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Comings & Goings
Hanna named chief medical officer at Inova Mount Vernon
The ‘Comings & Goings’ column chronicles important life changes of Blade readers.
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 and Goings column also invites LGBTQ+ college students to share their successes with us. If you have been elected to a student government position, landed an exciting internship, or are graduating and beginning your career with a new job, let us know so we can share your success.
Congratulations to Dr. Pete Hanna on his appointment as Chief Medical Officer at Inova Mount Vernon Hospital. Hanna said, “We all know the immense amount of pressure COVID-19 placed on the healthcare community and especially hospital staff in this last year. I feel quite humbled and honored to take on my new leadership role as Chief Medical Officer at Inova Mount Vernon Hospital especially in this challenging period. Inova is a true national leading system in healthcare quality, safety and patient experience and has a focus on providing a safe and inclusive work culture. It is a true partner with all the diverse communities of Northern Virginia, which adds to making it a wonderful place to work.” He added, “I have always been fond of D.C. and knew I would end up in the area, with its vibrant community and unlimited potential to make an impact. I already have many wonderful friends here and look forward to getting to know a lot more.”
In addition to his role at Mount Vernon Hospital, Hanna is chair of surgery at Saba University School of Medicine and MUA. He is a general surgeon by background. He serves as vice chair of the Board of Trustees at the Maryland Healthcare Education Institute and is a member of the Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Board for the Maryland Hospital Association and the quality board for Healthcare for the Homeless.
Prior to joining Inova, he was chair of the Department of Surgery and a member of the Executive Leadership Team at LifeBridge Grace Medical Center, previously Bon Secours Baltimore Health System, and was one of the leaders of clinical informatics at the enterprise Bon Secours Health System.
He serves on the Human Rights Campaign’s Greater Washington DC Steering Committee, and was previously co-chair of the Baltimore subcommittee and currently on the Federal Club committee. He has always been involved in the communities he served.
Hanna graduated from Damascus University School of Medicine and completed his residency in general surgery at Marshall University, Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine, in Huntington, W. Va. He also has an MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
Dr. Pete Hanna (Photo courtesy of Hanna)
Congratulations also to Michael H. Weinberger Senior Project Manager at Metro Strategies in Chicago, Ill. Metro Strategies is a policy, planning, and public affairs firm working on a variety of transportation and planning projects.
Weinberger will work on major infrastructure projects in the Chicagoland Region, including public transportation improvement initiatives, storm water management interventions, and other critical policy projects. Upon taking the position, he said, “The National Capital Region has prepared me for anything and everything. Getting to work with stakeholders on public works projects the past 15 years has been a dream come true for me and I will take that experience to heart; using it every day during my next adventure.”
Prior to moving to Chicago, Weinberger was manager of Operations Planning & Service Delivery with the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) in D.C. He was a project manager with Sharp & Company in Rockville and had been with Foursquare Integrated Transportation Planning, in Rockville for five years.
He earned his bachelor’s in Sociology, graduating cum laude from American University; and his master’s of Community Planning from the University of Maryland in College Park.
Michael H. Weinberger (Photo courtesy of Weinberger)
A gay man was murdered in Petersburg, Va., on March 13.
Shyyell Diamond Sanchez-McCray, who was also known as Saamel and Mable, was a drag queen who won the Miss Mayflower EOY pageant in 2015. Reports also indicate Sanchez-McCray, 42, was a well-known community activist in Virginia and in North Carolina.
Local media reports indicate police officers found Sanchez-McCray shot to death inside a home in Petersburg.
Sanchez-McCray’s brother, Jamal Mitchell Diamond, in a public statement the Washington Blade received from Equality Virginia and GLAAD, said Sanchez-McCray was not transgender as initial reports indicated.
“Our family has always embraced the fullness of who he was. He used the names Saamel, Shyyell, and Mable interchangeably, and we honor all of them. There is no division within our family regarding how he is being represented — only a shared commitment to preserving his truth with love and respect,” said Diamond.
“He was also deeply committed to community work through Nationz Foundation, where he worked and completed multiple state-certified programs to support marginalized communities,” added Diamond. “That work meant a great deal to him.”
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.”
Markwayne Mullin confirmed as next DHS secretary
Gay man murdered in Va.
Trans Day of Visibility events planned
Virginia General Assembly’s 2026 legislative session ends
Polish court rules country must recognize same-sex marriages from EU states
Queer American in Israel discusses Iran war’s impact
‘How We Survived’ panel set for March 25
Calendar: March 21-26
Small is beautiful: subcompact SUVs
