Local
Anti-gay graffiti reappears on Silver Spring building
Vandal strikes again at office building
A vandal has again scrawled the words ‘no gay’ along a white cement wall surrounding a downtown Silver Spring office. (Washington Blade photo by Lou Chibbaro Jr.)
An unidentified vandal has once again scrawled the words “no gay” dozens of times along a white cement wall surrounding a downtown Silver Spring office building, prompting the building’s property manager to call on the public to help police identify the person responsible.
“It’s the same wording, the same marker, the same handwriting — it’s the same person obviously,” said Tony Eastridge, who manages maintenance operations at 1100 Wayne Ave., an upscale high-rise office building less than a block from Silver Spring’s recently opened Metro Transit Center.
“The first thing tomorrow we’ll be out painting over it,” Eastridge said on Tuesday. He noted that rainy weather on Monday and Tuesday prevented his maintenance staff from covering up the graffiti sooner. “It’s frustrating,” he said.
In September, the person or persons responsible for the graffiti scrawled repeatedly the same “no gay” message on a similar decorative wall surrounding an adjacent office building at 1010 Wayne Ave., which is owned by the same company that owns the other building, Brandywine Realty Trust.
Thomas Petry, a gay Silver Spring resident who walks past the two buildings on route to the Metro Transit Center on his way to work, said he has observed the anti-gay graffiti appear on the wall surrounding the two buildings every few months for more than a year.
Eastridge said the latest flurry of graffiti appeared behind a bus shelter, which he said appears to be the location where the unidentified vandal often writes his message along the top of the wall at 1100 Wayne Ave.
Lt. Jennifer McNeal, deputy commander for the Montgomery County Police Department’s Third District in Silver Spring, said police opened an investigation into the graffiti incident at the two buildings in September and classified the incident as a form of vandalism.
McNeal said that anyone with information that could help police identify the person responsible for the graffiti should call the police non-emergency dispatcher’s office at 301-279-8000.
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Congratulations to Jaime Christopher Pierce on their appointment to serve as a member of the Virginia Governor’s LGBTQ+ Advisory Board. Pierce was sworn in on Sept. 3 by Greg Parks, clerk of the Alexandria Circuit Court.
Pierce currently serves as vice chair of the Alexandria City LGBTQIA+ Task Force and as a member of the Alexandria Pride planning committee. They previously served on the board of directors of Equality Virginia.
Upon being sworn in, Pierce said, “Public service has been a central part of my life for more than 30 years, and this appointment gives me an opportunity to serve the Commonwealth in a different and very personal way. My career has allowed me to work with people and communities throughout Virginia, and I hope to bring that experience, along with my own lived experience and my involvement in the LGBTQ+ community, to the work of the Board.” They added, “Having Greg administer the oath makes the occasion even more meaningful because of his own historic role as Virginia’s first openly gay elected circuit court clerk.”
Pierce also serves as Circuit Court Services Manager for the Department of Judicial Services, at the Office of the Executive Secretary of the Supreme Court of Virginia. They began their career in Virginia’s judiciary in 1994 as a deputy clerk with the Virginia Beach Circuit Court and have since held several professional and leadership positions within the court system. Pierce is a member of the National Association for Court Management (NACM) and the Mid-Atlantic Association for Court Management. At the national level, Pierce participated in the workgroup that developed the National Association for Court Management’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Guide, a resource designed to help court professionals advance inclusive practices and strengthen access, fairness and belonging within the justice system.
Pierce earned a degree in Criminal Justice from Liberty University, and a certificate in Paralegal Studies from Norfolk State University.
Maryland
Md. groups receive state grants to fight hate crimes
Pride Center of Maryland among recipients
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore and the Governor’s Office of Crime Prevention and Policy are awarding a total of $10 million in grants in the 2027 fiscal year to nonprofit organizations that work to prevent hate crimes in the state.
The funds will be used to support those who feel targeted or discriminated against because of their race, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability status.
The Pride Center of Maryland is among the recipients. Churches, synagogues, mosques, and LGBTQ organizations are all eligible to receive grants
“The safety and security of all Marylanders is my top priority, so we are drawing a hard line because we have no tolerance for hate,” said Moore, according to media reports. “We are committed to protecting and ensuring safe and sacred spaces stay that way by investing in non-profit organizations, houses of worship, and community centers to protect and honor every community that makes our state so diverse and special.”
“Protection Against Hate Crime funding has strengthened the Pride Center of Maryland’s ability to protect, educate, and support the communities we serve … at a time of heightened concern associated with the Trump administration’s anti-LGBTQ/SGL (same-gender-loving) policies and pressures,” Pride Center of Maryland CEO Cleo Manago said. “PAHC funding helps us do more than improve physical security — it strengthens our community’s knowledge, preparedness, connection to resources, and ability to respond to hate with greater awareness and support.”
Maryland’s hate crimes law includes both sexual orientation and gender identity. The state’s nondiscrimination statute is also LGBTQ-inclusive.
District of Columbia
Blade welcomes fall intern
Alexis McLean is student at University of North Florida
The Washington Blade this week welcomed Alexis McLean as its fall intern.
Alexis is studying political science at the University of North Florida in Jacksonville, Fla. She is interning with the Blade as part of a continued partnership with the Washington Center.
“I am looking forward to spending my time in the fall with the Washington Blade, as this is a new experience for me,” said Alexis. “I have not experienced any journalist jobs in the past so this would be my first time, and I am excited to better my writing and communications skills with this internship.”
Alexis’s internship with the Blade ends in early December.
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Md. groups receive state grants to fight hate crimes
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