News
Kennedy, Morse come up short in Massachusetts primary bids
Ed Markey victory seen as win for left-wing of Democratic Party
In the aftermath of the Massachusetts primary, Rep. Joseph Kennedy III (D-Mass.), who has made a name as a crusader for the transgender community, came up short in his challenge against Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) in a result seen as a victory for the left wing of the Democratic Party.
The Associated Press called the primary Tuesday night in favor of Markey at 10:29 ET. According to early results, Markey claimed 53.9 percent of the vote, compared to the 46.11 percent won by Kennedy, who’s chair of the Congressional Transgender Task Force.
Kennedy, thanking supporters, said he called Markey to concede, telling him he’s a “good man” and asserting “you have never heard me say otherwise,” according to the New York Times.
“No matter the results tonight, I would do this again with all of you in a heartbeat,” Kennedy was quoted as saying.
Markey, one of the orginators of the Green New Deal, had the backing of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) as well as the Sunrise Movement, an American youth-led political movement that advocates political action on climate change.
The Human Rights Campaign, despite having worked with Kennedy on transgender issues and coordinating with him a congressional forum for the parents of transgender kids, also backed Markey. The nation’s leading LGBTQ groups cited Markey’s consistent support for LGBTQ rights, including a vote as a U.S. House member against the anti-gay Defense of Marriage Act in 1996, as a reason to support him.
In related news, Rep. Richard Neal (D-Mass.) chair of the powerful House Ways & Means Committee, fended off a challenge from Alex Morse, the mayor of Holyoke who had the backing of the Justice Democrats. Morse, who’s gay, was also endorsed by the LGBTQ Victory Fund.
According to early results, Neal had 59.5 percent of the vote, compared to the 40.6 percent claimed by Morse to represent Massachusetts’ 1st congressional district.
The primary got ugly when College Democrats of Massachusetts published a letter asserting he used “his position of power for romantic or sexual gain” as an instructor at University of Massachusetts, Amherst, by using dating apps to contact and match with students. Morse said he never had sex with anyone younger than 18 and he broke no rule as an instructor.
The letter, which his supporters criticized as a homophobic smear, cost him the endorsement of the Sunrise Movement, but the LGBTQ Victory Fund stood by him. Journalist Glenn Greenwald wrote that the allegations were “old homophobic tropes” and called the effort a “smear campaign.”
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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