District of Columbia
Two D.C. gay bar customers stabbed on sidewalk near Dupont Circle
Judge orders woman held without bond, calls for mental health exam
D.C. police on Aug. 18 arrested a 35-year-old woman on two counts of assault with a dangerous weapon after two men who had just stepped outside the gay bar Fireplace at the corner of 22nd and P streets, N.W., reported she struck them in the neck with a sharp object.
Police and court records show the incident took place about 7:30 p.m.
One of the two men, who was sitting on a bench on the sidewalk at a bus stop in front of the Fireplace who was stabbed by the woman, was taken to a nearby hospital after he was bleeding “profusely” from the neck from the stab wound, according to an arrest affidavit filed in D.C. Superior Court.
However, the affidavit says that person, listed as Victim 2, was recovering from his injury and the other person attacked by the woman, Victim 1, suffered a less serious neck wound that did not require hospitalization.
Larry Ray, a Fireplace customer who knows the two victims, said they had stepped outside the bar to smoke a cigarette minutes before they were attacked.
The arrest affidavit says Victim 1 was standing on the sidewalk in front of the Z-Burger carryout restaurant located two doors away from the Fireplace when the woman allegedly attacked him.
Police and court records identify the woman as Mary Kennedy, 35, of no fixed address. She has been held in jail without bond since the time of her arrest on Aug. 18.
She appeared for a preliminary hearing on Tuesday, Aug. 22, when D.C. Superior Court Judge Sean Staples turned down a request by her court-appointed defense attorney asking that she be released while awaiting trial on grounds of “her lack of criminal history.”
The judge ordered that Kennedy undergo a mental health exam before returning to court on Aug. 28, for a follow-up hearing, when he said he would evaluate whether she was mentally capable of understanding the court proceedings.
The arrest affidavit says a uniformed U.S. Secret Service officer initially apprehended Kennedy minutes after she fled from the scene after stabbing the man sitting at the bus stop.
The affidavit says a bystander who observed the incident who is identified as Witness 1 and the two victims told police that Kennedy had no verbal interaction with either of the victims. The two stabbings were an “unprovoked action,” according to the affidavit.
The affidavit also reports that at the time D.C. police arrived on the scene and placed Kennedy under arrest “a scissor with blood on it” was recovered from Kennedy’s purse. The scissor is listed as the weapon used in the two stabbings.
A D.C. police incident report says the two stabbings are not listed as suspected hate crimes.
The Fireplace’s day manager, who identified himself as Scott, told the Washington Blade the two stabbings had nothing to do with the Fireplace.
“They just walked out to get some air,” he said. “It had nothing to do with the bar. They were at the wrong place at the wrong time. It was just some crazy lady.”
But the Fireplace customer who was attacked by the woman while sitting at the bus stop, who wrote about how he was attacked on social media, including Twitter and Facebook, said he considers the attack against him a hate crime. The Blade reached out to the man for comment in a Facebook message, and he replied that he did not object to being identified by his name, Lawrence Goodwin Jr.
“I feel that this was a hate crime,” he told the Blade in a Facebook message. “I feel this was an attempt on my life and I feel I deserve some form of justice as I’m actively seeking counsel.”
In one of his Facebook postings, Goodwin said he is grateful to the D.C. Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department technician who arrived on the scene and aggressively pressed down on his neck to stop the bleeding and who he believes saved his life. He says in one of his postings that the stab wound was a “hair off” from a vital artery that could have killed him if the stab wound was in a slightly different place on his neck.
Goodwin also created a GoFundMe page in which he says the injury from the stabbing incident prevented him from returning to work for at least a week with no pay while he recuperates.
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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Comings & Goings
Minimal version of ‘Streetcar Named Desire’ heading to Dupont Underground
