District of Columbia
In ‘watershed moment,’ Catholic Cardinal apologizes for church treatment of LGBTQ people
Remarks came during Archdiocese of Washington LGBTQ prayer service
In what is believed to be a first-of-its-kind event, Cardinal Wilton Gregory, who has served since 2019 as leader of the Catholic Archdiocese of Washington, D.C., held a Jan. 22 prayer service for members of the local LGBTQ Catholic organization Dignity Washington.
The service, which is like a Catholic mass but doesn’t include the offering of holy communion, took place at 6:30 p.m. at Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Georgetown.
Dignity Washington officials said the event came about after they met with Gregory at his diocesan office in September and he agreed to their invitation for him to hold a religious service for the local LGBTQ community.
Dignity Washington President Vince Rodriguez told the Washington Blade he and fellow Dignity members were honored and moved that Gregory went beyond just holding the service by offering an apology for the way the church has treated LGBTQ people.
“There is no room for religious bigotry that is largely fueled by lack of knowledge and ignorance on the part of peoples who may call themselves religious but whose behavior violates the basic tenets of most of the great faith traditions of the world,” Gregory said in written remarks that he read as part of his homily or sermon at the prayer service.
“I apologize for my own failure to emulate Christ’s compassion,” he stated in his remarks. “The way that we have treated our LGBTQ brothers and sisters has brought them tears and to many of us disgrace,” he told those attending the service.
“I apologize from the heart for the hurt that has resulted in the loss of so many of our family members who belong to God no less than I do,” he said.
“I apologize not only for those whose past actions have scandalized and wounded these men and women. I apologize for my own lack of courage to bring healing and hope, and I ask forgiveness,” Gregory said in concluding his remarks.
“It was very powerful, very moving,” according to Rodriguez, who said about 80 mostly Dignity members attended the prayer service on a cold night.
Peter Daly, a retired Catholic priest and Dignity Washington member, said that due to an oversight by someone in the archdiocesan office, the office did not contact Dignity to inform the group that the service had been scheduled for Jan. 22 until just under two weeks before that date. He said Dignity officials scrambled to get the word out in time for people to make plans to attend.
“And it turned out to be a wonderful service,” Daly told the Blade. “His homily was exceptional. I’ve never heard an archbishop or a cardinal, and I’ve heard a lot of them, say and offer an apology not only on behalf of himself but on behalf of the church and other hierarchs for the way the LGBTQ community has been treated,” Daly said.
“I think Cardinal Gregory’s remarks are a watershed moment in the relationship between the Archdiocese of Washington and the LGBTQ+ community,” said Jeannine Gramick, a Catholic nun and official with the local LGBTQ Catholic group New Ways Ministry.
“I am hopeful this will set an example for other bishops to embrace Dignity communities across the U.S.,” she told the Blade. “Dignity was the first group in the world to organize and speak up for their rights as baptized LGBTQ+ Catholics.”
Pope Francis on Jan. 6 named Cardinal Robert McElroy of San Diego, who has a record of support for the LGBTQ community, to replace Cardinal Gregory, who is retiring, as the next Archbishop of Washington, D.C, which is the official title of the Catholic Church leader of the D.C. archdiocese.
McElroy is scheduled to be installed in his new position at a March 11 ceremony at D.C.’s Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.
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/
District of Columbia
Celebrations of life planned for Sean Bartel
Two memorial events scheduled in D.C.
Two celebrations of life are planned for Sean Christopher Bartel, 48, who was found deceased on a hiking trail in Argentina on or around March 15. Bartel began his career as a television news reporter and news anchor at stations in Louisville, Ky., and Evansville, Ind., before serving as Senior Video Producer for the D.C.-based International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers union from 2013 to 2024.
A memorial gathering is planned for Friday, April 10, 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. at the IBEW International Office (900 7th St., N.W.), according to a statement by the DC Gay Flag Football League, where Bartel was a longtime member. A celebration of life is planned that same evening, 6-8 p.m. at Trade (1410 14th St., N.W.).
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