Local
Likely NYC Council candidate attends D.C. fundraiser
Elmendorf hosts event for Corey Johnson who may run to replace Quinn
More than 40 people attended a fundraiser for gay presumptive New York City Council candidate Corey Johnson in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday night.
Gay Reps. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) and Jared Polis (D-Colo.) co-chaired the event that took place at gay Democratic lobbyist Steve Elmendorf’s home. Virginia state Sen. Adam Ebbin (D-Alexandria) and columnist and Democratic strategist Karl Frisch were among those who attended.
“It was a real moving show of support for me from friends and allies down here in the District that I’ve been able to work with over the years,” Johnson, 30, told the Blade on Wednesday.
Elmendorf praised the likely candidate.
“Corey is a close personal friend and I offered to help him because I admire the guts he showed when he first came out as a high school quarterback; the dedication he has shown to the LGBT community and his passion for public service,” he said in an e-mail. “I have met a lot of candidates during my time in politics and government and he is one of the best.”
The former Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation staffer has not officially declared his candidacy, but he launched an exploratory committee in early April. Three of Johnson’s likely challengers in the 2013 Democratic primary—lawyer Yetta Kurland, Manhattan Community Board 2 Chair Brad Hoylman and Andrew Berman—are gay.
He would succeed lesbian New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn if elected.
“It says a lot on how far we’ve come,” said Johnson when asked about the fact that all three of his likely opponents are gay. “In many places in this country there aren’t LGBT elected officials. … In New York City things have progressed to such a point that I believe in certain parts of the city, voters no longer look at what a person’s sexual orientation is, they look at their history, their track record, their biography and what their vision is for the district. I believe all of us will be judged on that, so I think it shows tremendous progress that we’ve gotten to that point.”
Johnson, who has chaired Manhattan’s Community Board 4 since last July, attended the D.C. fundraiser three days after Quinn married her long-time partner Kim Catullo.
He acknowledged that he does not always agree with the likely 2013 mayoral candidate, but Johnson said that Quinn and her predecessor, gay New York State Sen. Tom Duane (D-Manhattan) are well known outside the district. He also pointed out that he has publicly disagreed with Mayor Michael Bloomberg over the New York Police Department’s controversial stop and frisk policy, a law that requires contractors that receive at least $1 million in tax breaks and low-interest financing to pay their employees at $10 an hour and a measure that would provide paid sick leave to New Yorkers who don’t already receive it from their employers.
Johnson also described Bloomberg’s decision to appeal a New York State Supreme Court judge’s 2005 decision that struck down a ban on nuptials for gays and lesbians as disappointing. The mayor has subsequently backed marriage rights for same-sex couples.
“I’m always happy to welcome anyone that wants to come to our side and help fight for our rights,” said Johnson. “The mayor has done that most recently and he’s someone that we should use as an ally as we move forward.”
Johnson first rose to prominence in 2000 when the New York Times published a story about him playing on his Massachusetts high school’s football team. He worked as former New York City Public Advocate Mark Green’s political director during his unsuccessful 2006 state attorney general campaign. Johnson has also written for the gay blog Towleroad.
“Since I was 17 years old, I’ve always been engaged and involved in political advocacy and working for non-profits to try to affect real change in the world,” he said.
Johnson said he does not have any higher political aspirations if elected to the City Council.
“My goal is just to be on the City Council,” he said. “My sole focus is to be elected to the City Council and be the best Council member possible in the West Side of Manhattan with all the neighborhoods that encompass this district.”
Rehoboth Beach
Former CAMP Rehoboth official sentenced to nine months in prison
Salvator Seeley pleaded guilty to felony theft charge for embezzlement
Salvator “Sal” Seeley, who served as an official with the Rehoboth Beach, Del., CAMP Rehoboth LGBTQ community center for 20 years, was sentenced on April 5 by a Sussex County Superior Court judge to nine months in prison and to pay $176,000 in restitution to the organization.
The sentencing took place about five weeks after Seeley pleaded guilty to a charge of Theft in Excess of $50,000 for allegedly embezzling funds from CAMP Rehoboth, a spokesperson for the Delaware Department of Justice told the Washington Blade.
Seeley’s guilty plea came shortly after a grand jury, at the request of prosecutors, indicted him on the felony theft charge following an investigation that found he had embezzled at least $176,000 from the nonprofit LGBTQ organization.
“Salvatore C. Seeley, between the 27th day of February 2019 and the 7th day of September 2021, in the County of Sussex, State of Delaware, did take property belonging to CAMP Rehoboth, Inc., consisting of United States currency and other miscellaneous property valued at more than $50,000, intending to appropriate the same,” the indictment states.
“The State recommended a sentence of two years of incarceration based on the large-scale theft and the impact to the non-profit organization,” Delaware Department of Justice spokesperson Caroline Harrison told the Blade in a statement.
“The defense cited Seeley’s lack of a record and gambling addiction in arguing for a probationary sentence,” the statement says. “Seeley was sentenced in Superior Court to a nine-month prison term and to pay a total of $176,000 in restitution for the stolen funds,” Harrison says in the statement.
Neither Seeley nor his attorney could immediately be reached for comment.
At the time of Seeley’s indictment in February, CAMP Rehoboth released a statement saying it first discovered “financial irregularities” within the organization on Sept. 7, 2021, “and took immediate action and notified state authorities.” The statement says this resulted in the investigation of Seeley by the state Department of Justice as well as an internal investigation by CAMP Rehoboth to review its “financial control policies” that led to an updating of those policies.
“As we have communicated from day one, CAMP Rehoboth has fully cooperated with law enforcement,” the statement continues. “At its request, we did not speak publicly about the investigation while it was ongoing for fear it would jeopardize its integrity,” according to the statement. “This was extremely difficult given our commitment to transparency with the community about day-to-day operations during the recent leadership transition.”
The statement was referring to Kim Leisey, who began her job as CAMP Rehoboth’s new executive director in July of 2023, while the Seeley investigation had yet to be completed, following the organization’s process of searching for a new director. It says Seeley left his job as Health and Wellness Director of CAMP Rehoboth in September of 2021 after working for the organization for more than 20 years.
“Mr. Seeley’s actions are a deep betrayal to not only CAMP Rehoboth but also the entire community we serve,” the statement says.
Maryland
Christian Siriano to serve as grand marshal of Annapolis Pride Parade
Fashion designer is an Annapolis native
BY JOHN-JOHN WILLIAMS IV | He’s conquered fashion week. His designs have slayed the red carpet during award season. And now Christian Siriano is coming home.
The Annapolis native will serve as grand marshal and keynote speaker June 1 for the annual Annapolis Pride Parade and Festival, which is a major coup as the event enters its fourth year.
The rest of this article can be read on the Baltimore Banner’s website.
District of Columbia
As You Are bar closes temporarily, citing problems with building
Shutdown comes two months after fundraising appeal brought in $170,000
As You Are, the LGBTQ café and bar located in the Barracks Row section of Capitol Hill near the Eastern Market Metro station, has announced on its Instagram page that problems associated with its building at 500 8th St., S.E., forced it to “temporarily” close on April 8.
“As you may be aware, As You Are’s location in Eastern Market has been closed since April 8, when we began to have concerns about the physical condition of the building,” the Instagram message states. “We worked quickly to alert our landlord, and they have assessed the building with their engineers,” the message says.
“We understand that certain repairs need to be made to ensure the safety of our staff, patrons, and community,” the message concludes.
In one of two more recent videos posted on Instagram on April 17 and 26, As You Are co-owners Jo McDaniel and Rachel Pike said they did not have any update on when they can reopen. “The engineers and contractors have all come into the space, and we’re just waiting on a plan and a timeline from our landlord,” McDaniel said in the video.
Pike mentioned in one of the videos that As You Are has a Venmo app set up, and said they appreciate the support they have been receiving from the community. McDaniel added, “We’re really interested in supporting our team through this, as this is an unexpected loss of income for all of us.”
McDaniel didn’t immediately respond to a request from the Washington Blade for a further update on where things stand with the building repair project and the specific nature of the problems with the building. An earlier message posted on the As You Are website said, “Heavy rain damaged the back wall of our building, and we are closed to assess and repair.”
The message added, “Regular updates and ways to support can be found on our Instagram page @asyouaredc.”
The April 8 shutdown came a little over two months after As You Are issued a GoFundMe appeal on Feb. 5 seeking emergency financial support to prevent it from closing in February due to a $150,000 debt. In a display of strong community support, its $150,000 fundraising goal was reached in less than a week. By the following week, the GoFundMe appeal had pulled in more than $170,000 from more than 3,000 individual donations.
Many of the donors left messages on the GoFundMe page for As You Are expressing their strong support for the bar and café, saying it served as a uniquely supportive space for all members of the LGBTQ community.
In the GoFundMe message, McDaniel and Pike said their goal in opening their business in March 2022 was to offer community center type programming beyond just a bar and café.
“AYA is a café, bar and dance floor that hosts diverse programming nearly every night of the week, including social sport leagues, Queer youth socials, weekly karaoke, book clubs, open mics, Queer author events, dance parties, and much more,” the two said in their message.
The building’s owner and the As You Are landlord, Rueben Bajaj, who is the principal operator of the Bethesda, Md., based real estate firm White Star Investments, couldn’t immediately be reached for comment. The Washington Post reported that he contributed $500 to the As You Are GoFundMe appeal, saying, “I personally want to see As You Are succeed.”
United Methodist Church removes 40-year ban on gay clergy
Republican state AGs challenge Biden administration’s revised Title IX policies
University students have a right to protest
Former CAMP Rehoboth official sentenced to nine months in prison
Christian Siriano to serve as grand marshal of Annapolis Pride Parade
Md. governor signs Freedom to Read Act
HHS reverses Trump-era anti-LGBTQ rule
4th Circuit rules gender identity is a protected characteristic
PHOTOS: Capital Pride Pageant
