Local
Eckington ‘Safety walk’ and rally planned to protest anti-gay attacks
Thursday night event backed by GLOV, neighborhood activists
Gay activist Nick McCoy, a resident of the city’s Eckington neighborhood, is calling on the LGBT community to join him at 7 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 9, for a “safety walk” and rally at the site where a gay male couple was attacked and beaten on July 22.
“I live in that neighborhood,” McCoy told the Blade on Tuesday. “In light of the July 22nd attack on 3rd and T, N.E., and the increasing tension in our neighborhood, Amy Loudermilk and I have been working on putting together a rally and Safety Walk in the Eckington-Bloomingdale neighborhood,” McCoy said in a Facebook posting.
“No one should have to walk in fear on the streets of D.C. because of hate,” he said. “Whenever any community is targeted, we all have a duty to stand together.”
McCoy and other organizers have called on supporters to meet at 7 p.m. Thursday night at the Big Bear Café at 1700 1st Street, N.W., which is near 1st and R Street, N.W. He said plans call for participants to walk from the Big Bear to 3rd and T Streets, N.E., where police say gay yoga instructor Michael Hall Jr. and his partner Michael Roike were punched in the face and body by three unidentified male youths.
A police report says the youths shouted anti-gay names at Hall and Roike before they fled the scene. Roike said the suspects fled when a woman who lives in a nearby house and a male friend shouted at the suspects. The report lists the incident as a suspected anti-male homosexual hate crime.
Roike said he and Hall live about two blocks from where they were attacked. He said the two men had just gotten out of an Uber car, which they hired to take them home after a night out at a restaurant and bar on Capitol Hill.
Hall suffered a broken facial bone and fractured jaw at the hands of the attackers which required surgery to treat.
Officials with the local group Gays and Lesbians Opposing Violence (GLOV), who say they will participate in the Thursday night walk, said the July 22 attack was the latest in a series of recent anti-LGBT assaults that have taken place in the city this year.
“We’re organizing a rally and safety walk through this neighborhood to say no to violence and WE SHALL NOT BE MOVED!” McCoy wrote in his Facebook announcement.
“We will have a start up rally at Big Bear Café and walk down R Street north towards North Capital [Street] in the direction of Lincoln Street toward T Street,” his message says. “We will end where we began at Big Bear Café. We are asking for your support.”
McCoy said representatives GLOV, the D.C. police department’s Gay and Lesbian Liaison Unit, the D.C. Coalition Against Domestic Violence, and the police department’s Critical Incident Team were scheduled to participate in the event.
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.
Maryland
Evan Glass is leaning on his record. Is that enough for Montgomery County’s top job?
Gay county executive candidate pushing for equitable pay, safer streets, and cleaner environment
By TALIA RICHMAN | During a meet-and-greet at Poolesville Memorial United Methodist Church, Evan Glass got his loudest applause of the night with a plan he acknowledged was decidedly unsexy.
“Day one, I’ll hire a director of permitting services,” the county executive candidate said.
Doing so, he added, is a step toward easing the regulatory burdens that can stifle small businesses in Montgomery County.
The only problem? At least one of his fiercest competitors is making a similar pledge.
The rest of this article can be read on the Baltimore Banner’s website.
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.
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