District of Columbia
Gay, bisexual men, trans women of color sought for new DC PrEP study
Once every six months injectable HIV prevention drug being tested
The Washington Health Institute, a D.C.-based health care provider and research organization, is inviting people of color who identify as cisgender men, including gay and bisexual men, transgender women and gender nonbinary individuals to participate in a clinical trial for a new injectable HIV prevention medication that needs to be taken only once every six months.
A statement released by the Washington Health Institute says the study will assess the effectiveness of the drug lenacapavir, which has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for use as an effective treatment for people with HIV, as a form of PrEP to prevent HIV infection.
Those participating in the study will receive a payment of $100 each time they visit the Washington Health Institute’s facility at 1140 Varnum St., N.E., to be interviewed and undergo medical tests, according to the statement. It says all PrEP medication and testing for sexually transmitted infections every three months will be given free of charge.
“The purpose of this study is to see if lenacapavir is safe and effective to use as PrEP in Cisgender Men (CGM), and Gender Nonbinary (GNB) people of color, who have condomless receptive anal sex with partners assigned male at birth and are at risk of HIV infection,” the statement says.
Darmani Paramore, a Washington Health Institute official who is directing the study, said the study will last at least a year and most likely longer and will call for participants to come to the Washington Health Institute’s offices three times in the first month. He said after that, participants will come in initially once every four weeks and later once every 13 weeks.
He said this phase of the ongoing testing of lenacapavir as a form of PrEP is focusing on people of color because studies have shown that African Americans considered at risk for HIV have been taking PrEP in far fewer numbers than other population groups at risk for HIV.
Data released earlier this month by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that among blacks in the U.S., only 13 percent of those eligible for taking PrEP are taking it.
According to Paramore, the participants in the lenacapavir study will each be given an injection at the start of the trial and a second injection six months later. He said they will also be given PrEP pills and be told to take them once a day just like the currently used PrEP medication.
Under the trial, which is known as a “double blind” study, either the injection or the pills will be a placebo, which is a harmless substance without any drug in it, Paramore said. This will enable the study to compare the effectiveness of the new injectable lenacapavir with the existing PrEP drugs that have been widely used and shown to be effective in preventing HIV infection.
He said the participants will not know which of two PrEP mediations is the real drug or the placebo, but they will know that one of the two is the real drug and which has been shown to be effective in preventing HIV infection.
Paramore said an earlier phase of the study began in 2020 in other parts of the U.S., which was interrupted by the COVID-19 epidemic and resumed in 2022. He said as of this time, no one taking the injectable lenacapavir as PrEP has tested positive for HIV.
Anyone interested in participating in the study is asked to contact Washington Health Institute at 202-970-6787.
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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