Local
Blade accepting applications for new fellowship focused on LGBTQ+ youth
Unique opportunity for college journalism students

The Blade Foundation announced it has opened the application process for a new winter fellowship.
The application is open for an aspiring D.C.-based college-age journalist interested in covering LGBTQ+ youth. The fellowship runs for 12 weeks starting January 2023 with a $2,500 stipend. Fellows will be paired with a Blade editor for mentoring and reporting assignments.
This fellowship is focused on issues impacting queer youth in D.C. Coverage areas will include housing, coming out, education, and more. The fellowship is funded by a grant from the Mayor’s Office of LGBTQ Affairs (MOLGBTQA).
College students may apply by emailing a letter of interest, resume, and links to three writing samples to: Kevin Naff, executive director, Blade Foundation, [email protected]. No phone calls. Deadline to apply is Dec. 23.

Maryland
HHS cuts millions in grants to Hopkins and University of Maryland, Baltimore
Federal government cites diversity focus as reason

By MEREDITH COHN | At least two dozen research grants at the University of Maryland, Baltimore and Johns Hopkins University have been terminated by the federal government in recent weeks amid President Donald Trumpās executive orders targeting diversity efforts.
Alex Likowski, a spokesman for the University of Maryland, Baltimore, said on Tuesday that the combined value of its 12 canceled contracts was $5.87 million this year, with an anticipated future funding loss of $11.6 million.
āIn nearly every instance, the reason cited for cancellation is that the grant involves gender identity issues or promotes diversity, equity, and inclusion,ā said Likowski.
The rest of this article can be found on the Baltimore Banner’s website.
District of Columbia
Trans pride thriving in D.C.’s queer nightlife scene
T4T provides vital space for joy, visibility, resistance

The queer nightlife scene has long provided much needed spaces for connection, resistance, and activism. Itās fitting, then, that in 2025 ā a time when the transgender community is bearing the brunt of discriminatory policies at national, state, and local levels ā LGBTQ bars remain vital spaces of solace and celebration for a community that too often struggles to find acceptance in public life.
In honor of International Transgender Day of Visibility on Monday, March 31, the Washington Blade spoke with several prominent transgender figures in D.C.ās LGBTQ nightlife scene about their journeys into the industry, how it has shaped them, and why celebrating with other trans people in these spaces is essential to fostering support and protection for the transgender community.
Creating space for trans joy
Samson Russell, security operations manager at Crush Dance Bar on 14th Street, spends most nights scanning IDs and welcoming patrons to one of the busiest LGBTQ bars in the city. But once a month, Russell takes the stage as a DJ at T4T, a trans-centered event at Trade, another LGBTQ bar just down the street.
āI was never really into partying or nightlife,ā Russell said. āI wanted to be a part of it, but it just was too intimidating. Once everything shut down [during the pandemic], I realized life is short, and there are more reasons to be involved in nightlife than just wanting to party. Itās about bringing people together.ā
Russellās entry into the nightlife scene was sparked by an Instagram message from DJ Lemz, a Washingtonian DJ known for the queer BENT celebration at the 9:30 Club. That push led Russell to embrace performing, highlighting trans identity in nightlife and using the stage as a platform for visibility.
āI started working the door at Trade maybe a year later, and then immediately wanted to be part of the drag scene,ā Russell said. āGetting booked when you donāt have any drag experience is tough, even in a city as accepting as D.C. I wanted to highlight transness as an art form. My first time doing drag was producing my own show at Trade, and two years later, itās still a monthly event called T4T. Eventually, I learned how to DJ, and three weeks later, I started DJing for T4T. Now, itās just a mix of different art forms, all rooted in how my transness led me into nightlife.ā
Onstage, Russell doesnāt just perform; they embody trans resilience. In some acts, they inject themselves with hormone replacement therapy (HRT) onstage, turning a deeply personal moment into a public declaration of identity.
āIām not trying to act like I guided anyone into their sense of self, but itās really cool when someone sees me and feels comfortable enough to talk about transness,ā Russell said. āIāll take off my shirt and show my scars. Iāll put lipstick and blush on them to make sure people see them. My T shot is the climax of my act. I want people just getting started in their transition to see itās real, itās happening, and if I can do it in this DIY blue-collar way, then surely they can too.ā
Finding community and visibility
T4T isnāt just a performance space, itās a refuge. Brooke N Hymen, a self-described ātrans masc of bimbo experienceā drag performer, has taken the stage multiple times at the event and finds it to be a source of validation.
āItās proving to myself and the community that I belong here,ā Hymen said. āItās a way to showcase my transness and my trans art. Being seen and valued as a trans artist in the city ā itās an affirming feeling.ā
The affirming energy of T4T extends beyond the performers. Keaton Paz, a trans employee at Trade, sees the impact firsthand at the door.
āI love getting to be at the door for those events and seeing trans people walk in,ā Paz said. āYou can see the relief and joy on their faces, like, āOh, there are trans people here working and participating. I know this is going to be a safe space.ā That moment of recognition and safety brings me so much joy. Knowing weāre a second home for so many people, thatās what itās about.ā
For many trans people, LGBTQ bars offer more than just a place to grab a drink. They provide a sense of belonging. Whether through trans-specific events or simply recognizing a trans person behind the bar, these venues create spaces where trans people can exist without fear. The importance of visibility isnāt just about celebration, itās a reminder that trans people deserve to live openly, loudly and without apology.
The complexity of visibility
āTrans Day of Visibility means living and showing your authentic self,ā Hymen said. āItās about knowing that your identity is valid, even if youāre not happy with your current circumstances. Iām early in my transition, but I think itās important to be visibly loud and trans for the people who donāt have access to medical care or who are just starting their journeys.ā
Paz echoed this, emphasizing that the day is meaningful even for those who are still questioning their identities.
āItās not just for trans individuals,ā Paz said. āItās for anyone on their own gender journey. Having a day like this is powerful. It lets people see weāre here, we exist. If that visibility is taken away, itās an attempt to erase us entirely.ā
While agreeing with the sentiment, Russell expressed more complicated feelings about the day.
āIāve got mixed feelings because why is it different from any other day?ā Russell said. āWhile Iām grateful it exists, there are 364 other trans days of visibility in my book. Itās so dandy that cis people think of us every last day of March, but at the end of the day, this is my daily life.ā
For Russell, being visible as a trans person in Washington ā especially under an administration that is hostile to LGBTQ rights ā adds an even deeper layer to their presence in nightlife.
āIām in the belly of the beast ā the capital of the country under this horrible administration,ā Russell said. āSo what else am I going to do but perform in the most sincere way I can? Specifically to my transness. Itās not just about being a hot man. Itās about knowing where I came from, where weāre at, and what my part is in this fight.ā
T4T is held every second Tuesday of the month at Trade, located at 1410 14th St., N.W.
Local
Iya Dammons on the need to fight Trumpās anti-trans attacks
Head of Safe Haven insists āwe will not be erasedā

This year’s Transgender Day of Visibility on March 31 comes amid numerous attacks on the community from President Trump and his congressional allies advancing sports bans, restricting affirming healthcare, and gutting federal funding of nonprofits that provide life-saving resources for the trans community.
One such organization operating in Baltimore and D.C. is Safe Haven, which runs shelters in both cities for trans people experiencing homelessness along with a variety of other services for the broader LGBTQ community, including HIV prevention.
Iya Dammons, who serves as executive director of both Safe Haven groups and operates the shelters, spoke to the Blade about the challenges of doing this work in the current political environment.
Dammons said federal funding for Safe Haven Baltimore and D.C. has been frozen by the Trump administration as part of its sweeping policy of opposing government support for transgender-related programs. But she said the mayorās offices in Baltimore and D.C., including D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowserās Office of LGBTQ Affairs, have provided local funding to make up for the loss of federal funds.
āThings are looking dire, but we have to continue our services,ā she said. āSo, weāre continuing to do the services in Washington, D.C. In Baltimore City weāre also being told that at the end of the day we can keep doing services and the city of Baltimore stands with us,ā she said by providing financial support.
In addition to providing transitional housing for transgender people and others in the LGBTQ community experiencing homelessness, under Dammonsās leadership, Safe Haven provides a wide range of supportive services for LGBTQ people in need, with a special outreach to Black trans women ānavigating survival modeā living, according to its website.
āThrough compassionate harm reduction and upward mobility services, advocacy support, and community engagement, we foster a respectful, non-judgmental environment that empowers individuals,ā a website statement says. āOur programs encompass community outreach, a drop-in center providing HIV testing, harm reduction, PrEP, medical linkage, case management, and assistance in accessing housing services,ā it says.
Dammons says she and her associates at Safe Haven are responding to the hostile environment brought about by the Trump administration, among other things, by promoting a theme of āWe Will Not Be Erased,ā which will be highlighted in a Baltimore street mural.
As a follow-up to another street mural initiated by Dammons on Charles Street in Baltimore in July 2020 called āBlack Trans Lives Matter,ā the new āWe Will Not Be Erasedā mural is scheduled to be painted on a two-block section of Charles Street on March 29.
āSo, this year, because of what is happening with the Trump administration, that he is trying to erase our population, this is going to say we wonāt be erased,ā Dammons told the Blade. āAnd itās going to reflect our Black Trans Lives Matter mural,ā she said.
Dammons said she is disappointed by Mayor Bowserās seeming acquiescence to the Trump administrationās demand that she remove the D.C. Black Lives Matter street mural located on 16th Street, N.W. opposite the White House that Bowser had installed during Trumpās first term as president.
āShe was likely to lose funding, so I understand,ā Dammons said, referring to threats by Trump and Republican members of Congress to cut millions of dollars from the D.C. budget if the mayor did not remove the Black Lives Matter mural.
But Dammons said she does not think Bowser has spoken out forcefully enough about Trumpās actions toward the trans community.
Dammons, who founded Safe Haven Baltimore, which is also known as Safe Haven Maryland, in 2018, is credited with playing the lead role in its growth with a current budget of $3.8 million. She founded Safe Haven D.C. in 2023 at the time the trans supportive D.C. LGBTQ community services center Casa Ruby shut down. The D.C. Safe Haven is located at 331 H St., N.E.
In recognition of her work and contribution to the community, the Baltimore mayor and City Council in June of 2024 named a Baltimore street where the Safe Haven offices are located as Iya Dammons Way in her honor.
Dammons said she was highly honored by the street name designation and has pointed out that with the purchase of a second building to house its offices and services scheduled to open in Baltimore in June, Safe Haven has emerged as one of the nationās largest trans-led LGBTQ nonprofit service organizations.
āIt may be the largest trans-led organization by a Black trans woman of color,ā she said. āItās the largest one on the East Coast led by a Black trans woman of color.ā
Regarding Trump and the anti-transgender actions by his administration, Dammons said that as a Black trans woman, āEverything that they have removed from my clients and the people I serve, he has removed from me.ā
āAnd we have no other choice at the end of the day than to stand up and fight back and know that we wonāt be erased,ā she said. āThere is no other choice than to stand up and fight back because, for them, this is a lifestyle. But to us, this is us. So, itās a whole different ballgame when you look at the people we serve.ā
Trans Day of Visibility events
ā¢ Trans Day of Vision picnic and rally, March 30, 1-5 p.m., Malcolm X Park. For more information, visit the DC Center’s website.
ā¢ Trans Day of Visibility rally and reception in Montgomery County, March 31, 4-7 p.m., 4805 Edgemoor Lane, Bethesda, Md. RSVP at liveinyourtruth.org.
ā¢ āBuilding Power and Solidarity Across Generationsā webinar featuring trans leaders, March 31, 7 p.m. EST, RSVP via GLAAD’s website.
ā¢ Rally featuring members of Congress, March 31, 4 p.m., National Mall between 3rd Street and 4th Street, D.C.
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