Local
Another gay murder victim in Baltimore
Man accused of stabbing boyfriend
Jermaine Jackson, 28, was arrested and charged in the homicide of his boyfriend. (Photo courtesy Baltimore City Police)
Less than three weeks after Tamala Harris was charged in connection with the stabbing death of her girlfriend Tekeya Amanda Johnson in the 6000 block of Amberwood Road in Northeast Baltimore, another murder involving a gay couple allegedly occurred on Oct. 11.
Andre Nicholas, 28, who performed a variety of handyman jobs at Club Bunns, was found dead in the basement of his boyfriend’s mother’s home at the 2500 block of Garrett Ave. Nicholas’ boyfriend of about a year and a half, Jermaine Jackson, also 28, was arrested and charged in the homicide.
According to police charging documents, Jackson’s mother told police that the suspect was in the basement of her house with a male friend when she left the dwelling in the morning. She reported that she returned home around 6 p.m. to cook dinner when her son came up from his room in the basement telling her there was a dead body in his bed.
Jackson then told his mother to get important papers together because they needed to leave the house. When she asked what happened, Jackson told his mother, “he choked and stabbed Nicholas because the victim wanted him to do something he didn’t want to do,” police wrote in the documents.” What that alleged request entailed has not yet been identified.
The mother walked partway down the steps and saw what she believed was a body wrapped in plastic on Jackson’s bed. She then called police and the fire department. Upon arriving at the scene, police discovered a male wrapped in a sheet and plastic suffering from apparent stab wounds. Nicholas was pronounced dead at the scene.
A photo of the corpse was posted on Jackson’s Facebook page then removed following protests from the victim’s friends. Police are reportedly investigating how the photo was posted during the time Jackson was in custody.
Mark McLaurin, a close friend of Nicholas who knew the couple well, told the Blade that Nicholas frequently spent the night at Jackson’s mother’s home. “Andre was always the much bigger personality, and Jermaine was more quiet and laid back but not at all standoffish, almost shy but affable and approachable. It’s impossible to know what happened that day but I never would have guessed in a million years that Jermaine would kill Andre.”
McLaurin, a D.C. resident and political director for the Service Employees International Union Local 500 added, “Our community has lost so many, but this one is particularly hard.”
Court documents indicate Jackson was charged with Murder in the First Degree, Murder in the Second Degree, Assault in the First Degree, Assault in the Second Degree, Possession of a Dangerous Weapon with Intent to Injure and Possession of a Concealed Dangerous Weapon.
A preliminary hearing is set for Nov. 18 in District Court at 1400 E. North Ave. in Baltimore.
Maryland
Parents sue Anne Arundel schools, allege officials hid child’s gender transition
America First legal Foundation filed lawsuit on July 8
By CODY BOTELER | Two parents, backed by a conservative nonprofit group, are suing Anne Arundel County Public Schools over the school system’s policies related to transgender children.
The suit, filed Wednesday in Maryland’s U.S. District Court, accuses staff at an unidentified county high school of lying to the parents, identified as John Doe and Jane Doe, about their child, identified as Mary Doe.
The Does allege the school “socially transitioned” their child without notice or their consent by using a masculine name and masculine pronouns for Mary Doe.
The rest of this article can be found on the Baltimore Banner’s website.
District of Columbia
Campaign launched to elect more LGBTQ candidates to ANC seats
Capital Stonewall Democrats behind Queering ANCs effort
The Capital Stonewall Democrats, D.C.’s largest local LGBTQ political group, announced on July 7 it has launched a campaign to help elect large numbers of LGBTQ candidates to the city’s Advisory Neighborhood Commissions.
The D.C. local government is believed to be unique among U.S. cities in currently having 46 Advisory Neighborhood Commissions consisting of 345 single-member districts in neighborhoods throughout the city in which unpaid Advisory Neighborhood Commissioners are elected for two-year terms.
The commissions are charged with considering a wide range of policies and programs impacting their neighborhoods, including traffic, parking, recreation, street improvements, liquor licenses, zoning, economic development, police protection, sanitation and trash collection, and D.C.’s annual budget, according to the ANC website.
Although the ANCs do not have authority to set or reject policies or proposals, such as applications for liquor licenses, city agencies are required to give “great weight” to ANC recommendations, according to the law creating the ANCs.
Kent Boese, a gay former ANC commissioner, currently serves as executive director of the D.C. Office of ANCs.
“We are launching the most ambitious hyperlocal LGBTQ+ candidate pipeline initiative in the country,” said Stevie McCarty, the Capital Stonewall Democrats president, in a July 7 statement that announced the Queering ANCs campaign.
“As an ANC member, I know firsthand how these seats shape our neighborhoods, from housing and public safety to sanitation,” McCarty says in the statement. “I’m proud to lead this effort to ensure more LGBTQ+ Washingtonians see themselves as leaders in their communities,” he said.
The ANC Rainbow Caucus, which was created by LGBTQ ANC members, shows on its website that there are currently 38 caucus members consisting of elected LGBTQ ANC commissioners serving in the current 2025-2026 two-year term.
The website shows there are LGBTQ commissioners who are caucus members in each of the city’s eight wards, with six in Ward 1, eight in Ward 2, one in Ward 3, six in Ward 4, five in Ward 5, three in Ward 6, eight in Ward 7, and one in Ward 8.
The Washington Blade couldn’t immediately determine how many of them will be running for re-election in D.C.’s general election in November. But McCarty said Capital Stonewall Democrats hopes to recruit many more LGBTQ candidates to run for ANC seats.
The D.C. Board of Elections website shows the deadline for filing 25 required petition signatures to be placed on the ballot is Aug. 5.
A Queering ANCs website launched this week by Capital Stonewall Democrats provides details on how to run for an ANC seat and offers help for those interested in running.
“Think of someone in your building, neighborhood, friend group, community organization, or professional network who cares deeply about D.C. and would make a strong leader,” McCarty says in his statement. “Send them QueeringANCs.org and personally ask them to consider running,” he said.
The website can be accessed at QueeringANCs.org.
Baltimore
Ron Singer, owner of popular Mount Vernon gay bar Leon’s, dies
66-year-old’s funeral to take place Friday
By CAYLA HARRIS | Ron Singer, the owner of Baltimore’s popular gay bar Leon’s Backroom, died Tuesday, the venue announced in a social media post. He was 66.
“For more than 20 years, Ron made Leon’s a place so many people were proud to call home,” the post reads. “He will be deeply missed.”
The Mount Vernon bar, typically open from 4 p.m. to 2 a.m. daily, is still open Thursday, but doors will close at midnight so staff can attend his funeral Friday morning. Services are scheduled to begin at 9:30 a.m. at Sol Levinson’s Chapel.
The rest of this article can be read on the Baltimore Banner’s website.
Un terremoto también se vive desde el exilio
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