District of Columbia
McDuffie wins second at-large D.C. Council seat
Updated vote count confirms Ward 5 Council member beats incumbent Silverman
An updated vote count released by the D.C. Board of Election at 7:58 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 9, prompted Ward 5 D.C. Council member Kenyan McDuffie (I) to declare victory in his race for the second of two at-large D.C. Council seats up for election on Tuesday.
Incumbent Council member Elissa Silverman, also an independent who currently holds the at-large seat, released a statement conceding that she fell short of being reelected to the Council.
“Moments ago, I left a message for Council member Kenyan McDuffie and congratulated him on being one of the top-two vote getters in the at-large race,” Silverman said in her statement. “The latest election results released by the Board of Elections made his victory unassailable,” she said.
“I also called on Council member Anita Bonds and congratulated her on re-election as the top vote-getter.
Silverman was referring to Bonds’s re-election to one of the two at-large seats up for election this year that a Democrat is allowed to hold under the city’s Home Rule Charter adopted by Congress. The other seat is reserved for a non-majority party candidate who can be a member of the smaller local parties, including the Republican, Statehood Green, or Libertarian parties or an independent.
In addition to Bonds, McDuffie and Silverman, five other candidates competed for the two at-large seats in the Nov. 8 D.C. general election.
Both Silverman and McDuffie as well as Bonds have been longtime supporters of the LGBTQ community, and the other five candidates, including Republican Giuseppe Niosi expressed support for LGBTQ rights.
The latest vote count released by the Board of Elections shows that Bonds received 90,593 votes or 31.73 percent of the vote. McDuffie received 63,015 votes or 22.07 percent, and Silverman received 54,583 votes or 19.12 percent.
The remaining five candidates received just over 10 percent or less of the total votes cast in the at-large race. Under the city’s election rules, voters had the option of voting for two candidates in the at-large contest, with the highest two vote-getters declared the winners.
“The residents of the District of Columbia have spoken,” McDuffie said in his victory statement. “Together, we are going to usher in a new era for our city,” he said. “Your trust in my leadership and vision for our city will continue to be the foundation of my agenda on the Council in the years to come.”
The difference between the top three candidates in the at-large race as perceived by at least some voters, according to political observers, was Bonds and McDuffie are considered moderate Democrats while Silverman is viewed as a progressive-left Democrat on various issues.
Although the Board of Elections has yet to officially certify any of the races in Tuesday’s election, the latest vote count confirms the election board’s earlier count on Tuesday night showing decisive victories by all the Democratic candidates, including Mayor Muriel Bowser, who won election to a third term as mayor.
Also winning decisively was gay Ward 5 D.C. Council candidate Zachary Parker (D), who will become the first openly gay member of the D.C. Council since 2015.
District of Columbia
Gay D.C. police lieutenant arrested on child porn charges
Matthew Mahl once served as head of LGBT Liaison Unit
D.C. police announced on April 14 that they have placed one of their lieutenants, Matthew Mahl, on administrative leave and revoked his police powers after receiving information that he was arrested in Maryland one day earlier.
Although the initial D.C. police announcement doesn’t disclose the reason for the arrest it refers to a statement by the Harford County, Md. Sheriff’s Office that discloses Mahl has been charged with sexual solicitation of a minor and child porn solicitation.
“On Tuesday, the Harford County Sheriff’s Office contacted MPD’s Internal Affairs Division shortly after arresting Lieutenant Matthew Mahl,” the D.C. police statement says.
“The allegations in this case are extremely disturbing, and in direct contrast to the values of the Metropolitan Police Department,” the statement continues. “MPD’s Internal Affairs Division will investigate violations of MPD policy once the criminal investigation concludes,” it says.
“MPD is not involved in the criminal investigation and was not aware of the investigation until yesterday,” the statement adds.
Mahl served as acting supervisor of the MPD’s then Gay & Lesbian Liaison Unit in 2013 when he held the rank of sergeant. D.C. police officials placed him on administrative leave and suspended his police powers that same year while investigating an undisclosed allegation.
A source familiar with the investigation said Mahl was cleared of any wrongdoing a short time later and resumed his police duties. Around the time he was promoted to lieutenant several years later Mahl took on the role as chairman of the D.C. Police Union, becoming the first known openly gay officer to hold that position.
NBC 4 reports that Mahl, 47, has served on the police force for 23 years and most recently was assigned to the department’s Special Operations Division.
Records related to Mahl’s arrest filed in Harford County District Court, show Sheriff’s Department investigators state in charging documents that he allegedly committed the offenses of Sexual Solicitation of a Minor and Child Porn Solicitation on Monday, April 13, one day before he was arrested on April 14.
The court records show he was held without bond during his first appearance in court on April 14. A decision on whether he would be released while awaiting trial or continue to be held without bond was scheduled to be determined during an April 15 bond hearing. The outcome of that hearing could not be immediately determined.
District of Columbia
D.C. bar, LGBTQ+ Community Center to mark Lesbian Visibility Week
‘Ahead of the Curve’ documentary screening, ‘Queeroke’ among events
2026 Lesbian Visibility Week North America will take place from April 20-26.
This year marks the third annual Lesbian Visibility Week, run by the Curve Foundation. A host of events take place from April 20-26.
This year’s theme is Health and Wellness. For the Curve Foundation, the term “lesbian” serves as an umbrella term for a host of identities, including lesbians, bisexual and transgender women, and anyone else connected to the lesbian community.
The week kicks off with a flag-raising ceremony on April 19. It will take place in New York, but will be livestreamed for the public.
“Queeroke” is one of the events being held around the country. It will take place at various participating bars on April 23.
As You Are, an LGBTQ bar in Capitol Hill, is one of eight locations across the U.S. participating. Their event is free and 21+.
On April 24, the D.C. LGBTQ+ Community Center will hold a screening of “Ahead of the Curve,” a documentary about the founder of Curve, Franco Stevens. The event is free with an RSVP.
April 25, is Queer Women in Sports Day. And on April 26, several monuments in New York will be illuminated.
Virtual events ranging from health to sports will be made available to the public. Details will be released closer to the start of Lesbian Visibility Week. Featured events can be found on the official website.
Some ways for individuals to get involved are to use #LVW26 and tag the official Lesbian Visibility Week account on social media posts. People are encouraged to display their lesbian flags, and businesses can hand out pins and decorate. They can also reach out to local lawmakers to encourage them to issue an official Lesbian Visibility Week.
District of Columbia
Whitman-Walker Health to present ‘Pro Bono Excellence’ award to law firm
Health center set to celebrate 40th anniversary of legal services program
Whitman-Walker Health, the D.C.-based community healthcare center that specializes in HIV/AIDS and LGBTQ-related health services, announced it will present its annual Dale Edwin Sanders Award for Pro Bono Excellence to the international law firm McDermott Will & Schulte at a May 6 ceremony.
“This year’s award is especially significant as it coincides with the 40th anniversary of Whitman-Walker Health’s Legal Services Program, marking it as the nation’s longest running medical-legal partnership,” a statement released by Whitman-Walker says.
“As a national leader in public health, Whitman-Walker celebrates our partnership with McDermott to strengthen the health center and to enable Whitman-Walker to reach more medical and legal clients,” the statement adds.
“McDermott’s firm-wide commitment to Whitman-Walker’s medical-legal partnership demonstrates a shared vision to serve those most in need,” Amy Nelson, Whitman-Walker’s director of Legal Services, says in the statement. “Our work protects individuals and families who face discrimination and hostility as they navigate increasingly complex administrative systems,” Nelson said.
“Pro bono legal services – like that of McDermott Will & Schulte – find solutions for people who have no place else to turn in the face of financial and health threats,” she added.
“Our partnership with Whitman-Walker Health is a treasured commitment to serving our neighbors and communities,” Steven Schnelle, one of the law firm’s partners said in the statement. “We are deeply moved by Whitman-Walker’s unwavering dedication to inclusion, respect, and equitable access to health care and social services,” he said.
The statement notes that the award for Pro Bono Excellence honors the legacy of the late gay attorney Dale Edwin Sanders. It says Sanders’s pro bono legal work for Whitman-Walker clients “shaped HIV/AIDS law for more than four decades by securing key victories on behalf of individuals whose employment and patient rights were violated.”
It says the Whitman-Walker Legal Services program began during the early years of the AIDS epidemic in the 1980s at a time when people with AIDS faced widespread discrimination and often needed legal assistance. According to the statement, the program evolved over the years and expanded to advocate for transgender people and immigrants.
Whitman-Walker spokesperson Lisa Amore said the presentation of the Dale Edwin Sanders Pro Bono Excellency Award will be held at the May 6 fundraising benefit for Whitman-Walker’s Legal Services Program. She said the event will take place at the offices of the DC law firm Baker McKenzie and ticket availability can be accessed here: https://www.whitman-walker.org/gtem-2026/
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