Local
Gay physician challenges anti-LGBTQ incumbent in Va. House race
Dr. Doug Ward faces ‘very tough race’ in rural district
Doug Ward, a physician in private practice for 34 years with a specialty in HIV medicine, is running as a Democrat for a seat in the Virginia House of Delegates in a rural district held by Republican incumbent Michael Webert, who has repeatedly voted against LGBTQ supportive legislation.
Ward, 71, states on his campaign website that he and his husband, Rev. Earl Johnson, have been married for 22 years. He acknowledges he is facing a “very tough race” in the November general election in the GOP leaning 18th District that includes large sections of Rappahannock and Fauquier Counties.
Ward notes that President Joe Biden and Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam each lost in the 18th District by sizable margins while incumbent Webert has won in the rural district that includes parts of the Shenandoah National Park since first winning election to the district in 2011.
“It is a really conservative district,” he told the Washington Blade. “It will be a very tough race for me. But we need someone to run against him,” said Ward, who points out that Webert has voted against virtually all the progressive legislation passed in 2020 by the Democratic-controlled Virginia Legislature, including LGBTQ bills.
Among the bills approved by the legislature that Webert voted against were the Virginia Values Act, which expands the state’s nondiscrimination law to include LGBTQ people in the areas of employment, housing, and public accommodations. Webert also voted ‘no’ on a bill that bans use of the so-called LGBTQ “panic” defense in criminal trials and against a bill to ban the use of conversion therapy for LGBTQ minors.
He also voted against a bill approved by lawmakers to repeal a provision in the Virginia Constitution outlawing same-sex marriage in the state. Although the landmark U.S. Supreme Court ruling legalizing same-sex marriage nationwide made the Virginia Constitution provision unenforceable, civil rights advocates called for its repeal on grounds that it was a symbol of anti-LGBTQ bias.
In its legislative scorecard, the statewide LGBTQ advocacy group Equality Virginia gave Webert a rating of 6 percent out of a possible perfect score of 100 percent for his voting record on LGBTQ-related bills in the 2020 legislative session.
Ward said he would have voted for all of the dozen or more LGBTQ measures passed by the Virginia General Assembly in 2020, which Equality Virginia called a historic development for Virginia.
In addition to being a strong advocate for LGBTQ rights, Ward said that, if elected, he would support improving medical services to rural parts of the state such as his district, raising the minimum wage, and expanding broadband and cell phone service in parts of the state such as the 18th District, where service is lacking.
“Broadband and even cell coverage is a major problem in rural areas,” he said. “This is more than a problem of convenience, but impacts education, healthcare, and the economy. It’s embarrassing that our access to this is so poor.”
On his campaign website, Webert describes himself as a “family man, a farmer, and a business owner” with “strong ties to the environment and conservation.” His website says he has and would continue to be a strong advocate for 2nd Amendment gun owner’s rights, protecting the unborn, and reducing taxes.
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.).
District of Columbia
D.C. Council member honored by LGBTQ homeless youth group
Doni Crawford receives inaugural Wanda Alston Legacy Award
About 100 people turned out Tuesday evening, April 7, for a presentation by D.C.’s Wanda Alston Foundation of its inaugural Wanda Alston Legacy Award to D.C. Council member Doni Crawford (I-At-Large) for her support for the foundation’s mission to support homeless LGBTQ youth.
Among those who attended the event was Japer Bowles, director of D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser’s Office of LGBTQ Affairs, who delivered an official proclamation issued by Bowser declaring April 7, 2026 “A Day of Remembrance for Wanda Alston.”
Alston, a beloved women’s and LGBTQ rights activist, served as the city’s first director of the then newly created Office of LGBTQ Affairs under then-Mayor Anthony Williams from 2004 until her death by murder on March 16, 2005.
To the shock and dismay of fellow LGBTQ rights advocates, police and court records reported Alston, 45, was stabbed to death inside her Northeast D.C. house by a man high on crack cocaine who lived nearby and who stole her credit cards and car. The perpetrator, William Martin Parrott, 38, was arrested by D.C. police the next day and later pleaded guilty to second-degree murder. He was sentenced in July 2005 to 24 years in prison.
Crawford was among those attending the award event who reflected on Alston’s legacy and outspoken advocacy for LGBTQ and feminist causes.
“I am deeply humbled and honored to receive this inaugural award,” Crawford told the Washington Blade at the conclusion of the event. “I think the world of Wanda Alston. She has set such a great foundation for me and other Council members to build on,” she said.
“Her focus on inclusivity and intersectionality is really important as we approach this work,” Crawford added. “And it’s going to guide my work at the Council every day.”
Crawford was appointed to the D.C. Council in January of this year to replace then Council member Kenyan McDuffie (I-At-Large), who resigned to run for D.C. mayor as a Democrat. She is being challenged by four other independent candidates in a June 16 special election for the Council seat.
Under the city’s Home Rule Charter written and approved by Congress, the seat is one of two D.C. Council at-large seats that cannot be held by a “majority party” candidate, meaning a Democrat.
A statement released by the Alston Foundation last month announcing Crawford’s selection for the Wanda Alston Legacy Award praised Crawford’s record of support for its work on behalf of LGBTQ youth.
“From behind the scenes to now serving as an At-Large Council member, she has fought fearlessly for affordable housing, LGBTQ+ funding priorities, and racial justice,” the statement says. “Council member Crawford’s leadership reflects the same courage and conviction that defined Wanda’s legacy.”
Organizers of the event noted that it was held on what would have been Wanda Alston’s 67th birthday.
“Today’s legacy reception was a smashing success,” said Cesar Toledo, the Alston Foundation’s executive director. “Not only did we come together to celebrate Wanda Alston on her birthday, but we also were able to raise over $10,000 for our homeless LGBTQ youth here in D.C.,” Toledo told the Blade.
“In addition to that, we celebrated and we acknowledged a rising star in our community,” he said. “And that is At-Large Council member Doni Crawford, who we named the inaugural Wanda Alston Legacy Award recipient.”
At the request of D.C. Council Chair Phil Mendelson (D-At-Large) the Council voted unanimously on Jan. 20, 2026, to appoint Crawford to the Council seat being vacated by McDuffie.
Council records show she joined McDuffie’s Council staff in 2022 as a policy adviser and later became his legislative director before McDuffie appointed her as staff director for the Council’s Committee on Business and Economic Development for which McDuffie served as chair.
Calendar: April 10-16
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