed to aggressively addressing instances of hatred and harassment encountered by all categories of students beyond just racial discrimination.
“WHEREAS, the recent equity assessment and other reporting has uncovered that many students have been targeted by hate-based action, racial slurs, and insults in their everyday learning experiences, causing indifference and trauma for the victims of such incidents,” the resolution states.
“THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED THAT The Loudoun County School Board and its division superintendent publicly declare the condemnation of white supremacy, hate speech, hate crimes, and other hate-based acts of violence, and any instances of hate, discrimination, and violence based on race, religion, national origin, gender identity, sexual orientation, ability, appearance, and socio-economic status,” the resolution states.
The Loudoun School Board approved the resolution a little over six months after it voted 5-4 in February to amend its longstanding nondiscrimination policy to add sexual orientation and gender identity. The amended policy now bans LGBT related discrimination pertaining to faculty, staff, and students.
Meanwhile, on Sept. 13, Loudoun County Schools Superintendent Dr. Eric Williams issued his own LGBT-inclusive statement condemning hate speech and other forms of hate based on race and other factors.
“Loudon County Public Schools calls for all students, staff, families, and other members of our community to engage in the disruption and dismantling of white supremacy, systemic racism, and hateful language and actions based on race, religion, country of origin, gender identity, sexual orientation, and/or ability,” he says in his statement.
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].
The Comings & Goings column also invites LGBTQ college students to share their successes with us. If you have been elected to a student government position, gotten an exciting internship, or are graduating and beginning your career with a great job, let us know so we can share your success.
Congratulations to Yadiel Meléndez, on their new role as Community Associate, with the Wanda Alston Foundation. Meléndez is piloting a new role as a Community Associate at the Wanda Alston Foundation, where they support queer and trans young people in finding their footing, building independence, and experiencing a housing community where they are seen, valued, and affirmed. They are coming into this role with more than a decade of experience as a community organizer and operations specialist, supporting diverse communities through service, advocacy, and program coordination.
Previously they worked for Right Proper Brewing Shaw as a server and bartender and at Sephora, Washington, DC, and at FreshFarm, DC, in bilingual food access. They also worked freelance to build foundational structures for local queer BIPOC performance art coalitions, producing variety shows to curate space for marginalized performance artists in the community. They were a production manager for Haus of Hart Productions, a BIPOC centric performance art production. They also worked as field staff with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention in Stafford, Va.
Meléndez is bilingual, Spanish and English. Their work is guided by a commitment to dignity, safety, and trauma-informed engagement, particularly within LGBTQ and BIPOC communities.
Congratulations also to Ben Rosen LICSW, on his new role as program director, with the Wanda Alston Foundation. Rosen previously worked with Fountain House’s OnRamps program, helping to build a new, innovative outreach program for individuals considered chronically homeless, and living with serious mental illness, in the Times Square area of New York. Rosen is a Psychotherapist, having worked with SG Psychotherapy, and as the psychotherapist with the Nest Community Health Center (URAM).
Rosen has a B.F.A. in Theatre Arts: Musical Theatre, Minor in Psychology (Cum Laude) from Malloy University Conservatory; and his M.S.W. in Clinical Practice with Individuals, Families, and Groups, from The Silberman School of Social Work, Hunter College, N.Y. He is independently licensed in New York and Washington, D.C.
Rehoboth Beach
BLUF leather social set for April 10 in Rehoboth
Attendees encouraged to wear appropriate gear
Diego’s in Rehoboth Beach hosts a monthly leather happy hour. April’s edition is scheduled for Friday, April 10, 5-7 p.m. Attendees are encouraged to wear appropriate gear. The event is billed as an official event of BLUF, the free community group for men interested in leather. After happy hour, the attendees are encouraged to reconvene at Local Bootlegging Company for dinner, which allows cigar smoking. There’s no cover charge for either event.
District of Columbia
Celebrations of life planned for Sean Bartel
Two memorial events scheduled in D.C.
Two celebrations of life are planned for Sean Christopher Bartel, 48, who was found deceased on a hiking trail in Argentina on or around March 15. Bartel began his career as a television news reporter and news anchor at stations in Louisville, Ky., and Evansville, Ind., before serving as Senior Video Producer for the D.C.-based International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers union from 2013 to 2024.
A memorial gathering is planned for Friday, April 10, 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. at the IBEW International Office (900 7th St., N.W.), according to a statement by the DC Gay Flag Football League, where Bartel was a longtime member. A celebration of life is planned that same evening, 6-8 p.m. at Trade (1410 14th St., N.W.).
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BLUF leather social set for April 10 in Rehoboth
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