Virginia
Arlington police investigating thefts of Pride flags at home of lesbian couple
Supportive neighbor sends replacements
Police in Arlington, Va., are investigating the repeated theft of an LGBTQ Pride flag at the home of a lesbian couple that took place on at least four different days between Sept. 16, 2023, and Jan. 21, 2024, according to a police statement released to the Washington Blade.
The statement says the home where the thefts took place is located on the 200 block of South Courthouse Road, which is near the Fort Myer U.S. Army base. Police have listed the thefts as larcenies that remain under investigation.
“Within hours after it would come down, we would put it back up,” Michelle Logan, 30, told the Washington Post, which published a story on the thefts on Jan. 29. “It was just a constant wave of putting it back up and it being taken down,” Logan told the Post.
Logan and her partner, Jenna Burnett, 27, also told the Post that their home security camera captured images of a man wearing a cowboy hat pulling down the flag on two of the four times the flag was removed.
The police statement obtained by the Blade says the reporting party told police a male suspect and two male witnesses approached the house on Sept. 16, with one of the suspects removing the Pride flag before fleeing the scene on foot. The statement says the person removing the flag is described as a white male.
The Blade couldn’t immediately reach the couple for comment.
The two women told the Post they believe the same male suspect wearing a cowboy hat removed the flag the second time on Sept. 30 based on images from their security camera. The police statement says police received reports that the flag was stolen at the same location again on Dec. 16 and at least one more time on Jan. 21, but no description of a suspect was given for those two instances.
The Post reports that the women said their video camera captured the image of a man without a cowboy hat removing the flag and the flagpole from their porch and walking away during the most recent incident.
The two women told the Post they began raising money from neighbors and friends on social media in response to the theft of their Pride flags and have been donating the money to the Trevor Project, a nonprofit group that provides support and a crisis hotline for LGBTQ youth. They said at least one neighbor sent them two Pride flags in case the thefts continue.
“The investigation into these incidents is ongoing,” the police statement says. “Anyone with information or home surveillance that may assist the investigation is asked to contact the Arlington Police Department’s tip line at 703-228-4179 or [email protected],” the statement says. “Information may also be reported anonymously through the Arlington County Crime Solvers hotline at 1-866-411-TIPS (8477),” it says.
In a separate case, police in Montgomery County, Md., reported an unidentified suspect was captured on a video security camera on Nov. 7, 2023, tearing up and pulling down part of a two-story tall LGBTQ Pride banner from the outside wall of Bethesda United Methodist Church in Bethesda, Md. That case also remains under investigation according to police.
A gay man was murdered in Petersburg, Va., on March 13.
Shyyell Diamond Sanchez-McCray, who was also known as Saamel and Mable, was a drag queen who won the Miss Mayflower EOY pageant in 2015. Reports also indicate Sanchez-McCray, 42, was a well-known community activist in Virginia and in North Carolina.
Local media reports indicate police officers found Sanchez-McCray shot to death inside a home in Petersburg.
Sanchez-McCray’s brother, Jamal Mitchell Diamond, in a public statement the Washington Blade received from Equality Virginia and GLAAD, said Sanchez-McCray was not transgender as initial reports indicated.
“Our family has always embraced the fullness of who he was. He used the names Saamel, Shyyell, and Mable interchangeably, and we honor all of them. There is no division within our family regarding how he is being represented — only a shared commitment to preserving his truth with love and respect,” said Diamond.
“He was also deeply committed to community work through Nationz Foundation, where he worked and completed multiple state-certified programs to support marginalized communities,” added Diamond. “That work meant a great deal to him.”
Authorities have not made any arrests.
The Petersburg Bureau of Police has asked anyone with information about Sanchez-McCray’s murder to call Petersburg-Dinwiddie Crime Solvers at 804-861-1212.
Virginia
Virginia General Assembly’s 2026 legislative session ends
Voters in November will consider repealing marriage amendment
The Virginia General Assembly’s 2026 legislative session ended on March 14.
Lawmakers have yet to approve a budget, but they did pass a resolution that paves the way for a referendum on whether to repeal the state’s constitutional amendment that defines marriage as between a man and a woman. Lawmakers also advanced House Bill 60, which would protect PrEP users from insurance discrimination.
Democratic Gov. Abigail Spanberger has until April 13 to decide to pass, amend, or veto legislation before it goes back to the House of Delegates on April 22.
Spanberger on Feb. 6 signed the bill that sets the stage for the marriage amendment referendum. Voters will consider whether to “remove the ban on same-sex marriage; (ii) affirm that two adults may marry regardless of sex, gender, or race; and (iii) require all legally valid marriages to be treated equally under the law?”
Equality Virginia has been working during this legislative cycle to urge lawmakers to allocate funding towards LGBTQ rights. The budget would expand funding for schools, competency training for the 988 suicide hotline, and funding to provide gender affirming care to LGBTQ youth.
“As the budget moves through conference and the Reconvene Session approaches on April 22, Equality Virginia remains focused on ensuring our victories this session translate into durable protections,” Equality Virginia Executive Director Narissa Rahaman told the Washington Blade in a statement. “Progress on marriage equality, nondiscrimination protections, and HIV care funding was essential, but Virginia must do more.”
Virginia
Va. lawmakers consider partial restoration of Ryan White funds
State Department of Health in 2025 cut $20 million from Part B program
The Virginia General Assembly is considering the partial restoration of HIV funding that the state’s Department of Health cut last year.
The Department of Health in 2025 cut $20 million — or 67 percent of total funding — from the Ryan White Part B program.
The funding cuts started with the Trump-Vance administration passing budget cuts to federal HIV screening and protection programs. Rebate issues between the Virginia Department of Health and the company that provides HIV medications began.
Advocates say the funding cuts have disproportionately impacted lower-income people.
The Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program, a federal program started in 1990, provides medical services, public education, and essential services. Part B offers 21 services, seven of which remained funded after the budget cuts.
Equality Virginia notes “in 2025, a 67 percent reduction severely destabilized HIV services across the commonwealth.”
Virginia lawmakers have approved two bills — House Bill 30 and Senate Bill 30 — that would partially restore the funding. The Ryan White cuts remain a concern among community members.
Both chambers of the General Assembly must review their proposed changes before lawmakers can adopt the bills.
“While these amendments aren’t a full restoration of what community-based organizations lost, this marks a critical step toward stabilizing care for thousands of Virginians living with HIV,” said Equality Virginia Executive Director Narissa Rahaman. “Equality Virginia plans to continue their contact with lawmakers and delegates through the conference and up until the passing of the budget.”
“We appreciate lawmakers from both sides of the aisle who recognized the urgency of this moment and will work to ensure funding remains in the final version signed by the governor,” added Rahaman.
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