District of Columbia
LGBTQ groups to join 60th anniversary March on Washington
Organizers say Aug. 26 event marks continuation of MLK’s work
At least five national LGBTQ rights organizations will participate in the 60th anniversary March on Washington: A Continuation of Dr. King’s Work, which is scheduled to begin Saturday, Aug. 26, with a rally at the Lincoln Memorial.
The LGBTQ organizations participating in the event include the National LGBTQ Task Force, whose executive director, Kierra Johnson, is scheduled to speak at the pre-march rally.
Also participating is the LGBTQ group National Black Justice Coalition, whose Director of Public Policy and Programs, Victoria Kirby York, is also scheduled to speak at the Lincoln Memorial rally.
The other LGBTQ organizations scheduled to participate include the D.C.-based Center for Black Equity and the Human Rights Campaign and PFLAG.
The National LGBTQ Task Force and PFLAG this year are celebrating the 50th anniversary of their founding in 1973.
PFLAG, formerly known as Parents And Friends of Lesbians And Gays, currently uses just the PFLAG name and describes itself as the “largest organization dedicated to supporting, educating, and advocating for LGBTQ+ people and their families.”
Earl Fowlkes, executive director of Center for Black Equity, said representatives from his organization and from HRC and PFLAG participated in a conference call with organizers of the march, who welcomed the LGBTQ organizations’ participation.
Among the lead organizers of the 60th anniversary March on Washington are Martin Luther King III, the oldest son of Martin Luther King Jr.; his wife, Andrea Waters King; and longtime civil rights leader Rev. Al Sharpton.
“My dad’s speech at the March on Washington nearly 60 years ago was a profound moment in American history,” King III said in a statement. “Despite the significant progress we have made over these six decades, we need to rededicate ourselves to the mission my dad gave his life for,” he said.
“The March on Washington will not just be a commemoration but a continuation of what Dr. King and our predecessors started,” Sharpton said in the statement released by the event’s organizers. “We must remember why we are still marching: civil rights of Black, Brown, Asian, Jewish, LGBTQ Americans and women are under relentless attack,” Sharpton said.
“I am honored to stand with the King family as we bring together these groups for a historic, cross-cultural and cross-generational demonstration to show that an attack on one of us is an attack on all of us,” Sharpton said. “Together, we will show the nation the strength in our unity and our resolve to realize Dr. King’s dream of a fair nation for all of us.”
The statement released by the event’s organizers says a pre-program for the rally and march was scheduled to begin at 8 a.m. at the Lincoln Memorial, with the main program set to begin at 11 a.m. at the Lincoln Memorial site.
“Following the program, a march will begin through the streets of the nation’s capital,” the statement says, adding that additional details such as the route of the march would be released soon.
Longtime D.C. African-American and LGBTQ rights advocate Phil Pannell said this year’s inclusion of an LGBTQ speaker at the March on Washington rally represents a continuation of a welcoming of LGBTQ participation in the event over the past 20 or more years.
But Pannell said former D.C. Congressional Del. Walter Fauntroy, the lead organizer of the first of the resumed MLK Washington marches that took place in 1983, marking its 20th anniversary, strongly opposed allowing an LGBTQ person to speak at the event. Pannell points out that he and three other Black gay activists held a protest against Fauntroy’s position at his Capitol Hill office that resulted in their getting arrested. The Washington Blade reported their arrests in a news story.
Shortly after their arrests, “there was a conference call of all the major civil rights leaders and Audrey Lorde, a Black lesbian writer and poet, was put on the program” as a speaker, Pannell said in a text message to the Blade.
“There will be an LGBT speaker this Saturday,” Pannell added. “So, getting arrested 40 years ago was worth it.”
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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