District of Columbia
D.C. college students still reeling from Trump’s police takeover
‘Feeding into the racist, homophobic conceptions of crime’
LGBTQ college students in Washington, D.C. are still reeling from President Donald Trump’s decision two months ago to take over the local police force and deploy National Guard troops to patrol the city’s streets.
But to hear two students at Georgetown University tell it, queer students at the school don’t just fear the possibility of being profiled by police officers on campus. Queer students have also become apathetic toward the city’s law enforcement mechanisms, particularly as news reports show that Trump’s decision has led to an increase in racial profiling and disproportionately affected immigrants.
“It’s been upsetting in the sense that there’s more police presence near our university. The police on our campus, [Georgetown University Police Department], is a lot more active,” Allie Gaudion, a senior at Georgetown and advocacy director of Georgetown University Pride, said in an interview. “It feels suffocating, almost.”
Gaudion recounted an incident where “students felt unsafe” during a club fair after spotting National Guard and Drug Enforcement Agency officers walking through Georgetown’s campus. Gaudion added that there were concerns about whether students were being targeted or not.
“For a lot of students, it’s about international students being harassed or having their immigration status threatened,” Gaudion said.
Trump in August deployed the National Guard to the nation’s capital, claiming that Washington had been overrun by “bloodthirsty criminals” and “roving mobs of wild youth” — even though violent crime in the city has been declining and D.C.’s Metropolitan Police Department reported a 30-year low in 2024 with rates dropping by an additional 26 percent in early 2025, and homicides down 12 percent year-over-year.
Initially, the White House said Trump’s takeover would last 30 days. However, the Army extended orders for the National Guard to remain deployed in the city until late November.
LGBTQ groups have publicly opposed Trump’s decision, arguing that an increased police presence in the city only escalates tensions. As Capital Stonewall Democrats President Howard Garrett put it back in August, “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.”
Devin Weil, a sophomore at Georgetown and communications director for Georgetown University Pride, emphasized how D.C. has become “scary” for “more vulnerable groups and queer students, especially international students.” (Over 4,500 students at Georgetown were international students in the fall of 2024, according to the college’s data.)
“Especially with the mass ICE deportations that have been occurring and the presence of federal agents, they’re going to attack marginalized groups without reason,” Weil said of the concerns some of his peers have shared with him. “[ICE] was literally detaining GrubHub drivers. It’s insane.”
“It’s feeding into the racist, homophobic conceptions of crime,” Weil added.
Despite the concerns around the impact of increased police presence in the city, queer students have begun contributing to efforts to make their campuses safer. Georgetown’s broader student association is drafting a resolution that would bar ICE agents’ presence on their campus, Weil said. Georgetown’s student association is also teaming up with organizations at other colleges to push university leadership to “send federal agents off of campuses,” Weil added.
For Gaudion, nothing demands more investment into Georgetown’s queer community than the current moment. Gaudion helps host weekly social events with the goal of connecting queer students and building a supportive environment. These events are “chill” and for “students to be able to just complain about whatever is going on in their lives or just have a cup of tea and a snack and feel better.”
“We’re trying to highlight queer voices and support queer voices and make sure that we’re cognizant and aware of what’s going on in our communities even if we’re [at Georgetown] temporarily,” Gaudion said.
Is she afraid that these gatherings could become an easy target for police officers?
Gaudion said no changes will be made to Georgetown University Pride’s programming.
“I don’t think being less present would be helpful to anyone,” she said. “ So we’re advertising and doing all of our programming as normal.”
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/
LGBTQ Catholic groups slam Trump over pope criticism
Grindr to host first-ever White House Correspondents’ Dinner party
Charlie Kirk Act advances in Tenn.
Belarusian president signs bill to allow LGBTQ rights crackdown
‘The Pitt’ stars discuss what season two gets right about queer representation
Trump budget targets ‘gender extremism’
Viktor Orbán ousted in Hungarian elections
How to navigate shifting tenant expectations
Court orders Pride flag to return to Stonewall
