National
Trevor Project responds to reports of staff dissension, union busting
Non-profit disputes accusations of drop in service quality
The Trevor Project, a non-profit that works to end suicide among LGBTQ youth, responded to a recent Washington Blade report alleging widespread staff dissension, union busting, and other challenges, acknowledging it needs to improve the working environment for its crisis counselors, but disputing many of the other allegations made by nearly a dozen current and former senior employees.
The Blade story, published on Aug. 10, further alleges long wait times for distressed callers and some former staffers said the organization grew too quickly, resulting in a drop in service quality.
“A lot of us were joking that it was the most corporatized nonprofit that anyone has ever worked for,” said a former mid-level employee who spoke on condition of anonymity. “It was very money driven, very growth, growth, growth.”
But a former Trevor official responded, saying that the growth enabled Trevor to help more youth in crisis and that significant changes were made to improve service. Trevor declined to make senior leadership available for interviews for the Aug. 10 story nor would sources speak with attribution for this story.
Specifically, a Trevor spokesperson said the organization made the following changes:
- Shifting Clinical Operations’ focus to prioritize quality, sustainability, and impact instead of growth;
- Transforming the staffing model across lifeline and digital crisis services to address overnight understaffing, inaccurate workforce planning, and unrealistic goals;
- Increasing pay and wellness benefits for Clinical Operations staff.
The changes have resulted in a decrease in abandonment rates across services, the spokesperson said, noting the organization has the highest level of accreditation from the American Association of Suicidology.
Staff concerns led to the Friends of Trevor United union to begin organizing in early 2022. Gloria Middleton, president of the Communications Workers of America Local 1180, under which Friends of Trevor is organized, said Trevor opposed the union. While union organizers were in talks with Trevor, the organization began laying off workers. The union condemned that, calling it “union busting,” and said that Trevor intentionally gave the union very little time to respond.
The Trevor spokesperson disputes this, saying the union didn’t form until 2023.
“We voluntarily recognized the union in approximately six weeks,” the spokesperson said. “… We communicated to staff immediately to acknowledge the recognition request and said that we respect employees’ right to unionize; when Trevor recognized the union, we communicated to staff again that we were pleased to share that information.”
Crisis counselor Rae Kaplan told the Blade she was fired by Trevor for reacting with emojis during an all-staff meeting, another accusation that Trevor disputes.
The Trevor spokesperson said Kaplan was a contractor at Insight Global, not a staff member, therefore, Insight Global informed Rae of the separation.
“Nobody’s role was reduced, nor would be, for using Google Meet reactions or emojis,” the Trevor source said.
Trevor’s CEO and co-founder Peggy Rajski is a straight, white cisgender woman and sources told the Blade that the C-suite is almost entirely white and cisgender.
“I think there needs to be a permanent CEO who is LGBTQ+,” said Preston Mitchum, who served as a director of advocacy and government affairs at Trevor before he quit in February. “And in my opinion, one who is a person of color, or at least someone who actively understands intersectional framework and how to have these culturally important clinical conversations of competence and responsibility to specific communities.”
But Trevor claims it prizes diversity among its executive team and that the team is composed of “experienced leaders, including: eight women (seven who are cisgender, one who is transgender); four men (three who are cisgender, one who is transgender); in addition, seven are BIPOC.” Additionally, in the last few years, Trevor has created the organization’s first affinity groups: Black@Trevor, Trans@Trevor, AAPI@Trevor, Latinx@Trevor, and Disability@Trevor, the source noted.
Trevor also takes issue with allegations that it had lax policies governing staff spending. One source told the Blade, “there were no policies around spending,” while another insisted that the organization did not even have a per diem policy in place for employee travel.
“Like any organization, we have policies and approval processes around expenses such as travel, meals, business spending, etc., as well as annual budgeting,” the Trevor source said, adding that the per diem policy is spelled out in an employee handbook.
Illinois
Obama Center opens with tributes to marriage equality, LGBTQ progress
19.3 acre campus honors 44th president’s legacy
The Barack Obama Presidential Center held media previews on Thursday ahead of its official Juneteenth opening, marking the debut of the first presidential center dedicated to the 44th and only Black U.S. president.
The 19.3-acre campus, located on Chicago’s South Side within historic Jackson Park, features a museum, garden, basketball court, and a new branch of the Chicago Public Library.
Multiple artifacts related to the LGBTQ rights movement appear in the presidential museum’s collection, though none appeared to be on display at the time of publication, according to the center’s website.
Among the objects in the collection are the pen Obama used to sign the repeal of the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy that prohibited gay, lesbian, and bisexual individuals from serving openly in the military; a set of Harvey Milk commemorative stamps honoring the first openly gay elected official in San Francisco; and an Out2Enroll rainbow sweat wristband used to connect communities — specifically LGBTQ people and their families, friends, and allies — with health insurance coverage options available under the Affordable Care Act.
The artifacts reflect a broader LGBTQ legacy associated with the Obama presidency.
During the televised opening ceremony, former first lady Michelle Obama thanked her husband for “standing up for marriage equality.”
During his presidency, Obama took a number of actions affecting LGBTQ Americans, including repealing “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” signing the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Act, directing the Justice Department to stop defending the Defense of Marriage Act in court, expanding federal benefits and leave to same-sex domestic partners of federal and Foreign Service employees, broadening Affordable Care Act coverage for LGBTQ health issues, including HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment, and signing a 2014 executive order prohibiting federal contractors from discriminating based on sexual orientation or gender identity.
The opening event drew numerous celebrities, including Stevie Wonder, Christina Aguilera, Oprah Winfrey, and Tom Hanks.
It also attracted political figures from both sides of the aisle. One notable exception was President Donald Trump, who was not invited to the ceremony. All other living former presidents were invited and attended.
The Obama Presidential Center will open to the public on June 19, with tickets available on its website.
Florida
Intersex teacher alleges Fla. school fired him over perceived trans identity
Shepard Scalf filed a complaint with Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
An intersex teacher in Florida who was fired is alleging in a new Equal Employment Opportunity Commission filing that he was terminated based on assumptions that he was transgender.
Shepard Scalf in the filing says he was assigned female at birth but identifies as male.
According to Monday’s filing with the EEOC, submitted on Scalf’s behalf by the American Civil Liberties Union, the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida, and the law firm of Chanfrau & Chanfrau P.L., the school district fired Scalf on the basis of his sex and the presumption that he is trans.
Scalf was hired for the 2025-2026 school year at Patriot Oaks Academy in the St. Johns County School District to teach language arts to 6th- and 7th-graders, after previously working in another Florida school district.
During the hiring process, Scalf submitted paperwork that disclosed he had been assigned female at birth. He was born with an intersex variation with XY chromosomes, and he lives as and presents as a man.
On Aug. 28, 2025, Patriot Oaks Academy Principal Drew Chiodo scheduled an emergency meeting with Scalf. The principal was directed to read a letter from the school district superintendent informing Scalf that he must either submit his resignation or be fired.
According to the ACLU, Scalf was provided with no legitimate reason for his termination and had not received any prior warnings or disciplinary actions. At the time of his termination, Chiodo told Scalf his work was “exemplary” and that Scalf had “met every expectation.”
“Receiving this ultimatum was confusing and overwhelming. Everything had been going so well — I couldn’t understand why this was happening,” Scalf said. “The start of a school year is always brimming with promise and excitement, and I was looking forward to continuing my teaching career at Patriot Oaks until I was cornered into resigning. It became clear to me that being fired had nothing to do with my qualifications or teaching — it was about who I am.”
According to the filing, Scalf received communications that the termination followed complaints from a parent about his gender identity. However, the filing also claims that his gender identity, sex assigned at birth, and intersex status were never mentioned in his classroom.
In a 2020 ruling, the U.S. Supreme Court in Bostock v. Clayton County found employment discrimination on the basis of actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity is a violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
The ACLU is claiming that under that ruling, Scalf’s rights under Title VII were violated.
“Six years ago, the Supreme Court held in Bostock v. Clayton County that employers cannot fire someone for being gay or transgender because doing so is discrimination because of sex,” said Shana Knizhnik, senior staff attorney with the ACLU’s LGBTQ & HIV Project, in a press release from the ACLU. “The same reasoning protects intersex people, who have long faced discrimination because their bodies and lives do not conform to narrow expectations about what a man or a woman is supposed to be. Mr. Scalf was an exemplary teacher, but despite his performance and qualifications, he was forced out of his job because he did not fit those expectations. As politicians and institutions increasingly seek to police sex and gender, intersex people are too often caught in the crossfire alongside transgender people — but federal civil rights law protects everyone from this kind of discrimination.”
Samantha Past, a staff attorney with the ACLU of Florida, stated in a press release that Florida’s public school system is increasingly hostile towards LGBTQ people.
“At a time when Florida’s public schools are increasingly targeted by disruptive state policies and in the midst of a teacher shortage crisis, St. Johns County School District chose to unlawfully oust a qualified and respected educator. Everyone deserves the opportunity to work and contribute to their community without fear of being targeted because of who they are. Mr. Scalf is no exception,” Past stated.
America 250
Washington Blade publishes ‘Queering America 250’
New magazine chronicles LGBTQ history and contributions to U.S. culture
The Washington Blade this week published a new glossy magazine, titled “Queering America 250,” a look back at the many contributions that LGBTQ people have made to the founding of the country through the present day.
From Colonial times to modern pop culture, the magazine aims to remind readers of some of the many ways queer people have influenced American life.
“As the country commemorates 250 years, we wanted to do our part to ensure LGBTQ contributions to America were not ignored or forgotten,” said Blade Editor Kevin Naff. “As this administration seeks to erase queer identities, it’s more important than ever that we speak up and remind the world that we have always been here and always will be.”
The magazine is divided into chapters addressing queer life in Colonial times, the early 20th century, the late 20th century, and the 21st century. There’s a story about D.C.’s role in LGBTQ visibility; a top 40 moments in queer pop culture piece; and a series of opinion pieces and photo pages from the Blade’s historic archive.
The magazine is free and available across the D.C. region during Pride. It’s also available online.
You can find the magazine here: Annie’s, As You Are, Bunker, Crush, DIK Bar, District Eagle, Green Lantern, Her Diner, Jane Jane, JR.’s, Icon, Kiki, Larry’s Lounge, Little Gay Pub, Nellie’s, Number Nine, Pitchers, Red Bear Brewing, Shakers, Sinners and Saints, Spark Social House, Fireplace, Thurst, Trade, Uproar, Whitman-Walker Health, Destination DC, Mayor’s Office of LGBTQ Affairs, DC Center, SMYAL, HRC, Bite the Fruit, 350 Bakery, Logan 14 Aveda Salon Spa, Vida Fitness U Street and Logan Circle, Freddie’s Beach Bar, Destination Tomorrow. The magazine is also available at D.C. and Northern Virginia libraries.
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Obama Center opens with tributes to marriage equality, LGBTQ progress
Intersex teacher alleges Fla. school fired him over perceived trans identity
Washington Blade publishes ‘Queering America 250’
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