District of Columbia
Capital Stonewall Democrats holds D.C. Council chair, at-large Council candidates forum
Mendelson, Bonds join opponents in discussing LGBTQ forum
The Capital Stonewall Democrats, D.C.ās largest local LGBTQ political group, hosted the fifth and last of its series of LGBTQ candidate forums on May 11 by hosting candidates running for D.C. Council Chair and At-Large D.C. Council in the cityās June 21 Democratic primary.
Similar to the earlier forums, each of the candidates, including incumbent Council Chair Phil Mendelson and incumbent at-large Councilmember Anita Bonds, expressed strong support for LGBTQ rights and cited their records in office or their work in the community on various issues related to LGBTQ programs or projects.
Among those participating in the virtual forum broadcast via Zoom was ethics attorney and Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner Erin Palmer, who is challenging Mendelson for the Council Chair position.
The candidates challenging Bonds for the at-large Council seat included Lisa Gore, Ward 3 Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner and former housing fraud investigator for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development; Nate Fleming, former D.C. shadow U.S. House member and former D.C. Council staffer; and Dexter Williams, former Howard University government relations official, former D.C. Council staffer, and current election systems consultant.
Local community activists and small business owners Heidi Ellis and George Kerr, who served as co-moderators of the forum, asked the candidates questions on a wide range of topics, including the cityās efforts to curtail anti-LGBTQ hate crimes, city funding for local LGBTQ organizations that provide services for LGBTQ people in need and problems faced by LGBTQ elders.
Other questions touched on the topics of racial and economic justice, whether the candidates or incumbents have LGBTQ people on their Council or campaign staff; whether term limits should be put in place for members of the Council, and whether D.C. police and the Office of the federally controlled U.S. Attorney for D.C. were doing enough to address anti-LGBTQ violence.
Capital Stonewall Democrats President Jatarious Frazier stated at the forum that electronic voting had begun for members of the organization to decide on which candidates to endorse and that an announcement of the winners of the groupās endorsements would be made on or shortly before May 17. Frazier said that under the organizationās rules, a 60 percent majority vote for a candidate was needed for an endorsement to be given.
A full video recording of the May 11 forum can be accessed here:
https://www.facebook.com/StonewallDems51/
A Washington Blade transcript of the candidatesā opening statements at the May 11 forum can be viewed below.
D.C. COUNCIL CHAIR RACE
Opening Statements
Phil Mendelson
Thank you, Capital Stonewall Democrats for doing this once again. Although I have to say this is the first time in my many years that this has been virtual. So, itās a different experience. But I very much welcome this opportunity. For those of you who donāt know me, I was an ANC commissioner for 20 years before I was elected to the Council. I have been chair of the Council for the past 10 years.
I have an adopted daughter who graduated from the D.C. public schools with a major in art, which she is pursuing as her career. As an incumbent, I have a record, not just promises. And I am proud of my record. And my record has been very strong in the area with regard to issues that are important to the LGBTQ community.
Although it was a few years ago, when I chaired the Committee on the Judiciary, I got through the Council our legislation to make the District the sixth jurisdiction in the country to recognize marriage equality. And I got it through with a strategy that ensured that Congress wasnāt going to override what we did. As you know, they tried to do it many other times.
I have a very strong progressive record when it comes to these issues. When I chaired the Judiciary, I had hearings frequently with regard to hate crimes and enforcement against hate crimes. Most recently I introduced legislation to prohibit the gay panic defense in the District so that would not be used or misused with regard to hate crimes. As I said itās not enough to just say one has progressive values or to put forth campaign promises but actually to see how I delivered over and over again on issues, like universal paid leave, where I not only rewrote the law but got it through the Council over the opposition of the mayor. And other issues as well. I guess my time is up. But I look forward to the questions and ask for your support.
Erin Palmer
Thank you so much. Thank you to the Capital Stonewall Democrats. My name is Erin Palmer. I use she/her pronouns. And Iām running for D.C. Council chairwoman. And a little bit about myselfāIām a mom to three children who are 11, nine and seven. They are very much a part of my civic and political life. And if you know me, youāll get to know them as well. I fondly refer to them as the monsters because theyāre chaotic.
My professionāIām in ethics ā¦ most recently having worked on judicial ethics and institutional accountability for the federal judiciary. And Iām also an Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner in Ward 4, where I have worked across commissions with commissioners citywide on systemic issues, including being an ally to the ANC Rainbow Caucus on some of the issues that they have worked on.
Iām running to bring energy, vision and compassion to D.C.ās challenges. And I think it is particularly important in light of the current national context. As weāve seen, there was a recent release of a draft Supreme Court decision overturning Row v. Wade. And this is a reminder that we have to be constantly vigilant. We have to not take our rights and protections for granted. And we need to be dedicated at the local level to working very intentionally to support our communities with the most aid.
I bring a dedication to ethics in government and accountability. Iām the only Fair Elections candidate in this race, which means that I am rejecting corporate donations. And Iām accountable to and engaged with D.C. residents. Iām also the only candidate in this race with a D.C. Council accountability plan for a more modern ethical and accountable D.C. Council that ties specifically to the role of the chair in setting the procedures and governance structure for the Council.
I believe strongly in meeting basic needs as rights as a values-driven proposition. Things like housing, education and healthcare that lead with those values impacts how we budget, how we legislate, how we do oversight. And that doing those things keeps our community safe and strong. And I will lead with those values every day. Thank you so much.
AT-LARGE D.C. COUNCIL RACES
Anita Bonds
Well good evening, everyone. My name, of course, is Anita Bonds. And I am your at-large Council member on the D.C. Council. It is a pleasure to join with you this evening and to talk about our city that I have built my career on making sure that we, all of us, have an opportunity to continue to live here. It is vital that we hold ourselves and one another accountable for ensuring that we are allies, not only visibly but materialistically each and every day.
As an ally to the LGBTQ community, I have maintained a legislative agenda that consists of priorities demonstrated in my votes on legislation and in the budget that ensures the rights, protections and the livelihood of members of the LGBTQ community. While we work to achieve true equality and make sure that voices of the LGBTQ community are heard, especially considering the history of the violence that this community has endured for a number of years.
I made it a priority to include members of the LGBTQ community when making my appointments to the Police Reform Commission as an example. And I also have representation from the LGBTQ community on my staff, in fact, from the day when taking my seat on the Council. The senior LGBTQ community that has been historically neglected by society is one that always is dear to my heart. And I have spent a lot of energy trying to make things right. And I have also co-introduced and voted for care for LGBTQ seniors andāI ran out of time. Thank you.
Lisa Gore
Good evening, everyone, and thank you Capital Stonewall Democrats for hosting this important forum. Iām glad to be here tonight to discuss a little bit about myself and my campaign. And my name is Lisa Gore. Iām a D.C. public school mom. I am a current sitting ANC commissioner In ANC 34G serving both Ward 3 and Ward 4. And I recently retired as a federal investigator from the IGās office from HUD, where I spent over 25 years investigating housing fraud and conducting oversight of a national housing program.
My campaign is basically centered around marginalized communities. And our campaign is centered around making D.C. a more just D.C. Thatās everything from education, housing, environmental justice, aging and health, senior platform issues, and especially issues that are common in the LGBTQ community. Iām proud that I recently got the highest at-large rating with the GLAA endorsement of 8.5. And I think that really demonstrates the strength of our policy platform in this area.
Thereās several members of my campaign team paid and unpaid that are members of the LGBTQ community. And you might know me as a candidate that has rainbow signs out there, all across D.C. So, this community has been in my heart from day one and the day I started this campaign designing my yard signs. I wanted to make sure that D.C. knows that Iām representative of this community. So, thank you. Iām looking forward to hearing the issues and talking to you tonight about my platform.
Nate Fleming
Good evening, everyone. My name is Nate Fleming. Iām running for D.C. Council at-large. And Iām not here to pander to you. Iām here to speak to you about the issues impacting the LGBT community. Iām a member of this club. Iāve been a longtime member of this club since 2010. A little bit about meāI grew up in this city. Single mother household in the middle of the crack epidemic.
But education is what took me to Morehouse College. I was able to become a lawyer. I studied at Berkeley Law. I got a full scholarship to Harvard Kennedy School. And I believe that when you get opportunities like that coming from my background, you have a responsibility to try to create opportunities for others. And thatās really what I worked to do. First, coming back to D.C. serving as D.C. shadow representative.
The first political endorsement I ever received was from the Gertrude Stein Democratic Club, the former name of the Capital Stonewall Democrats. Iāve been endorsed in every campaign that Iāve run. And in this race in 2014 I received more votes than any other candidate from the Capital Stonewall Democrats. Thatās because this club has done so much work in the fight for equal rights, justice and fairness, particularly the fight in 2010 for marriage equality, where I stood directly with members of this club to fight for those rights with the Council.
And I believe these issues, these values that this club represents needs to extend and permeate throughout the city. Because the pandemic has exacerbated the issues that are important to the LGBT community, whether thatās housing, whether thatās job and employment, whether thatās healthcare. And we need more than ever bold, creative and thoughtful leadership thatās going to help us build back better and reverse these systems so they can work for everyday people.
So, thatās what Iām looking forward to doing. Thereās some great programs that are out there like the transgender and gender nonconforming workforce program. Thirty percent of LGBT youth identify as homeless. We have to expand LGBTQ centered health care, mental health care specifically in this city. And Iām looking forward to implementing the HIV long term bill of rights. Those are the type of issues Iām going to work on as your next at-large Council member.
Dexter Williams
Thank you and good evening. My name is Dexter Williams. Iām running for at-large Council member. And I want to thank the Capital Stonewall Democrats for sponsoring tonightās forum. As a candidate, I am very committed to the LGBTQ community, just as I am for all marginalized people across the city. What I want you to know is that this forum is no different for me because I am very sensitive to the inequities and struggles that are faced by many in the LGBTQ community, whether it is discrimination, crime and even murder impacting the trans community, double marginalization of race unemployment faced by the Black, Latino [inaudible] communities or the possible threats to marriage equality depending on just how far the Supreme Court and states will go in the future.
As a candidate, I am running on a theme of change. While D.C. is viewed as gay friendly, I know that housing discrimination, ageism, employment barriers and even in the [inaudible] issues still persist. Whether subtle discrimination such as the recent statement by Vincent Orange referring to Zach Parker as a candidate for Ward 5 Council member, who recently came out as gay, followed by Vincent Orangeās equally weak apology for his egregiousāfor his weak apology or the more egregious trans murders that took place last year.
No one should be made to feel less for being their true selves. I know we are [inaudible] in the city, but we can and should do better in housing, places of employment. We should do better and Iām going to make sure that we do. Thank you.
District of Columbia
Catching up with the asexuals and aromantics of D.C.
Exploring identity and finding community
There was enough commotion in the sky at the Blossom Kite Festival that bees might have been pollinating the Washington Monument. I despaired of quickly finding the Asexuals and Aromantics of the Mid-AtlanticāI couldnāt make out a single asexual flag among the kites up above. I thought to myself that if it had been the Homosexuals of the Mid-Atlantic I wouldāve had my gaydar to rely on. Was there even such a thing as ace-dar?
As it turned out, the asexual kite the group had meant to fly was a little too pesky to pilot. āHave you ever used a stunt kite?ā Bonnie, the event organizer asked me. āI bought one. It looked really cool. But I canāt make it work.ā She sighed. āI canāt get the thing six feet off the ground.ā The group hardly seemed to care. There was caramel popcorn and cookies, board games and head massages, a game of charades with more than its fair share of PokĆ©mon. The kites up above might as well have been a coincidental sideshow. Nearly two dozen folks filtered in and out of the picnic throughout the course of the day.
But I counted myself lucky that Bonnie picked me out of the crowd. If thereās such a thing as ace-dar, it eludes asexuals too. The online forum for all matters asexual, AVEN, or the Asexual Visibility and Education Network, is filled with laments: āI donāt think itās possible.ā āDude, I wish I had an ace-dar.ā āIf it exists, I donāt have it.ā āI think this is just like a broken clock is right twice a day type thing.ā What seems to be a more common experience is meeting someone you just click withāonly to find out later that theyāre asexual. A few of the folks I met described how close childhood friends of theirs likewise came out in adulthood, a phenomenon that will be familiar to many queer people. But it is all the more astounding for asexuals to find each other this way, given that asexual people constitute 1.7% of sexual minorities in America, and so merely .1% of the population at large.
To help other asexuals identify you out in the world, some folks wear a black ring on their middle finger, much as an earring on the right ear used to signify homosexuality in a less welcoming era. The only problem? The swinger communityāwith its definite non-asexualityāhas also adopted the signal. āItās still a thing,ā said Emily Karp. āSo some people wear their ace rings just to the ace meet-ups.ā Karp has been the primary coordinator for the Asexuals and Aromantics of the Mid-Atlantic (AAMA) since 2021, and a member of the meet-up for a decade. She clicked with the group immediately. After showing up for a Fourth of July potluck in the mid-afternoon, she ended up staying past midnight. āWe played Cards against Humanity, which was a very, very fun thing to do. It’s funny in a way thatās different than if we were playing with people that weren’t ace. Some of the cards are implying, like, the person would be motivated by sex in a way that’s absurd, because we know they aren’t.ā
Where so many social organizations withered during the pandemic, the AAMA flourished. Today, it boasts almost 2,000 members on meetup.com. Karp hypothesized that all the social isolation gave people copious time to reflect on themselves, and that the ease of meeting up online made it convenient as a way for people to explore their sexual identity and find community. Online events continue to make up about a third of the groupās meet-ups. The format allows people to participate who live farther out from D.C. And it allows people to participate at their preferred level of comfort: while many people participate much as they would at an in-person event, some prefer to watch anonymously, video feed off. Others prefer to participate in the chat box, though not in spoken conversation.
A recent online event was organized for a discussion of Rhaina Cohenās book, āThe Other Significant Others,ā published in February. Cohenās book discusses friendship as an alternative model for āsignificant others,ā apart from the romantic model that is presupposed to be both the center and goal of peopleās lives. The AAMA group received the book with enthusiasm. āIt literally re-wired my brain,ā as one person put it. People discussed the importance of friendship to their lives, and their difficulties in a world that de-prioritized friendship. āI can break up with a friend over text, and we donāt owe each other a conversation,ā one said. But there was some disagreement when it came to the bookās discussion of romantic relationships. āIt relegates ace relationships to the āfriendā or āplatonicā category, to the normie-reader,ā one person wrote in the chat. āOur whole ace point is that we can have equivalent life relationships to allo people, simply without sex.ā (āAlloā is shorthand for allosexual or alloromantic, people who do experience sexual or romantic attraction.)
The folks of the AAMA do not share a consensus on the importance of romantic relationships to their lives. Some asexuals identify as aromantic, some donāt. And some aromantics donāt identify as asexual, either. The āAromanticā in the title of the group is a relatively recent addition. In 2017, the group underwent a number of big changes. The group was marching for the first time in D.C. Pride, participating in the LGBTQ Creating Change conference, and developing a separate advocacy and activism arm. Moreover, the group had become large enough that discussions were opened up into forming separate chapters for D.C., Central Virginia, and Baltimore. During those discussions, the group leadership realized that aromantic people who also identified as allosexual didnāt really have a space to call their own. āWe were thinking it would be good to probably change the name of the Meetup group,ā Emily said. āBut we were not 100% sure. Because [there were] like 1,000 people in the group, and theyāre all aces, and itās like, āDo you really want to add a non-ace person?āā The group leadership decided to err on the side of inclusion. āYou know, being less gatekeep-y was better. It gave them a place to go ā because there was nowhere else to go.ā
The DC LGBT Center now sponsors a support group for both asexuals and aromantics, but it was formed just a short while ago, in 2022. The founder of the group originally sought out the centerās bisexual support group, since they didnāt have any resources for ace folks. āThe organizer said, you know what, why donāt we just start an ace/aro group? Like, why donāt we just do it?ā He laughed. āI was impressed with the turnout, the first call. Itās almost like we tapped into, like, a dam. You poke a hole in the dam, and the water just rushes out.ā The group has a great deal of overlap with the AAMA, but it is often a personās first point of contact with the asexual and aromantic community in D.C., especially since the group focuses on exploring what it means to be asexual. Someone new shows up at almost every meeting. āAnd Iām so grateful that I did,ā one member said. āI kind of showed up and just trauma dumped, and everyone was really supportive.ā
Since the ace and aro community is so small, even within the broader queer community, ace and aro folks often go unrecognized. To the chagrin of many, the White House will write up fact sheets about the LGBTQI+ community, which is odd, given that when the āIā is added to the acronym, the āAā is usually added too. OKCupid has 22 genders and 12 orientations on its dating website, but āaromanticā is not one of them ā presumably because aromantic people donāt want anything out of dating. And since asexuality and aromanticism are defined by the absence of things, it can seem to others like ace and aro people are āmissing something.ā One member of the LGBT center support group had an interesting response. āThe space is filled byā¦ whatever else!ā they said. āWeāre not doing a relationship āwithout that thing.ā Weāre doing a full scale relationship ā as it makes sense to us.ā
CJ Higgins is a postdoctoral fellow with the Alexander Grass Humanities Institute at Johns Hopkins University.
District of Columbia
Bowser budget proposal calls for $5.25 million for 2025 World Pride
AIDS office among agencies facing cuts due to revenue shortfall
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowserās proposed fiscal year 2025 budget includes a request for $5.25 million in funding to support the June 2025 World Pride celebration, which D.C. will host, and which is expected to bring three million or more visitors to the city.
The mayorās proposed budget, which she presented to the D.C. Council for approval earlier this month, also calls for a 7.6 percent increase in funding for the Mayorās Office of LGBTQ Affairs, which amounts to an increase of $132,000 and would bring the officeās total funding to $1.7 million. The office, among other things, provides grants to local organizations that provide services to the LGBTQ community.
Among the other LGBTQ-related funding requests in the mayorās proposed budget is a call to continue the annual funding of $600,000 to provide workforce development services for transgender and gender non-conforming city residents āexperiencing homelessness and housing instability.ā The budget proposal also calls for a separate allocation of $600,000 in new funding to support a new Advanced Technical Center at the Whitman-Walker Healthās Max Robinson Center in Ward 8.
Among the city agencies facing funding cuts under the mayorās proposed budget is the HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis, Sexually Transmitted Disease, and Tuberculosis Administration, known as HAHSTA, which is an arm of the D.C. Department of Health. LGBTQ and AIDS activists have said HAHSTA plays an important role in the cityās HIV prevention and support services. Observers familiar with the agency have said it recently lost federal funding, which the city would have to decide whether to replace.
āWe werenāt able to cover the loss of federal funds for HAHSTA with local funds,ā Japer Bowles, director of the Mayorās Office of LGBTQ Affairs, told the Washington Blade. āBut we are working with partners to identify resources to fill those funding gaps,ā Bowles said.
The total proposed budget of $21 billion that Bowser submitted to the D.C. Council includes about $500 million in proposed cuts in various city programs that the mayor said was needed to offset a projected $700 million loss in revenue due, among other things, to an end in pandemic era federal funding and commercial office vacancies also brought about by the post pandemic commercial property and office changes.
Bowserās budget proposal also includes some tax increases limited to sales and business-related taxes, including an additional fee on hotel bookings to offset the expected revenue losses. The mayor said she chose not to propose an increase in income tax or property taxes.
Earlier this year, the D.C. LGBTQ+ Budget Coalition, which consists of several local LGBTQ advocacy organizations, submitted its own fiscal year 2025 budget proposal to both Bowser and the D.C. Council. In a 14-page letter the coalition outlined in detail a wide range of funding proposals, including housing support for LGBTQ youth and LGBTQ seniors; support for LGBTQ youth homeless services; workforce and employment services for transgender and gender non-conforming residents; and harm reduction centers to address the rise in drug overdose deaths.
Another one of the coalitionās proposals is $1.5 million in city funding for the completion of the D.C. Center for the LGBTQ Communityās new building, a former warehouse building in the cityās Shaw neighborhood that is undergoing a build out and renovation to accommodate the LGBTQ Centerās plans to move in later this year. The coalitionās budget proposal also calls for an additional $300,000 in ārecurringā city funding for the LGBTQ Center in subsequent years āto support ongoing operational costs and programmatic initiatives.ā
Bowles noted that Bowser authorized and approved a $1 million grant for the LGBTQ Centerās new building last year but was unable to provide additional funding requested by the budget coalition for the LGBTQ Center for fiscal year 2025.
āWeāre still in this with them,ā Bowles said. āWeāre still looking and working with them to identify funding.ā
The total amount of funding that the LGBTQ+ Budget Coalition listed in its letter to the mayor and Council associated with its requests for specific LGBTQ programs comes to $43.1 million.
Heidi Ellis, who serves as coordinator of the coalition, said the coalition succeeded in getting some of its proposals included in the mayorās budget but couldnāt immediately provide specific amounts.
āThere are a couple of areas I would argue we had wins,ā Ellis told the Blade. āWe were able to maintain funding across different housing services, specifically around youth services that affect folks like SMYAL and Wanda Alston.ā She was referring to the LGBTQ youth services group SMYAL and the LGBTQ organization Wanda Alston Foundation, which provides housing for homeless LGBTQ youth.
āWe were also able to secure funding for the transgender, gender non-conforming workforce program,ā she said. āWe also had funding for migrant services that weāve been advocating for and some wins on language access,ā said Ellis, referring to programs assisting LGBTQ people and others who are immigrants and arenāt fluent in speaking English.
Ellis said that although the coalitionās letter sent to the mayor and Council had funding proposals that totaled $43.1 million, she said the coalition used those numbers as examples for programs and policies that it believes would be highly beneficial to those in the LGBTQ community in need.
āI would say to distill it down to just we ask for $43 million or whatever, thatās not an accurate picture of what weāre asking for,ā she said. āWeāre asking for major investments around a few areas ā housing, healthcare, language access. And for capital investments to make sure the D.C. Center can open,ā she said. āItās not like a narrative about the dollar amounts. Itās more like where weāre trying to go.ā
The Blade couldnātā immediately determine how much of the coalitionās funding proposals are included in the Bowser budget. The mayorās press secretary, Daniel Gleick, told the Blade in an email that those funding levels may not have been determined by city agencies.
āAs for specific funding levels for programs that may impact the LGBTQ community, such as individual health programs through the Department of Health, it is too soon in the budget process to determine potential adjustments on individual programs run though city agencies,ā Gleick said.
But Bowles said several of the programs funded in the mayorās budget proposal that are not LGBTQ specific will be supportive of LGBTQ programs. Among them, he said, is the budgetās proposal for an increase of $350,000 in funding for senior villages operated by local nonprofit organizations that help support seniors. Asked if that type of program could help LGBTQ seniors, Bowles said, āAbsolutely ā thatās definitely a vehicle for LGBTQ senior services.ā
He said among the programs the increased funding for the mayorās LGBTQ Affairs office will support is its ongoing cultural competency training for D.C. government employees. He said he and other office staff members conduct the trainings about LGBTQ-related issues at city departments and agencies.
Bowser herself suggested during an April 19 press conference that local businesses, including LGBTQ businesses and organizations, could benefit from a newly launched city āPop-Up Permit Programā that greatly shortens the time it takes to open a business in vacant storefront buildings in the downtown area.
Bowser and Nina Albert, D.C. Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development, suggested the new expedited city program for approving permits to open shops and small businesses in vacant storefront spaces could come into play next year when D.C. hosts World Pride, one of the wordās largest LGBTQ events.
āWhile we know that all special events are important, there is an especially big one coming to Washington, D.C. next year,ā Bowser said at the press conference. āAnd to that point, we proposed a $5.25 million investment to support World Pride 2025,ā she said, adding, āItās going to be pretty great. And so, weāre already thinking about how we can include D.C. entrepreneurs, how weāre going to include artists, how weāre going to celebrate across all eight wards of our city as well,ā she said.
Among those attending the press conference were officials of D.C.ās Capital Pride Alliance, which will play a lead role in organizing World Pride 2025 events.
District of Columbia
Taste of Point returns at critical time for queer students
BIPOC scholar to speak at Room & Board event on May 2
The Point Foundation will kick off May with its annual Taste of Point DC event. The event will be hosted at Room & Board on 14th Street and feature a silent auction, food tastings, a speech from a scholar, and more.
Pointās chief of staff, Kevin Wright, said that at Taste of Point, the scholars are the star of the show.
āPeople never come to an event to hear Point staff speak, they come to hear from the people most impacted by the program,ā he said. āAt its core Taste of Point is designed to center and highlight our scholarsā voices and experiences.ā
This year, a Point BIPOC Scholar, Katherine Guerrero Rivera will speak at the event.
āIt is a great opportunity to highlight the scholars out there on the front lines making impacts in almost every sector and job field,ā Wright said.
Wright pointed out that this year especially is a pivotal time for LGBTQ students.
āIn 2023, there were 20 states that passed anti-LGBTQ legislation,ā he said. āBy this point in [2024] we already have more.ā
Wright said the impacts of those legislative attacks are far reaching and that Point is continuously monitoring the impact they have on students on the ground.
Last month, The Washington Post reported that states with anti-LGBTQ laws in place saw school hate crimes quadruple. This report came a month after a non-binary student, Nex Bennedict, died after being attacked at school.
āSo, we see this as a critical moment to really step up and help students who are facing these challenges on their campus,ā Wright said. āOur mission is to continue to empower our scholars to achieve their full academic and leadership potential.ā
This year Point awarded nearly 600 LGBTQ students with scholarships. These include the flagship scholarship, community college scholarship and the BIPOC scholarship. When the foundation started in 2002, there were only eight scholarships awarded.
Dr. Harjant Gill is one of those scholars who said the scholarship was pivotal for him. Gill said he spent his undergraduate years creating films and doing activism for the LGBTQ community.
As a result, his academic record wasnāt stellar and although he was admitted into American Universityās graduate program he had no clue how he would fund it.
Upon arrival to American he was told to apply for a Point scholarship and the rest was history.
āIt ended up being the one thing that kept me going otherwise I would have dropped out,ā he said. āPoint was incredibly instrumental in my journey to becoming an academic and a professor.ā
More than a decade later, Gill serves on the host committee for Taste of Point and is a mentor to young Point scholars. He said that he donates money yearly to Point and that when he is asked what he wants for a gift he will often tell his friends to donate too.
To attend the event on Wednesday, May 2, purchase tickets at the Point website. If you canāt attend this yearās Taste of Point DC event but would like to get involved, you can also donate online.Ā
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