Local
Danica Roem takes office in Va. Senate
2024 legislative session began in Richmond, Annapolis on Wednesday
State Sen. Danica Roem (D-Manassas) on Wednesday became the first transgender person seated in the Virginia Senate.
The Manassas Democrat last November defeated Republican Bill Woolf to represent the 30th Senate District. Roem in 2018 became the first trans person seated in a state legislature in the country when she assumed her seat in the Virginia House of Delegates.
“The voters have shown they want a leader who will prioritize fixing roads, feeding kids and protecting our land instead of stigmatizing trans kids or taking away your civil rights,” said Roem after she defeated Woolf.
Democrats last November regained control of the House of Delegates. They have a 21-19 majority in the state Senate. Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin will remain in office until his term ends in 2025.
State Dels. Rozia Henson (D-Prince William County), Laura Jane Cohen (D-Fairfax County) and Adele McClure (D-Arlington County) took office on Wednesday. They are gay, bisexual and queer respectively. State Del. Joshua Cole (D-Fredericksburg), a bisexual man who was in the House of Delegates from 2020-2022, returned to Richmond on Wednesday.
House Speaker Don Scott (D-Portsmouth) is the first Black House of Delegates speaker.
State Sen. Adam Ebbin (D-Alexandria) and state Del. Mark Sickles (D-Fairfax County), who are both gay, won re-election last November. State Dels. Kelly Convirs-Fowler (D-Virginia Beach) and Marcia “Cia” Price (D-Newport News), who are bisexual and pansexual respectively, returned to the House of Delegates.
Ebbin and Sickles have introduced resolutions in their respective chambers that seek to repeal a state constitutional amendment that defines marriage as between a man and a woman. Ebbin and Henzon have also sponsored bills that would reaffirm marriage equality in Virginia.
Voters approved the Marshall-Newman Amendment in 2006.
Same-sex couples have been able to legally marry in Virginia since 2014.
The General Assembly in 2021 approved a resolution that seeks to repeal the Marshall-Newman Amendment. It must pass in two successive legislatures before it can go to the ballot.
The state Senate last year approved Ebbin’s resolution that sought to repeal the marriage amendment. Senators in 2023 also passed the gay Alexandria Democrat’s marriage equality affirmation bill.
A House of Delegates subcommittee last year tabled the resolution. State delegates also did not consider the marriage equality affirmation bill before the 2023 legislative session ended.
“Virginians want a chance to remove the noxious marriage language that was added to our constitution in 2006,” said Sickles in a press release.
The marriage equality resolutions and bills are among Equality Virginia’s 2024 legislative priorities.
Roem on Tuesday noted to the Washington Blade during a telephone interview that Republican lawmakers have once again introduced anti-LGBTQ bills. These include a measure to ban trans athletes from school sports teams that correspond with their gender identity.
“Those bills died last year,” said Roem. “The patrons of those bills lost their election.”
“They learned nothing from the election,” she added.
Md. General Assembly’s 2024 legislative session begins
The Maryland General Assembly’s 2024 legislative session also began on Wednesday.
FreeState Justice in a press release notes the organization this year is “working with our partners in government and advocates across the state to remove statutes that stigmatize and criminalize HIV, to codify protections for gender affirming care and to respond to a recent state Supreme Court decision that weakened our anti-discrimination protections.”
“We will fight against harmful rhetoric and mean-spirited bills targeting LGBTQ+ youth and students,” said FreeState Justice. “We are collaborating with advocates and government officials to secure real oversight and other reforms for our criminal justice system. We’re working to make vital documents more trans-inclusive, advocating for healthcare access and affordability, urging state leaders to push their federal counterparts to publish the Equal Rights Amendment, and seeking necessary updates to pay practices for the benefit of workers.”
State Del. Gabriel Acevero (D-Montgomery County) has reintroduced a bill that would create a Commission on History, Culture and Civics in Education. The Montgomery County Democrat on Wednesday told the Blade the commissioners would represent African American, Latino, LGBTQ, Indigenous, Asian American and Pacific Islander communities.
“Their responsibility is to essentially look at our school curriculum, figure out how it can be more inclusive and teaching of the various histories of all these groups,” he said.
State Del. Ashanti Martínez (D-Prince George’s County) has introduced a bill that would explicitly ban discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in insurance and credit lending in Maryland.
“We have federal protections that are already in place, but it’s always good to have state level protections, especially with what potentially can happen on the national level with the Trump presidency,” Martínez told the Blade on Wednesday. “We want to make sure that our communities are protected here in Maryland, no matter who’s in the White House.”
This year’s legislative session began weeks after Meghan Lewis, a trans woman, was killed outside her Bel Air home. FreeState Justice in its press release notes it supports “efforts to keep our communities safe by reducing gun violence, stepping up enforcement against hate crimes, and expanding victims’ access to emergency shelter and other resources.”
“The General Assembly has an excellent opportunity to continue its work uplifting Maryland’s LGBTQ+ community during this legislative session,” said Phillip Westry, the group’s executive director.
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.
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Congratulations to Peter Schott on being honored by Delaware Gov. Matt Meyer on National Honor our LGBTQ Elders Day.
Schott is a prominent LGBTQ advocate and seasoned political strategist who has spent decades advancing civil rights at the national and state levels. Following a distinguished 25-year career as a staff assistant in the U.S. House of Representatives, Schott leveraged his extensive legislative expertise to help organize the National Stonewall Democrats, serving as an influential member of its national board.
After moving to Delaware in 2002, he became a foundational figure in the state’s LGBTQ political landscape, co-founding the Delaware Stonewall PAC, (now Stonewall Delaware) to champion the election of pro-equality candidates. His strategic lobbying and community organizing were instrumental in the successful passage of Delaware’s landmark non-discrimination, civil union, and marriage equality laws. A former member of the State Human Relations Commission, he remains a vital voice for the LGBTQ community in the Mid-Atlantic, continuing to document and drive social progress through his activism and writing. Schott currently serves as vice chair of the Delaware Democratic Pride Caucus, and a board member of Speak Out Against Hate (SOAH). He was a delegate to two Democratic National Conventions.
He earned a bachelor’s degree in Political Science, New York University; and a master’s of Public Administration degree from American University.
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