Local
Anti-LGBTQ group endorses Glenn Youngkin
Republican Va. gubernatorial candidate welcomed FRC Action support
An anti-LGBTQ group on Friday endorsed Glenn Youngkin.
“This fall, Virginia voters are faced with a stark contrast between the two candidates vying for governor,” said Family Research Council Action President Tony Perkins in a press release that Youngkin’s campaign released. “As a former governor of Virginia, Terry McAuliffe has assembled a lengthy track record of extreme, far-left positions. McAuliffe has been endorsed by Gov. Ralph Northam, who made comments in support of infanticide, and McAuliffe supported legislation allowing abortion at the moment a baby is born. When he was recently asked to name an abortion restriction he supports, McAuliffe said he supports any kind of abortion at any stage of a baby’s development.”
“Terry McAuliffe’s agenda is one of the greatest threats to religious freedom that Virginia has ever seen,” added Perkins. “McAuliffe’s positions would dramatically undermine religious freedom and could result in small business owners and faith-based organizations being punished for living out deeply-held religious beliefs. And when it comes to educational choice, McAuliffe supports extreme measures stripping parents of their right to protect their children. He recently stated during a public debate, ‘I don’t think parents should be telling schools what they should teach.’”
Perkins added Youngkin, a Republican, “on the other hand will empower parents to have an even greater say in their child’s education.”
“That’s why we’re urging Virginians to vote for Glenn Youngkin for governor,” said Perkins. “Glenn’s faith is a driving force in what he does and he understands the values that are important to Virginians. He will stand up to the extreme policies of the Left.”
Youngkin on Friday spoke at the Family Research Council’s Pray, Vote, Stand Summit 2021 that took place at a church in Leesburg. Youngkin’s campaign also announced the Virginia Society for Human Life PAC and Concerned Women for America CEO Penny Nance have endorsed his campaign.
“Terry McAuliffe doesn’t support a single restriction on abortion, has a track record of trampling on religious liberties, and has said that parents don’t have a say in their children’s education,” said Youngkin in his campaign’s website. “Virginians understand that McAuliffe’s positions are too extreme and too dangerous for their state.”
Youngkin earlier this year said he does not support allowing transgender children to play on sports teams that are consistent with their gender identity. The former co-CEO of the Carlyle Group, a private equity company, has also expressed support for Tanner Cross, an elementary school gym teacher in Leesburg who was suspended in June after he spoke against the Virginia Department of Education guidelines that are designed to protect trans and non-binary students.
The Human Rights Campaign in 2019 named the Carlyle Group as a “Best Place to Work for LGBTQ Equality” in its annual Corporate Equality Index. Youngkin’s campaign on Friday noted Log Cabin Republicans is among the other groups that have endorsed him.
McAuliffe, the former chair of the Democratic National Committee who was Virginia’s governor from 2014-2018, vetoed religious freedom bills and championed LGBTQ rights. McAuliffe last month during a debate with Youngkin sparked criticism among activists when he said local school boards “should be making their own decisions” about the implementation of the Department of Education’s guidelines for trans and non-binary students.
“Let’s keep Virginia open and welcoming to all,” tweeted McAuliffe on Friday.
Let’s keep Virginia open and welcoming to all. Retweet if you’re with me.
— Terry McAuliffe (@TerryMcAuliffe) October 8, 2021
The Washington Blade has reached out to McAuliffe’s campaign for comment on Family Research Council Action’s Youngkin endorsement.
Recent polls suggest the race between Youngkin and McAuliffe is tightening.
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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