District of Columbia
Log Cabin Republicans accused of disrupting Kennedy Center performance by ‘liberal’ musician
‘A calculated attempt to intimidate and harass me at my own show’
Yasmin Williams, an Alexandria, Va.-based, internationally acclaimed guitarist, has accused members of the D.C. chapter of the gay GOP group Log Cabin Republicans of disrupting her Sept. 18 performance at the Kennedy Center by booing and heckling her.
Williams posted her account of the incident on Facebook, writing, “This is clearly a calculated attempt to intimidate and harass me at my own show, as well as the staff working the show. This is completely unacceptable and I will not allow this to go unnoticed. I will not be harassed and intimidated by anyone, especially these folks. Please share this post. If they would do this to me, they would do this to you… to anyone! Don’t let fascism go unchecked. Power to the people!”
According to reports by Washingtonian magazine and the Washington Post, booing and hissing by about 20 or more Log Cabin members or others began at the start of Williams’s free concert at the Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage after she said she does not support the Trump administration’s recently appointed leadership team at the Kennedy Center.
“I do not support the new board at all. I don’t support anyone affiliated with them,” the Post quoted her as saying at the start of her performance.
“I don’t support anyone affiliated with the Trump administration at all, especially you, Ric Grenell,” the Post quoted her as saying. Those comments drew “some applause and boos,” the Post reported.
Williams was referring to Richard ‘Ric’ Grenell, the longtime gay Republican activist, former national Log Cabin Republicans leader, and longtime Trump supporter, who Trump appointed in February as the new Kennedy Center president.
D.C. Log Cabin Republicans President Andrew Minik did not immediately respond to a request from the Washington Blade for comment on the Log Cabin presence at the Kennedy Center on Sept. 18.
In response to a similar request by the Blade for comment sent by email, the Kennedy Center sent the Blade an excerpt from the Washington Post story about the Log Cabin-Williams interaction that quotes from a statement Kennedy Center spokesperson Roma Daravi sent to the Post.
“This is an absolutely ridiculous claim,” Daravi’s statement says. “They did not heckle and frankly it is defamation of character for her to say that,” she told the Post in her statement. “Republicans are patrons too and they are welcome at the Kennedy Center just like everyone else,” she said.
Information about D.C. Log Cabin’s plans to attend the Williams performance surfaced on Sept. 16 when Minik sent an email on behalf of the group to its members announcing that the location of the group’s regularly scheduled September meeting had been moved to the Kennedy Center’s rooftop restaurant.
“Thanks to the Kennedy Center’s generosity, we will enjoy an open bar and an unforgettable evening together,” he wrote. “To make the night even more special, members are invited to arrive early for the 6:00 p.m. Millennium Stage performance by Yasmin Williams – with complimentary tickets provided,” Minik said in his email.
He added in his message that the meeting scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. would still be joined by its previously scheduled guest speakers, U.S. House members Nicole Malliotakis (R-N.Y.) and Carlos Gimenez (R-Fla.).
In a follow-up email sent on the day of the meeting, Sept. 18, Minik reminded members to arrive early for the performance by Williams, who he said is an “apparently vocal opponent of President Trump and the Kennedy Center’s decision to hold a vigil for Charlie Kirk.” Minik added, “Let’s make sure the audience is filled with patriots!”
The Post reported that Williams said a brief period of booing, which could be heard in a live-streamed video posted by the Kennedy Center, was the only disruption of her performance. She said the “hecklers” left the area after about 15 minutes into her show, the Post reports.
Washingtonian reports that Williams told the publication she became alarmed when “security officers” showed up shortly before she appeared on stage, leading her to believe she could be in danger due to hostile audience members.
“There were about 20 guys in suits, and some of them were wearing MAGA hats,” Washingtonian quoted her as saying. “They booed and heckled me” she is quoted as saying. “They tried to derail my concert, but fortunately they were outnumbered,” she told Washingtonian, adding after about 15 minutes the “protesters” relocated to a different area away from the concert.
In her message to the Post, which her office sent to the Blade, Kennedy Center spokesperson Daravi stated, “This is an absolutely ridiculous claim.”
Daravi added that there were no security concerns related to Williams’s performance.
“There was no coordinated effort by the Kennedy Center. Grenell had no involvement. We did not even know they were coming,” her statement sent to the Blade says.
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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