District of Columbia
Whitman-Walker awarded $22.5 million for new Max Robinson Center
Funding part of federal COVID ‘Rescue Plan’ passed by Congress
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser and an official with the U.S. Department of Treasury announced on Dec. 11 that Whitman-Walker Health has been awarded $22.5 million in federal funds for its recently opened Max Robinson Center facility to expand the facility’s health care and community services operations.
Bowser and Joseph Wender, director of the U.S. Treasury Department’s Capital Projects Fund, delivered the announcement at a press conference at the Max Robinson Center’s new building at the city’s St. Elizabeth’s East Campus in Southeast D.C.
Bowser and Wender said the funds were approved by the Biden administration as part of the American Rescue Plan’s Capital Projects Fund, which was created by legislation approved by Congress and signed by President Biden in 2021 to boost the nation’s economy at the time of the COVID pandemic.
The legislation allocated $10 billion under the Capital Projects Fund for states, D.C., territories, and Native American tribal governments to fund projects related to infrastructure, education, and health care monitoring.
“This investment in Whitman-Walker will spur innovation and create new career and care opportunities for our residents – right here on the St. Elizabeth’s East Campus in Ward 8,” the mayor said at the press conference. “We are grateful for this investment from the Biden administration and for recognizing the critical role that Whitman-Walker plays in building a healthier and more equitable D.C.,” Bowser said.
“And we know that this investment will also spur more research and innovation at the Max Robinson Center, create over 100 new jobs, provide training opportunities for our residents, and create a pipeline of health care talent, which we know we need,” the mayor said.
A statement released by the mayor’s office points out that, among other things, the new funding for the Max Robinson Center will enable it to accept an estimated 10,000 new patients in addition to the 5,000 patients it is currently serving. It says the new funding will also allow the Max Robinson Center to “build two multipurpose community spaces that will support community health and wellness initiatives, as well as 40 examination/consult rooms, 8 dental suites, and 23 group and psychotherapy rooms that will enable expanded telemedicine services.”
In addition, the new funds will enable Whitman-Walker to initiate or expand “workforce training programs, education, and skills in partnership with local universities for D.C. residents interested in administrative and health care roles,” according to the statement.
“The expansion of Whitman-Walker’s Max Robinson Center shows how the Biden-Harris administration’s historic investments are building projects needed to expand access to health, education, and workforce development services,” Wender said at the press conference. He added that the announcement of the new funds for the Max Robinson Center “is a critical part of the president’s commitment to uplifting families and creating an economy that works for everyone.”
Whitman-Walker Health CEO Naseema Shafi and the Whitman-Walker Health System division interim CEO Cindy Lewin also spoke at the press conference and released a joint statement thanking the Treasury Department for its decision to award the funds and thanking the mayor’s office for supporting efforts to bring about the award.
“We are so grateful to the U.S. Treasury and the District of Columbia for this once in a lifetime commitment,” the two said in the statement. “Our new Max Robinson Center is a modern and welcoming health care and research facility built for the purpose of expanding health research and job readiness training for communities with disproportionate health outcomes,” the statement says, adding, “From Max, we will be able to expand care to 10,000 more people annually, be fully prepared for any future health emergency or outbreak and work to eradicate health disparities for resident in Wards 7 and 8 and throughout the city,” the two said.
District of Columbia
‘Queer Love’ campaign launched to address domestic violence
D.C. event set for LGBTQ+ Domestic Violence Awareness Day on May 28
The D.C.-based Wanda Alston Foundation, which provides housing and support services for homeless LGBTQ youth, announced earlier this month that it has joined partner organizations to launch a Queer Love Shouldn’t Hurt campaign aimed at addressing domestic violence within the LGBTQ community.
In a May 18 statement, the Alston Foundation said the campaign involves a public awareness initiative leading up to LGBTQ+ Domestic Violence Awareness Day scheduled for May 28.
“Domestic and family violence in LGBTQ+ communities is real and too often invisible,” Cesar Toledo, the Alston Foundation’s executive director, said in the statement. “As a community, we do not talk about it enough, and that silence can leave survivors feeling isolated and alone,” he said. “We must break that silence.”
He added that culturally competent care for those impacted by domestic violence is available through a newly launched website, queerlove.org, “where people can safely access vital resources, educational toolkits, and support networks they need on their healing journey.”
The website announces one of the project’s first events, a Queer Love Community Social, was scheduled for Thursday, May 28, from 6-8 p.m. at the D.C. LGBTQ+ Community Center at 1827 Wiltberger St., N.W.
“Join us this LGBT+ Domestic Violence Awareness Day for a community social dedicated to visibility and survivor resilience,” the website statement says. “Let’s gather to strengthen our bonds, honor the path to healing, and share free resources,” it says of the May 28 event.
The website also announces a June 1 workshop called Empowering Survivors of LGBTQ+ Intimate Partner Violence, which it says will be presented by Jesse Wedell, an official with the D.C. LGBT+ Counseling Collaborative. The website provides an online form to register for the workshop upon which its location would be disclosed.
It identifies the partner organizations working with the Alston Foundation on the Queer Love Public Awareness Campaign as the LGBT+ Counseling Collaborative, Whitman-Walker Health, the D.C. LGBTQ+ Community Center, and Equality Chamber.
The resources and information provided by the project can be accessed at www.queerlove.org.
District of Columbia
Man accused of threatening to shoot D.C. bar employee after making anti-gay slurs
May 24 incident took place near Black Pride events on U Street
D.C. police on Sunday, May 24, at around 4:20 p.m. arrested a Maryland man for allegedly threatening to shoot an employee while using anti-gay slurs at Ben’s Next Door restaurant and bar at 1211 U St., N.W.
According to a statement released by police and a police incident report, the arrested man, identified as Delonte Fraley, 32, of Accokeek, Md., made the threats after the employee told a bartender not to serve the man alcohol.
“The suspect overheard the employee and threatened to shoot the employee and used homophobic slurs against the employee,” the police statement says. “When the employee left the restaurant for the day, the suspect was standing near the employee’s vehicle,” it says.
“The employee returned to the restaurant and called the police,” the statement continues. “The suspect was apprehended by responding officers,” it says.
The police statement says the arresting officers charged Fraley with Felony Threats (Hate/Bias).
D.C. Superior Court records show prosecutors with the Office of the U.S. Attorney for D.C., which prosecutes D.C. criminal cases, escalated the charge to Threatening to Injure or Kidnap a Person (Bias-Related Hate Crime).
The incident occurred during Memorial Day weekend when thousands of visitors and D.C. area LGBTQ advocates and supporters were attending D.C. Black Pride events held in locations across the city, including Black Pride parties hosted by LGBTQ bars in the U Street entertainment area near Ben’s Next Door.
Among the nearby LGBTQ bars hosting D.C. Black Pride events were Nellie’s Sports Bar and Thurst Lounge. Ben’s Next Door is located next to the popular longtime U Street eatery Ben’s Chili Bowl.
Court records show that Judge Robert R. Rigsby at a May 25 presentment hearing released Fraley on personal recognizance with a stay-away order — the details of which were not publicly disclosed pending a June 4 preliminary hearing.
A more detailed arrest affidavit filed in court by D.C. police says Fraley allegedly confronted the employee at Ben’s Next Door with anti-gay slurs on the day prior to his arrest.
“The complainant told the defendant that because he used homophobic slurs towards himself previously on May 23, 2026, and his hostess, as well as making threats to the complainant and calling him a faggot, he was unable to stay in the establishment,” the affidavit states.
It adds, “The defendant became irate stating, ‘I know where your Tesla is at. See me outside faggot, I will slap your ass’ and ‘I will shoot your ass.’” The affidavit says the complainant confirmed to police the Tesla referred to by Fraley was his vehicle. It says as the victim walked toward his car after getting off work, he saw Fraley standing directly in front of the car.
“The complainant stated he felt unsafe while the defendant was standing in front of his vehicle because he felt the defendant was capable of carrying out those threats,” says the affidavit. It says the victim then decided to return to the restaurant and call police without the defendant having seen him.
“The defendant was placed under arrest for Felony Threats Hate/Bias and was transported to the Third District Station for processing,” the affidavit concludes.
It couldn’t immediately be determined whether the victim identifies as LGBTQ or whether any of the Ben’s Next Door patrons had been involved with D.C. Black Pride.
“Established in 2008, Ben’s Next Door is a family-owned and operated restaurant and bar on U Street, Northwest in Washington, D.C.,” a statement on its website says. “As a Black-owned establishment, it’s our goal to deliver a warm, welcoming, familiar, and communal vibe to all guests,” the statement says.
District of Columbia
Doc on Blade reporter Chibbaro scores Emmy nomination
‘Lou’s Legacy’ chronicles 50-year career
“Lou’s Legacy: A Reporter’s Life at the Washington Blade” has been nominated for a Capital Emmy in the “Documentary – Historical” category by the National Capital Chesapeake Bay Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.
“Our members include all of the video content producers who serve our local audiences in Washington, DC, Maryland and Virginia—from the Atlantic to the Appalachians, from Bristol to Baltimore,” said Capitol Emmys President Adam Longo in a press release.
Broadcast last June by WETA PBS in Washington, D.C. and MPT in Maryland, the documentary was directed and produced by Emmy-nominated filmmaker Patrick Sammon in association with the Mattachine Society of Washington, D.C. Additional nominees who worked on the film include producer Julianne Donofrio and editor Amir Jaffer.
“Lou’s Legacy” tells the story of two D.C. icons — legendary Washington Blade reporter Lou Chibbaro Jr. and beloved drag performer Donnell Robinson, known to generations of Washington audiences as “Ella Fitzgerald.” Through Chibbaro’s nearly five-decade career at the Blade and Ella’s return to the stage after a three-year hiatus following COVID, the 29-minute documentary explores the history of Washington’s LGBTQ community and today’s rising backlash against LGBTQ rights, including laws targeting drag performers.
“We’re honored that Lou’s Legacy has been recognized alongside such an impressive group of historical documentaries,” said Sammon. “This nomination is especially meaningful because the film preserves and celebrates the stories of people who helped shape queer history in Washington, DC — often without recognition from mainstream institutions. We’re deeply grateful to the Mattachine Society, Lou Chibbaro Jr., Donnell Robinson, WETA PBS, and everyone who helped bring this project to life.”
“Lou’s Legacy” premiered on WETA PBS in June 2025 during Pride month. The documentary also broadcast on Maryland Public Television and is streaming nationally on PBS.org. WETA will rebroadcast “Lou’s Legacy” several times during Pride month, including June 15 th at 9 p.m. Winners of the Capital Emmy Awards will be announced at the Capital Emmy Gala on June 20 at the Bethesda Marriott Hotel.
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