District of Columbia
LGBTQ groups denounce takeover of D.C. police – except for one
Log Cabin Republicans alone in endorsing Trump action
Log Cabin Republicans of Washington, D.C., the local chapter of the national LGBTQ Republican organization, has emerged as the only known local LGBTQ group to endorse President Donald Trump’s controversial action earlier this month to federalize the D.C. police department.
Several other local and national D.C.-based LGBTQ political groups have released statements expressing strong opposition to the Trump action, which involves sending in National Guard troops to patrol D.C. streets to fight what the president has called an out-of-control crime wave in the nation’s capital.
“The Log Cabin Republicans of Washington, D.C. commend the President’s decisive leadership in taking control of a crisis that local officials have failed to address,” the group says in a statement. “For decades, Washington, D.C. has suffered under the de facto one-party rule of Democratic leadership,” it says.
“The result has been a steady rise in crime, a decline in public safety, and a culture of complacency toward lawlessness,” the statement continues, adding that D.C. leaders have shown a “blatant unwillingness” to address the issue.
“We thank President Trump for stepping in where local leadership has failed,” D.C. Log Cabin President Andrew Minik says in the statement. “This bold action sends a clear message: the safety of Americans in our nation’s capital is non-negotiable.”
Among the local LGBTQ political groups that have expressed strong opposition to the Trump action and the position of Log Cabin Republicans is the Capital Stonewall Democrats.
“This is nothing more than a political stunt designed to distract and divide,” said Capital Stonewall Democrats President Howard Garrett in a joint statement released with the National Stonewall Democrats organization. “Flooding our neighborhoods with federal forces and seizing control of our police department will not make us safer – it will undermine trust, escalate tensions, and strip away D.C.’s right to govern itself,” he said.
The joint statement by the two LGBTQ Democratic groups also challenges Trump’s claims that crime in D.C. is at an all-time high.
“This is not about safety, it’s about control,” the statement says. “The facts are clear: Violent crime in D.C. is down 26 percent from last year. Robberies are down 22 percent, and homicides have fallen 18 percent,” the statement continues. “These numbers tell the truth – not the fear-driven narrative being pushed from the White House to justify militarizing our streets and commandeering our local police force.”
GLAA D.C., formerly known as the Gay and Lesbian Activists Alliance of Washington, expressed the organization’s opposition to the Trump action in a statement.
“This unprecedented show of force is theater designed to strike fear into our hearts,” the GLAA statement says. “Donald Trump is making reckless power plays while D.C.’s community is experiencing lasting harm. Donald Trump must be stopped by a mass movement of people who recognize the danger he poses to the freedoms we all cherish.”
The Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest national LGBTQ advocacy organization based in D.C., believes the Trump effort to take over the D.C. police force and to send in National Guard troops will have a negative impact on the LGBTQ community, according to Jarred Keller, the HRC Senior Press Secretary.
“By injecting shameful attacks on the LGBTQ+ community alongside threats of occupation in other major American cities, it’s clear this attempted takeover is about much more than the streets of D.C.,” Keller said in a statement to the Washington Blade
“It’s about control and intimidation,” he said. “His actions endanger all families and threaten all our freedoms. We call on all D.C. residents, and all Americans, to stand united in rejecting this blatant abuse of power.”
Kierra Johnson, president of the D.C.-based National LGBTQ Task Force, added her voice to the opposition to the Trump D.C. law enforcement federalization action.
“What is happening is an outrageous targeting of those who live, work in and love the Nation’s Capital,” Johnson said in a statement. “The Trump administration’s actions, taking control of the Metropolitan Police Department and deploying untrained military and government agency armed forces is beyond reprehensible,” Johnson said.
“The National LGBTQ Task Force, whose headquarters has been in D.C. for decades, understands this for what it is – an attack on our city, our people, and our democracy,” she says in the statement. “What we are experiencing now is nothing less than an attempt to occupy our streets and terrorize our residents.”
The D.C. LGBTQ Budget Coalition, which consists of multiple organizations that advocate for resources supporting LGBTQ residents, called the Trump action an “attack on D.C. autonomy.”
“This is a blatant violation of D.C.’s right to self-govern and a dangerous escalation rooted in political theater, not public safety,” the coalition said in a statement. “We stand with local community leaders and other advocates fighting for D.C. to be free.”
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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