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.’s 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 city’s 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 city’s 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 group’s endorsements would be made on or shortly before May 17. Frazier said that under the organization’s 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 candidates’ 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, it’s a different experience. But I very much welcome this opportunity. For those of you who don’t 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 wasn’t 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 it’s 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 I’m running for D.C. Council chairwoman. And a little bit about myself–I’m 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, you’ll get to know them as well. I fondly refer to them as the monsters because they’re chaotic.
My profession—I’m in ethics … most recently having worked on judicial ethics and institutional accountability for the federal judiciary. And I’m 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.
I’m running to bring energy, vision and compassion to D.C.’s challenges. And I think it is particularly important in light of the current national context. As we’ve 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. I’m the only Fair Elections candidate in this race, which means that I am rejecting corporate donations. And I’m accountable to and engaged with D.C. residents. I’m 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 and—I ran out of time. Thank you.
Lisa Gore
Good evening, everyone, and thank you Capital Stonewall Democrats for hosting this important forum. I’m glad to be here tonight to discuss a little bit about myself and my campaign. And my name is Lisa Gore. I’m 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 IG’s 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. That’s everything from education, housing, environmental justice, aging and health, senior platform issues, and especially issues that are common in the LGBTQ community. I’m 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.
There’s 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 I’m representative of this community. So, thank you. I’m looking forward to hearing the issues and talking to you tonight about my platform.
Nate Fleming
Good evening, everyone. My name is Nate Fleming. I’m running for D.C. Council at-large. And I’m not here to pander to you. I’m here to speak to you about the issues impacting the LGBT community. I’m a member of this club. I’ve been a longtime member of this club since 2010. A little bit about me—I 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 that’s 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. I’ve been endorsed in every campaign that I’ve run. And in this race in 2014 I received more votes than any other candidate from the Capital Stonewall Democrats. That’s 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 that’s housing, whether that’s job and employment, whether that’s healthcare. And we need more than ever bold, creative and thoughtful leadership that’s going to help us build back better and reverse these systems so they can work for everyday people.
So, that’s what I’m looking forward to doing. There’s 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 I’m looking forward to implementing the HIV long term bill of rights. Those are the type of issues I’m going to work on as your next at-large Council member.
Dexter Williams
Thank you and good evening. My name is Dexter Williams. I’m running for at-large Council member. And I want to thank the Capital Stonewall Democrats for sponsoring tonight’s 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 Orange’s equally weak apology for his egregious—for 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 I’m going to make sure that we do. Thank you.
District of Columbia
D.C. officials monitoring Mpox outbreak in Africa for possible local impact
New, more potentially fatal strain declared global health emergency
The D.C. Department of Health and Whitman-Walker Health are closely monitoring an outbreak of a new, more virulent strain of Mpox in several African nations that prompted the World Health Organization on Aug. 15 to declare the outbreak a global health emergency.
LGBTQ health advocates in Los Angles have been working with that city’s public health officials to ensure the LGBTQ community, especially gay and bisexual men, become vaccinated with the existing Mpox vaccine, which is deemed effective in preventing or lessening the severity of an Mpox infection.
In the 2022 Mpox outbreak in the U.S., men who have sex with men accounted for the largest number of Mpox cases, with more than 90 percent of the cases occurring in men who were gay, bi, or straight.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which closely monitored and took action to curtail the 2022 Mpox outbreak in the U.S., has said no cases so far of the more virulent strain in Africa, referred to as the clade 1 strain, have been documented in the U.S.
But CDC officials, along with officials with the D.C. Department of Health, referred to as D.C. Health, and Whitman-Walker Health, say they are taking steps to ensure they are prepared if the new strain surfaces in the U.S. and in the D.C. area.
International health officials expressed concern after at least one case of a person infected with the new more virulent strain was diagnosed in Sweden, marking the first case outside the African continent. Information surfacing from Africa in August showed that at least 500 people had died from Mpox in the current outbreak.
“D.C. Health is monitoring the situation very closely and taking the necessary steps to ensure preparedness,” according to a statement released by D.C. Health to the Washington Blade
“We have treated over 300 patients with Mpox, with most of the cases occurring in 2022,” a statement released on Sept. 9 by Whitman-Walker Health says. “We continue to see sporadic cases, with 11 cases in the last year,” the statement says. It says the most recent Mpox case it has treated occurred this July.
Dr. Kyle Benda, who serves as manager of Whitman-Walker’s Sexual Medicine and Acute Rapid Treatment Clinic, said all of the Mpox patients Whitman-Walker has seen have had the less virulent strain of Mpox that surfaced in the 2022 outbreak in the U.S. and worldwide — referred to as clade 2 Mpox.
“We have not seen any cases recently or cases we believe to be due to the clade 1 outbreak occurring in Africa,” Benda told the Blade. “We have been able to treat patients with Mpox through use of tecovirimat obtained from the CDC through their expanded access program.”
He was referring to the medication approved in 2022 by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as an effective treatment for Mpox.
Similar to nationwide U.S. data, statistics released by D.C. Health about the demographic breakdown of the 2022-2023 Mpox outbreak in D.C. shows that men, especially African-American men, along with gay and bisexual men, made up the largest number of Mpox cases.
The D.C. data show that men made up 96.3 percent of the D.C. cases, with women making up 1.8 percent of the cases. The data show that gay men accounted for 54.8 percent of the cases, bisexuals accounted for 6.7 percent of the cases, and those whose sexual orientation was unknown accounted for 31.4 percent of the cases.
The CDC and other health experts have pointed out that Mpox is transmitted from skin-to-skin contact, including contact with someone who may have body sores and through bodily fluids, as well as from shared bedding or clothing. Sexual contact is one of the leading modes of transmission, the experts have said.
The most common symptoms, health officials have said, include pimples or blisters on the face, body, and genitals. Other symptoms include fever, chills, headaches, muscle aches, or swelling of the lymph nodes.
Benda said Mpox transmission from sexual relations, especially for gay and bisexual men, often occurs when the typical outbreak of sores or blisters on the skin occurs internally such as in the anal canal and is not immediately detectable in the early stage of the infection.
Like other health officials, LGBTQ health advocates say the most important steps to take for those at risk for Mpox, especially gay and bi men, is to get vaccinated. The vaccination requires one injection followed by a second dose injection 28 days later.
Benda said Whitman-Walker has the vaccination shots to give to anyone who feels they may be at risk for Mpox, including people who are not currently enrolled as a Whitman-Walker patient. The statement released by D.C. Health says the vaccinations are widely available throughout the city at most pharmacies and health and medical offices.
It says for those who may not have insurance coverage for the cost of the vaccination and who may be economically challenged, they can get vaccinated at the D.C. Health and Wellness center at 77 P St., N.E.
“We encourage all of our patients who may have an increased risk of Mpox to get vaccinated, particularly patients who may have had only one does of the two-dose series or who have not been vaccinated at all,” Whitman-Walker’s Benda told the Blade.
Health experts, including officials with D.C. Health, have said the mostly widespread access to the Mpox vaccine is what resulted in the dramatic decline in the number of cases in the U.S. and the D.C. area in later 2023 and 2024.
When asked if a booster shot may be needed for those who have been fully vaccinated in the past two years, D.C. Health said in its statement, “Currently, there is no recommendation for more than two doses in most people.”
The statement adds, “Those with an occupational risk, like research laboratorians who handle cultures or animals contaminated with Mpox virus directly, are recommended to receive booster doses at 2 – 10 years depending on the nature of their work.”
Data released by D.C. Health shows that out of the total number of vaccinations given in D.C. as of earlier this year, 83.4 percent of those vaccinated were men and 74.5 percent of those vaccinated were gay men. The data show 12.2 percent were bisexual, and 0.9 percent were lesbian. Women consisted of 6.5 percent of D.C. residents receiving the Mpox vaccine.
District of Columbia
Washington Commanders fire exec who called Black players ‘homophobic’
Team vice president also disparaged fans as ‘alcoholic mouth-breathers’
The Washington Commanders football team this week fired one of its executives, who made remarks that were recorded without his knowledge by an undercover news reporter claiming the team’s Black players were “homophobic” and that some National Football League players were “dumb as hell.”
Multiple news media outlets, including the Washington Post and the LGBTQ sports publication Out Sports, identified the executive as Rael Enteen, who held the title of Vice President of Content for the Commanders organization.
The publication The Athletic reports that Enteen was secretly recorded with a hidden video camera by a female reporter for the O’Keefe Media Group during two dates in which the reporter did not disclose she was with the media.
Among his recorded comments, The Athletic and other media outlets have reported, is he told the reporter that some National Football League players, including Black players, were dumb and homophobic.
“A big chunk [of the Commanders roster] is very low-income African American that comes from a community that is inherently very homophobic,” the Daily Mail reports Enteen as saying in the recording. “I love hip-hop, hip-hop is very homophobic,” he reportedly stated in the video. “It’s a cultural thing that I hope gets better.”
Enteen also called NFL fans “high school-educated alcoholics” and “mouth breathers,” the Associated Press reports.
The AP also reports that Enteen states in the video recording that Jerry Jones, the owner of the Dallas Cowboys football team, “hates gay people and Black people.” The AP says the Cowboys team did not respond to a request for comment.
According to the AP, a Washington Commanders spokesperson said in response to being asked about the decision to fire Enteen, “The language used in the video runs counter to our values at the Commanders organization.”
District of Columbia
Two prominent LGBTQ candidates drop out of race for ANC seats
Musa, Rangel among 46 hit with signature petition challenges
D.C. Capital Pride Alliance board member Anthony Musa and transgender D.C. government official Vida Rangel have withdrawn as candidates in the city’s Nov. 5 election for Advisory Neighborhood Commission seats after separate challenges were filed questioning the validity of the signatures on their required nominating petitions.
Musa was one of at least four LGBTQ candidates running unopposed for seats on ANC 2B, which represents the Dupont Circle neighborhood.
Rangel, who described herself as the first Latina trans person of color to run for public office in D.C., was running for the ANC single member district seat 1A10 in the city’s Columbia Heights neighborhood. She was running against incumbent Billy Easley, who identifies as a gay man. Rangel currently serves as director of operations for the D.C. Mayor’s Office of Talent and Appointments.
Under D.C. election rules, ANC candidates must obtain the signatures of at least 25 registered voters who live in their ANC single member district to gain access to the election ballot. Under the D.C. government, ANCs are unpaid, voluntary elected positions given the role of advising city government officials on neighborhood issues, with city officials required to give “great weight” to the ANCs’ recommendations.
Musa told the Washington Blade on Sept. 3 that he withdrew his candidacy after realizing he only obtained about 26 or 27 signatures, with a few of them appearing to be from people who did not live in his ANC single member district 2B01. He said the person challenging his petition, whom he called a neighborhood rival, would likely have succeeded in the challenge and invalidated his candidacy.
“With the signatures, I just didn’t meet the level,” he said. “There were several people that I thought lived in my district, but they didn’t. So, if I ever do this again, I’ll make sure I get like triple the amount that I need.”
Rangel told the Blade on Sept. 4 that after receiving the challenge to her petition she too realized she fell short on the number of needed petition signatures. “After reviewing that challenge and checking records of what I could correct, I would have ended up coming just four signatures short,” she said. “So, in the end I decided to withdraw. It’s very disappointing.”
She said she also decided not to run for the ANC seat as a write-in candidate. “I think as a write-in I wouldn’t be anywhere as viable with my opponent Billy Easley running for re-election and with the name recognition he has,” Rangel said. “So, I think it’s best for me to step back and let him continue his service.”
Gay D.C. political activist Joe Bishop-Henchman filed the challenge against Rangel and seven other ANC candidates.
Bishop-Henchman disputed claims by some neighborhood activists who said he and others who challenged the signature petitions of ANC candidates were targeting those candidates because they disagreed with the candidates’ positions on issues impacting their respective neighborhoods. He insisted he only files challenges against “the candidate that says they have the 25 valid signatures but doesn’t.”
Vincent Slatt, who serves as chair of the ANC Rainbow Caucus, which includes LGBTQ ANC members from across the city, said he recognized the names of about three or four other LGBTQ ANC candidates whose petitions were also being challenged.
Slatt said he believes most of the challenges were “petty” and motivated by neighborhood political rivalries. He and Musa pointed out that the person who challenged Musa’s petition, Martha ‘Marcy’ Logan, serves on the board of directors of the Dupont Circle Citizens Association. Some Dupont Circle neighborhood activists, including LGBTQ activists, consider the organization, referred to as the DCCA, to be biased against nightlife businesses, including some of the gay bars in the Dupont Circle area.
Musa said he believes Logan targeted him for a petition challenge because she believes he sides with the nightlife businesses. He describes himself as a “pro-growth” advocate from a neighborhood business perspective as opposed to the DCCA, which Musa considers “anti-growth” regarding community businesses that he feels are an asset to the neighborhood.
The DCCA didn’t immediately respond to a request from the Blade for comment and for contact information for Logan.
Musa said he too decided not to run for the ANC seat as a write-in candidate. With his withdrawal from the race, there will be no candidate on the November election ballot for the 2ANC 2B01 seat.
At the time she announced her candidacy in July, Rangel said among her priorities as an ANC commissioner would be improving language access for the large number of Spanish-speaking residents in the Columbia Heights neighborhood.
“We need a commissioner who is going to push for Spanish language resources so that our government officials can hear the voices of all Columbia Heights residents, not just the ones who speak English,” she told the Blade.
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