District of Columbia
Local gay couple among first to donate blood under new FDA policy
Revised rules ease restrictions for gay, bi men

A gay couple from Reston, Va., became one of the first gay or bisexual men in the D.C. area to donate blood on Aug. 7, on the first day that the American Red Cross implemented the U.S. Food and Drug Administrationās new guidelines for blood donor eligibility.
The new guidelines, approved by the FDA on May 11, ease longstanding restrictions on blood donations by gay and bisexual men that had effectively prevented people from donating blood based on their sexual orientation.
The two men, Doug Anderson, 51, a longtime Red Cross employee, and Dan Bennett, 56, a senior director for the Medallia personnel management and software company, said they were delighted to finally become eligible to donate blood.
āThereās so much of a need for blood,ā Anderson told the Washington Blade. āSo, itās really nice to be included so we can also give back to this life-saving mission,ā he said.
āI was able to give blood previously and itās been many, many years since Iāve been able to give,ā Bennett said. āThis is something that I feel very proud to be able to do and to represent our community.ā
The previous FDA policy that has just been replaced required men who have sex with men [MSM] to abstain from sex for three months before they would be eligible to donate blood.
The new policy, according to a statement released by the FDA in May, eliminates time-based deferrals for donating blood and screening questions specific to men who have sex with men and women who have sex with MSM.
The FDA statement says the new policy puts in place a screening process that asks all prospective donors regardless of their sexual orientation to answer a series of individual, risk-based questions to determine their eligibility for blood donation.
āThe implementation of these recommendations will represent a significant milestone for the agency and the LGBTQI+ community,ā the statement quotes Dr. Peter Marks, director of the FDAās Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, as saying.
But the FDAās blood donor policy change also puts in place restrictions based on certain sexual activity that applies to everyone, not just gay or bisexual men.
āAll prospective donors who report having a new sexual partner, or more than one sexual partner in the past three months, and anal sex in the past three months, would be deferred to reduce the likelihood of donations by individuals with new or recent HIV infection,ā the statement says.
āAdditionally, under these final recommendations, those taking medication to treat or prevent HIV infection (e.g., antiretroviral therapy (ART), pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP), will be deferredā from donating blood, the statement continues.
āThough these antiretroviral drugs are safe, effective, and an important public health tool, the available data demonstrate that their use may delay detection of HIV by currently licensed screening tests for blood donations, which may potentially give false negative results,ā it says.
An FDA spokesperson said the deferral will be for three months after someone discontinues the PrEP and PEP medications and three months after someone who had engaged in anal sex with a new or more than one sex partner. All donors must also have a negative test result for HIV infection.
Anderson and Bennett said a diverse group of people joined them in turning out to donate blood on Aug. 7 at the Red Cross headquarters building at 430 17th St., N.W., near the White House.
āWhen the Red Cross announced it would be the first to implement that new policy, I talked to my husband Dan about it,ā Anderson said. āAnd I kind of teased him. I said I think itās ābring your husband to work day.ā
Anderson noted that he works at the D.C. Red Cross headquarters building where blood donation drives are often held and where the building was host to the blood donations of Aug. 7.
āAnd I wondered if he would come with me on the very first day of eligibility to donate blood together, because it was something I didnāt think we would ever see in our lifetime,ā he said.
Bennett enthusiastically agreed to join his husband in donating blood on that day. He noted that Red Cross officials arranged for a crew to capture some of those, including he and his husband, on video as they donated blood. The video is part of an effort to inform the public that people who were ineligible to give blood can now do so.
āSo, to be part of this, to be able to get that message out there and awareness ā itās really important,ā he told the Blade. āSo, I believe this will educate people more and drive them out to want to give blood and to participate.ā
A New Era in Blood Donation from American Red Cross on Vimeo.
District of Columbia
Whitman-Walker celebrates opening of new Max Robinson Center
Mayor, city officials call facility major benefit for Southeast D.C.

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, joined by city officials and leaders of Whitman-Walker Health, cut a ceremonial ribbon on Monday to mark the official opening of Whitman-Walkerās new Max Robinson Center at the cityās St. Elizabethās East campus in Southeast D.C.
The six-story healthcare and research facility will enable Whitman-Walker to expand its wide range of services to the community, with a focus on Ward 7 and Ward 8 residents, officials said. Those services, which began when the facility opened its doors on Aug. 14, include primary, dental, and HIV care, behavioral health services, substance use counseling, and a pharmacy, according to a Whitman-Walker statement.
āToday, weāre opening a bigger Max Robinson Center, and in two years weāll be opening a new hospital on this same campus ā and together, these two facilities are going to change the way we deliver healthcare in D.C.,ā Bowser told the crowd of about 200 that turned out for the event held in a courtyard next to the newly opened building.
āWeāre incredibly grateful that Whitman-Walker is part of the legacy that weāre building on the St. Elizabeths East campus,ā the mayor said. āThis campus represents our commitment to Ward 8 and our community to a stronger, healthier, and equitable D.C.ā
Whitman-Walker and city officials noted that the new building replaces the longtime LGBTQ supportive health care organizationās original Max Robinson Center that opened in 1993 on Martin Luther King Boulevard in Anacostia about a mile away from the new facility. The center was named in honor of award-winning TV news journalist Max Robinson who became the first African American to serve as co-anchor of a network news program at ABC News in 1978. Robinson died of complications associated with HIV/AIDS in 1988.
Bowser and others who spoke at the event praised Whitman-Walker for providing high quality healthcare through its Max Robinson center for underserved communities in city neighborhoods east of the Anacostia River.
The opening of the new Max Robinson Center comes on Whitman-Walkerās 50th year since its founding in 1973 as an LGBTQ community health clinic in a church basement in Georgetown, Whitman-Walker CEO Naseema Shafi noted at the ribbon cutting event.
āWe are thrilled to unveil this once-in-a-lifetime healthcare and research expansion during our 50th anniversary year,ā Shafi said. āOur new healthcare home will significantly improve access to excellent healthcare for all residents,ā she said.
Among other things, the new facility will allow Whitman-Walker to serve an additional 10,000 patients per year more than it was able to serve at the original Max Robinson Center, a statement released by Whitman-Walker says. An important part of its services will include mental health and behavioral services, officials said.
There are more than 40 exam rooms, eight dental suites, six group therapy rooms and a psychotherapy suite in the new facility, the officials said in the statement.
The statement says the new building will also serve as headquarters for the Whitman-Walker Institute, an arm of the healthcare organization that for many years has conducted HIV related research. It says the new facility will allow Whitman-Walker to expand its research āfrom 19 to over 60 clinical trials, including innovations in cancer research and continued progress toward finding a cure for HIV.ā
Others who attended or spoke at the event included D.C. Council members Christina Henderson (I-At-Large), Trayon White (D-Ward 8), and Vincent Gray (D-Ward 7); Japer Bowles, director of the Mayorās Office of LGBTQ Affairs; Latrena Owens, executive director of St. Elizabeths East Development; and Debrah Wells, a Whitman-Walker patient who said the substance use treatment and counseling she received at the Max Robinson Center āsaved my life.ā
Also speaking were Louis Dubin, managing partner of Redbrick development company, which led the development of the building project; and Jim Davis, president of Davis Construction, the company that built the new facility. Both pointed out that they worked with banks and other lenders along with financial support from the city that made the financing of the new Max Robinson Center possible.
Whitman-Walker CEO Shafi told the Washington Blade after the ribbon cutting event that while Whitman-Walker has expanded its services to include the wider community in the years since its founding as an LGBTQ clinic, its commitment to serving the healthcare needs of the LGBTQ community continues in all its facilities, including the new Max Robinson Center.
āWhatās interesting about Whitman-Walker of today ā when we started in 1973, we were started by community for community, and we were responding to the needs at that time particularly of the LGBTQ community,ā she said. āSo, now weāve continued to take care of people, we will continue to do so,ā she added.
āAnd this new site in Congress Heights gives us the opportunity to take care of even more community members, parts of the LGBTQ community and the greater Washington region,ā she said, noting that Whitman-Walker currently has about 2,500 transgender or gender expansive people in care, and 3,500 people with HIV in care.
District of Columbia
Man charged in 2019 D.C. gay murder sentenced to 16 years
Distraught family members urged judge to hand down longer prison term

Former U.S. Navy Hospital Corpsman Collin J. Potter, 31, who earlier this year pleaded guilty to second-degree murder while armed for the Jan. 6, 2019, stabbing death of gay D.C. resident Vongell Lugo, was sentenced Sept. 15 by a D.C. Superior Court judge to 16 years in prison and five years of supervised probation upon his release.
The sentencing took place at a hearing in which Assistant United States Attorney Peter V. Roman, the lead prosecutor in the case, described in gruesome detail how Potter stabbed Lugo 42 times inside Lugoās Northwest D.C. apartment shortly after the two met at a D.C. bar and Potter accepted Lugoās invitation to come to the apartment.
Superior Court Judge Marisa Demeo handed down her sentence after listening to testimony by Lugoās mother, brother, and sister, and seven of Lugoās friends, who presented highly emotional victim impact statements describing Lugo as a beloved figure whose brutal murder had a devastating impact on their lives.
Nearly all of the 10 who spoke ā eight in the courtroom and two through a live video hookup ā urged the judge to hand down a far greater prison term than the 14 to 16-year sentence that prosecutors with the Office of the U.S. Attorney for D.C. offered and Potter accepted in exchange for pleading guilty as part of a plea bargain deal. The plea arrangement made it clear that the judge would make the final decision on what the sentence should be.
Under D.C. criminal law, judges have the discretion to hand down a sentence of up to life in prison for a second-degree murder conviction.
Many of the family members and friends wept as they described Lugo, 36, as a loving, caring person who enriched their lives and who was taken from them by Potter in an unimaginable act of violence.
The sentencing took place a little over seven months after Potter, who was 26 at the time of the murder, pleaded guilty to the charge of second-degree murder while armed and prosecutors dropped their original charge of first-degree murder while armed and other related charges as part of the plea bargain deal.
Court records show that at the request of prosecutors, a D.C. Superior Court grand jury on Aug. 20, 2019, indicted Potter on five counts related to the murder, including two counts of first-degree felony murder while armed, felony murder while armed with aggravating circumstance, and kidnapping.
The U.S. Attorneyās Office has declined to disclose why prosecutors offered the plea deal that included dropping those charges and allowing Potter to plead guilty to second-degree murder rather than bringing Potter to trial on the first-degree murder and other charges.
Attorneys familiar with this type of case have said prosecutors usually offer a plea deal when they are uncertain whether they can convince a jury to find someone guilty beyond a reasonable doubt at a trial.
At the Sept. 15 sentencing hearing, Potterās defense attorney, Matthew Davies of the D.C. Public Defender Service, told the judge one reason why the plea offer made sense was it avoided a trial in which Potter would likely have used the defense of insanity or severe mental health problems, that Davies said his client is currently grappling with.
Davies pointed to information submitted by the defense that Potter has a history of trauma brought about by being sexually abused as a child. He said Potter also has an alcohol abuse problem and related mental health issues, and those factors led to the stabbing incident that took the life of Lugo.
He asked the judge to hand down a sentence of 14 years of incarceration, saying that would adequately serve the cause of justice for this case.
The subject of Potterās mental health also surfaced in a 10-page sentencing memorandum that Roman filed in court two days before the sentencing, and which Roman summarized at the hearing, including the recommendation of a sentence of 16 years of incarceration.
The sentencing memo begins by describing Lugo as an āopenly gay man who was born and raised in Trinidad & Tobago before emigrating to the United States with his family several years ago.ā One of Lugoās friends told the Washington Blade that Lugo had been working as an associate manager for a company that provides language translation services.
The sentencing memo says police arrived at Lugoās apartment about 4 a.m. on Jan 6, 2019, when two neighbors called 911 after hearing Lugo screaming for help through the walls of their adjoining apartments.
It says police arrived shortly after Potter, who was fully nude and covered in Lugoās blood, had dragged Lugoās nude body outside the apartment door into the apartment building hallway.
āAfter the police arrived, the defendant made several statements,ā the sentencing memo says. āHe repeatedly referred to Mr. Lugo as his girlfriend and as a female and stated that Mr. Lugoās injuries were self-inflicted,ā the memo continues. āThe defendant then banged his own head against the wall and started screaming obscenities and that he did not want to live,ā it says.
Several of the close to 20 friends and family members of Lugo who were sitting in the courtroom as prosecutor Roman presented these details were crying.
Defense attorney Davies told the judge that he informed Potter that he had a strong defense based on mental health issues if the case went to trial. But Davies said Potter expressed strong opposition to going to trial and subjecting Lugoās family to additional trauma.
Court documents show Potter was arrested at the scene and has been held in jail since that time as the case dragged on for more than four years since the January 2019 murder.
Court records also show that Lugo and Potter met at the Black Whiskey, a bar on 14th Street, N.W. where Lugo was a regular customer. Although some of Lugoās family members and friends who spoke at the sentencing hearing said they considered the murder a hate crime, court records show police and prosecutors did not list the case as a hate crime.
āHe was a beautiful gay man, and everyone loved him,ā Hannah Donnelly, one of Lugoās friends and co-workers said in presenting her victimās impact presentation in the courtroom.
Another friend said in her impact statement that Lugo invited her to join him to watch D.C.ās Capital Pride parade. She and nearly all the others who presented their impact statements at the hearing were not gay or lesbian themselves but said Lugo was beloved because he always did all he could to help them and support them in their everyday lives.
āHe was like a brother to me,ā said Gregory Porter, one of Lugoās friends who, along with his wife, presented their victim impact statements in the courtroom. āThere was never a thought that he would no longer be a part of our life,ā Porter told the judge. āWe ask for equal justice. We ask the court to invoke the maximum possible sentence,ā he said.
Victoria Lugo, Lugoās mother, was the first of the family members and friends to deliver her victimās impact statement. Looking directly at Potter, she told him there was nothing her son could have done to him to justify what Potter did.
āYou have taken my child from me, Mr. Potter,ā she said while crying. āMy heart hurts,ā she continued. āNo mother should have to go through this.ā
Potter, who was dressed in an orange prison jumpsuit, accepted Judge Demeoās invitation to speak before she handed down her sentence.
āIād like to say I am truly very sorry,ā Potter told the judge. āI accept the consequences of my action,ā he said. āI feel I will spend the rest of my life having a positive impact on other peopleās lives to make up for what I have done,ā he said.
After listening to Potter, the presentations by Lugoās family members and friends and hearing remarks from prosecutor Roman and defense attorney Davies, Judge Demeo said she would accept the plea agreement. She said the circumstances surrounding the case, including what she called the ābrutal nature of the crime,ā warranted that she issue a sentence representing the upper end of the plea agreement of 16 yearsā incarceration and five years of supervised release.
She said she would order that the facility where Potter is incarcerated will provide him with mental health treatment.
āThere is no doubt that this was a horrific crime,ā she said. āVongell Lugo was shown by witnesses to be a wonderful soul,ā she added.
District of Columbia
Brent Minor steps down as head ofĀ Team DC
LGBTQ sports organization grew under his leadership

Brent Minor, executive director of the D.C. area LGBTQ sports organization Team DC, announced in a Facebook posting on Thursday that he is stepping down from his position.
āAfter more than 20 years of leading Team DC, first as its board president and then as the executive director, I have decided it is time to move on and retire from this part of my life,ā Minor said in his announcement.
āIt has been a joy and a privilege to establish and grow this organization over the years and help make sports a more welcoming place for all participants,ā he said.
Minor has been credited with helping Team DC become one of the nationās largest LGBTQ sports organizations, which currently includes more than 40 LGBTQ or LGBTQ-supportive sports teams or sports leagues as affiliated members.
Under Minorās direction, Team DC has also established annual Pride Night Out LGBTQ game day events held in the arenas or stadiums for at least a dozen D.C. professional sports teams, including the Washington Nationals baseball team, the Washington Wizards basketball team and the Washington Commanders football team.
As many as 10,000 LGBTQ sports fans and their supporters have attended the Night Out at the Nationals games in recent years.
āI am grateful beyond words to all of my friends and colleagues like you who have helped me in this effort,ā Minor said in his Facebook posting.
āTeam DC is poised to take on the next phase of its journey and so am I,ā he wrote. āStay tuned for what is next!ā
Minor told the Washington Blade he will leave his position at Team DC next week at a time of the year when there are not as many events and activities that the organization becomes involved with.
Miguel Ayala, the current president of the Team DC board of directors, said the organization would be putting out a statement on Sept. 18 announcing plans for the organization going forward.
The executive directorās position has been Team DCās only full-time paid staff possible for the nonprofit, mostly volunteer organization.
āItās something Iāve been toying with for quite a while,ā Minor told the Blade. āAnd it just seemed like a good time in the life of the organization,ā he said.
Minor added that that Team DC officials will have sufficient time to plan the 2025 World Pride Sports Festival scheduled to be held in D.C. as part of the international LGBTQ World Pride celebration.
āSo, this will allow enough time for whoever is going to be doing that to have time to get in and make sure itās kind of their thing,ā Minor said. āSo, I think the timing was just right.ā
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