Local
Back to school: How campus life got better
Reflections on change as the class of 1974 meets the class of 2014 at UVA
Bob Witeck (left), who graduated from the University of Virginia in 1974, shown here in Charlottesville. Brendan Maupin Wynn, class of 2014, at UVA’s Serpentine Wall on campus. (Photos courtesy of Witeck and Wynn)
Editor’s note: This is the first installment in a series assessing the LGBT climate on university campuses as told by alumni we’re pairing with current students to tell their stories. This week: Bob Witeck and the University of Virginia. Next in the series: Jeff Trammell returns to William and Mary as rector.
In 1973, Bette Midler flounced out of the Continental Baths in Manhattan to record the chart-topping gay anthem, “You Gotta Have Friends,” but for Bob Witeck, it didn’t come with an instruction manual. With nary a hint of gay life on the campus of the University of Virginia, he sought help in the library.
“There were maybe 10 titles, each of them clinical or scary,” Witeck recalled. “None gave me a sense of hope, promise or acceptance in any way.” So, he buried himself in his studies, anti-war activism and marathon bridge tournaments. He could declare and partner in bridge, but seeking one in life was too risky. Jesse Helms and Anita Bryant were hunting and killing gay civil rights wherever they could. Witeck is from an entire generation of “Friends of Dorothy” — and the gay, straight-A student was asexual.
Such was the state of gay life on America’s college campuses for many closeted students 40 years ago.
Today, brimming with hope, promise and acceptance, Brendan Maupin Wynn walks the same UVA campus that Witeck did four decades earlier — only he’s running for office, signing petitions for any number of progressive causes, and when the mood strikes him, he takes a man on a date.
“I only worry whether my date has a winning smile — never how we’ll be treated at an event,” he says. This straight-A student is gay and makes no apologies for it.
When he learned of this project for the Washington Blade and that he was being paired with Bob Witeck, Wynn responded, “Is this the Bob Witeck who’s the Washington PR magician?” The answer is yes, Brendan, and that magician did a disappearing act when he was in your shoes. Contrasting the two Cavs is the goal of this column and that progress is nothing about which to be cavalier.
LGBT rights advances can be attributed to the work of many straight allies and gay heroes — and on the UVA Grounds, to the Serpentine Society, where LGBT alumni provide straight talk beside the legendary curvy serpentine wall invented by Thomas Jefferson. The Serpentine Society was conceived in 1998 and is dedicated to advocating for LGBT alumni, faculty and students.
It’s simultaneously no one’s fault — and everyone’s — that LGBT students had to live in a quiet isolated closet over much of history. Queers have been in quads since the first Corinthian column was erected on a campus. Today they’re out in the sunshine sitting against that same column.
Who to thank for all this progress? Witeck’s gay heroes are pre-Stonewall: Frank Kameny, Barbara Gittings and Lilli Vincenz. His straight heroes are Rep. John Lewis (D- Ga.) and Julian Bond of the NAACP — black leaders who considered us their “gay brothers and sisters” even before President Obama gave an inaugural shout-out to those brave enough to be out. Imagine that from Richard Nixon in ’73. Wynn’s straight hero is Hillary Clinton and he talks about the gay-straight village it took to raise him at UVA. While Ellen DeGeneres and Rachel Maddow are high on his list of gay heroes, he need look no further than Peabody Hall on campus to find others.
“I am so lucky to have a ton of gay role models to choose from. Our dean of students, Allen Groves is the coolest guy around. Everyone on Grounds loves him!”
Our long slow march toward this equality is sort of parallel in pop culture to the goofy (and now gay) Gomer Pyle of the ‘60s TV show. The now-out Jim Nabors endured sit-com life in quiet backwards Mayberry RFD. Nabors waited until he was 82 to come out. Wynn? He grew up with Will and Grace. In comparison, his coming out was a piece of cake. Even in rural Tidewater, Va., he was able to come out to his parents and very close friends in 10th grade. He arrived at UVA to find that a freshman’s sexual orientation was indeed part of freshmen orientation.
Witeck waited until he was out of college before pursuing the authentic gay life. That year, Paul Simon topped the charts with “50 Ways to Leave Your Lover” and it’s only then that Witeck looked for one.
With courage and composure, Witeck has returned to help make the Grounds at UVA better for Wynn and the generations to follow. Witeck has worked on the Hill and in public relations. He worked for Sen. Bob Packwood and for Hill and Knowlton, the legendary PR shop, and now owns his own firm, Witeck Communications in D.C. He published the landmark book “Business Inside Out,” serves on too many LGBT boards to mention, and returned to UVA in 2001 to accept the prestigious Bernard Mayes Award.
Would he trade all that for four “out” years as a young man?
“I felt very lucky to have the quality of education UVA offers,” Witeck said. “I sometimes imagine the difference being open and honest would have allowed me to break my own self barriers. But no, I have zero regrets. What I really value is having witnessed so much of this change in 40 years and knowing that we all played a part in making it happen.” It occurs to him that childless gay boomers do have kids going to college each year — other people’s gay children who need help and guidance.
Wistful about the past, but stridently optimistic about the future, Witeck reflects, “The Serpentine Society is one of the few groups that serve as a bridge for the gay community to the entire Virginia community — to the faculty, staff and students and allows us to put LGBT and identity issues forward.”
Although UVA isn’t perfect on gay issues, and may lag behind some other major institutions, the vision of the Serpentine Society is helping bring about positive change.
Scientists recently reported that as we age, the most vivid memories we will retain will be those from 12 to 22 years. Cleverly termed “the reminiscence bump” it’s a cruel hoax on older gay folks. Those years could be lonely and isolating and when it comes to true gay identity, it’s a bump that leaves an entire generation with just a lump in their throats. Not so with Wynn.
“I can’t count the number of gay friends I have in my head! Isn’t that awesome?” He still cautions that many of his classmates are closeted and that victory isn’t complete. As Witeck says, “Students today still have their own aspirations, fears, risks and needs.”
Anyone walking the grounds at UVA must know that time has been on the side of LGBT students. Just ask Wynn and his date, sitting over on the Lawn, both with their winning smiles.
Wynn’s ancestor, Socrates Maupin, joined UVA as a student in 1828 and later returned as faculty. The Civil War occurred while he was chairman of the faculty. It was Socrates Maupin who refinanced the university on his credit, reconstituted the faculty and returned the university to the Union — clearly marking progress and forward momentum.
Today, if Socrates — or Witeck — were to return to the grounds, they’d walk past an open door on the ground floor of Newcomb Hall where Scott Rheinheimer leads the LGBT Resource Center. New to his job, he is amazed at the support and resources for the center.
“From Dean Groves to the Serpentine Society to the faculty and the administration, everyone here has welcomed me openly and warmly,” Rheinheimer said.
So, Witeck lived in a desert so today’s students, like Wynn, could enjoy an oasis.
“I think that students inherently face a number of challenges acclimating to the college environment,” said Wynn. “What’s fortunate is that the university has made great strides in being inclusive and accepting. Like Bob, many students feel they must hide their orientation — from their parents, from their classmates and even from their friends. There are still challenges to coming out, but I think that it’s getting easier, and it’s getting better.”
Brent Mundt is collecting alumni stories for a book. Reach him at [email protected].
District of Columbia
Pride is here!
Parade, festival, parties planned for 51st annual D.C. celebration
The 51st annual Capital Pride is already underway with parties and events throughout D.C. The Capital Pride Parade and Capital Pride Festival are the two large signature events slated for this weekend, though there are many other LGBTQ Pride celebrations planned for venues throughout the city in the days to come.
Friday, June 19
The Capital Pride Alliance and the Mayor’s Office of LGBTQ Affairs are hosting the LGBTQ+ Women’s Symposium at Arlo Washington DC (333 G St., N.W.) with sessions scheduled from 10:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. and a day party from 3-7 p.m. The symposium brings together community leaders and advocates for panel discussions and dialogue. RSVP for the free event on capitalpride.org.
The RIOT! Official Capital Pride Opening Party is scheduled for 9 p.m.-3:30 a.m. at Echostage (2135 Queens Chapel Rd., N.E.). Bob the Drag Queen will be running a DJ set and Myki Meeks scheduled as the headlining performer. Area DJs and performers include: Bambi, Baphomette, Bumper, Cake Pop!, Connor, DJ Ed Bailey, DJ Diyanna Monet, Evry Pleasure, Jakknife Complex, Mari Con Carne, Pussy Noir and WessTheDJ. Advance tickets run from $49-$59 and will be $69 at the door. Capital Pride General and VIP pass packages also include admission and can be purchased on capitalpride.org. The event is 18+.
KINETIC Presents is holding a Pride opening party, UNCUT XXL: Heavy Load from 10 p.m.-4 a.m at A.i. Warehouse (530 Penn St. N.E.). There will be music by Alex Acosta, Felipe Lira and Mitch Ferrino. Tickets are $80.33-$96.62 + fees on Eventbrite. The event is 21+.
Saturday, June 20
A Capital Pride Family Fun Festival will be held at Stead Park (1625 P St., N.W.) from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. The event is designed for families and children with games, crafts, glitter tattoos, hair tinsel, story time, an inflatable obstacle course, and more. The event is free and especially designed for children ages 2-10, though is open to everyone.
The Crack of Noon Parade Brunch is scheduled for 12-3 p.m. at Viceroy Washington DC (1430 Rhode Island Ave., N.W.). It is an all-you-can-eat gourmet brunch with mimosas. Tickets for the event are limited and range from $75-$90 or as a part of the VIP package available on capitalpride.org. The event is 21+.
The 17th Street Pride Block Party will run concurrently with the Capital Pride Parade from noon-10 p.m. on 17th St., N.W. between P and S streets. The event is presented by Absolut.
The Capital Pride Parade is one of the largest in the region and is expected to draw tens of thousands of participants and spectators. The annual parade is scheduled for 3-7:30 p.m. and will move through the Shaw, Logan Circle, Downtown and Penn Quarter neighborhoods. The parade is anticipated to begin at 14th Street and T Street, N.W. and end at Pennsylvania Avenue and 9th Street, N.W. The event is free to spectate and open to people of all ages, however, there are grandstand bleachers set up at Franklin Park (957 14th St., N.W.) for a shaded, seated spot for $40 in advance. Tickets for the grandstand bleachers are available on capitalpride.org. Monroe Alise and David Archuleta are serving as the parade grand marshals.
The Official Capital Pride Women’s Party, ELIX-Her, is slated for 10 p.m.-3 a.m. at Decades DC (1219 Connecticut Ave., N.W.) The multi-floor event has a different “vibe” for each floor: Latin/reggaeton/Caribbean, house/dance/pop, and hip-hop/rap/afro/reggae musical genres. Tickets are $32.15-$42.59 + fees and can be purchased on capitalpride.org. The event is 21+.
The MIXTAPE Pride Party is scheduled for 10 p.m. at the 9:30 Club (815 V St., N.W.) with DJs Shea Van Horn and Matt Bailer. Tickets are $45.65 and are available on ticketmaster.com. The dance party is 21+.
KINETIC Presents partners with Capital Pride to produce the Official Main Event party, Toy Land, from 10 p.m.-4 a.m at Echostage (2135 Queens Chapel Rd., N.E.). Toy Land is 18+ and features music by GSP and Matt Suave. There will be a special performance by Alaska from “RuPaul’s Drag Race.” Tickets are $63.35-$69.15 and available on ticketmaster.com.
Sunday, June 21
The Capital Pride Festival is scheduled for 12-10 p.m. on Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W. The event will include food courts, multiple beverage gardens, vendors, community organizations, games, art, performances, dancing and more. Donations are appreciated by organizers, but the event is free. There are designated beverage garden areas for attendees 21+, but the majority of the festival is open to people of all ages. The Capital Pride Concert on the main stage of the festival runs from 1-8 p.m. with a sunset dance party with DJ Tracy Young planned for 8-10 p.m. The stage is at the east end of the festival on Pennsylvania Ave. at 3rd Street. The event is free and open to the public, but VIP passes for an area near the stage for attendees 21+ are available on capitalpride.org and range from $230-$290 or as a part of a $450 Capital Pride VIP package. Concert headliners include Maren Morris, Myki Meeks, Leikeli47 and Harrison. Other performers include Carlos Ova Dupress, Kora Edge, Ruepratt, RenRiot, Vagenesis, Kitty Lovelace, Ari Voxx, RAYSHARD, Bryce Bowyn, the 2026 Capital Pride royal court, Lisa Lisa, Ms. DC Black Pride and Destiny B. Childs. An accessibility zone is available with ASL interpretation and accessible seating.
KINETIC’s discoVERS closing party is scheduled from 10 p.m.-3 a.m. at SAX (734 11th St., N.W.). Music is provided by Alexis Tucci and Clinton Foster. Tickets are $41.76-$69.46 + fees and are available at kineticpresents.com. The event is 21+.
Delaware
Dwayne Bensing looks to make history in Delaware AG race
ACLU state legal director would be first out gay man to serve in role
Editor’s note: This is the first of two reports on the race for Delaware attorney general. Next week: An interview with the incumbent candidate, Kathy Jennings.)
Delaware is known as the state of “firsts” and it could deliver another first in this year’s elections if Dwayne Bensing becomes the first openly gay man elected attorney general of any state in the country.
The Washington Blade spoke with current Delaware ACLU Legal Director Bensing to discuss his campaign. He is challenging incumbent Attorney General Kathy Jennings in the Sept. 15 primary.
Bensing is an Arkansas native who moved to Delaware from D.C. a decade ago. He is a UPenn law school graduate with a background in education both as a teacher and an attorney, having worked for the Department of Justice and then the Department of Education under the Obama administration.
He left the DOE under the first Trump administration in 2020 after acting as a whistleblower in an effort to protect trans athletes from discrimination.
“As a whistleblower, I don’t shy away from calling out bad acts, even if it’s from the political elite or the establishment. That’s the kind of independent government oversight that I want to bring to the office of the attorney general,” Bensing told the Blade.
One of the pillars of Bensing’s campaign is corporate accountability: “I don’t think billionaires need any more grease on the wheels to pad their pockets,” said Bensing.
Bensing criticized Jennings for her stance on corporations and the wealthy.
“I don’t think that our attorney general appreciates the moment that we find ourselves in, where the billionaire class is consolidating all of the wealth on the backs of the working class and consumers,” Bensing said.
In particular, he knocked Jennings’s handling of the restructuring of OpenAI, as she and California Attorney General Rob Bonta approved the company’s transition from a nonprofit organization to a public benefit corporation.
“The people’s voice is being diminished in so many ways by the corporate oligarchy and government establishment elite who’ve benefited from the system as it is,” said Bensing.
“I believe that we have to clean up our own backyard first and really solidify the ‘small d’ democratic norms of access to voting at the ballot box, access to a high-quality public education, and access to free speech,” said Bensing.
Bensing also spoke about the mistreatment of unhoused persons and the unhoused camps that are being removed by the government in Wilmington.
“For people who have no place to go and are in a public space, we need to make sure that we’re providing them the services so that they can lift themselves up, not criminalize their mere existence,” said Bensing.
Bensing shared his desire to reform the “Delaware way” by pushing Delaware to sort out its disagreements internally and hold the federal government and corporations accountable.
“From my vantage point at the ACLU of Delaware, the Delaware way is a way to preserve the power, the influence, the resources of the establishment elite, and so those who are benefiting from the Delaware way,” said Bensing.
“I think we are a state of neighbors, as our congresswoman often reminds us, and I think that will always keep us polite without being aggressively disagreeable, but what I feel we are losing is that accountability piece,” said Bensing.
As a gay man, Bensing has been a staunch supporter of transgender rights and the LGBTQ community as a whole throughout his career.
When asked about his plans to continue his support for the trans community. Bensing responded by saying “I’ve been on the front lines of this issue.” He also referenced the late Barney Frank, saying “If you’re not at the table, you’re probably on the menu.”
“In private practice, I filed the very first federal district court case regarding the rights of transgender students under Title IX,” said Bensing.
Bensing continued the fight for trans youth while working in the DOE under the first Trump administration: “When I found myself in the Trump administration unexpectedly, I met with Secretary Betsy DeVos in her office, and I begged her to meet transgender students because I didn’t think she understood that our transgender students were being vilified by the very leaders who were sworn to protect them.”
As previously mentioned, Bensing left the DOE in 2020 after he leaked emails showing protocol violations in an investigation involving the treatment of transgender students.
Bensing highlighted Delaware’s past as being a leader on the “front lines” of LGBTQ protections and emphasized the need to continue protecting LGBTQ rights.
Last August, Jennings wrote a letter to Nemours Children’s Hospital imploring them to reconsider their decision to stop providing gender affirming care services to new transgender youth patients.
Bensing criticized Jennings’s letter to Nemours, describing it as an example of Jennings having “more bark than bite.”
“Our attorney general wrote a strongly worded letter to Nemours while other attorneys general said we will sue you, and did sue when health care providers stopped providing life-saving healthcare to transgender youth,” said Bensing.
“Battle lines have been drawn and the attorney general needs to stand with LGBTQ+ youth on this issue,” said Bensing.
Bensing has also been president of the Delaware Stonewall Political Action Committee for five years. He explained that its mission is to elect LGBTQ individuals and allies to office.
“It’s really important that we keep fighting for equal protection under the law, and that we show up in civic spaces, that we become elected leaders, that we become engaged members of our community,” Bensing said.
Bensing recalled growing up gay in Arkansas at a time not too long ago when same-sex marriage was what we described as “a bipartisan issue of objection.”
He shared his concerns over same-sex marriage losing support according to recent polls: “That’s a fight I think that many in the LGBTQ+ community thought we had won.”
“I know firsthand how fragile our constitutional rights are and how fickle the public can be when extending dignity to a minority group.”
Maryland
Queer candidates, allies on the ballot in Md. primary
Evan Glass running to become Montgomery County Executive
Maryland voters will see LGBTQ candidates on ballots across the state when they head to the polls for the June 23 primary election.
Evan Glass, an at-large member of the Montgomery County Council, is the current frontrunner in the Montgomery County Executive race.
He made history in 2018 as the first openly gay Jewish man on the County Council. Glass is currently nearing the end of his second term as a councilmember.
During his time on the council, he passed the ICE Out Act and the Pay Equity Act. He has also been outspoken about his disapproval of AI data centers and is endorsed by the Sierra Club.
“Our community is under attack and we need local leaders who will continue fighting back against Donald Trump while embracing our beautiful diversity,” Glass said in a statement to the Washington Blade.
Josie Caballero, who is running for an at-large seat on the Montgomery County Council, would become the first transgender woman elected to office in Maryland if successful.
Alleria Stanley, who is running for the House of Delegates in District 4, could also make history. Stanley, a U.S. Army combat veteran who served in Afghanistan, would become the first trans person elected to the Maryland General Assembly if successful. She currently serves as vice president of the Transgender American Veterans Association.
Several congressional races are also drawing attention ahead of the primary.
In Maryland’s 6th Congressional District, former Congressman David Trone is challenging U.S. Rep. April McClain Delaney. Trone has previously supported LGBTQ rights legislation, including the Equality Act, during his time in Congress.
Meanwhile, voters in Maryland’s 5th Congressional District will help determine who succeeds retiring U.S. Rep. Steny Hoyer. State Del. Adrian Boafo (D-Prince George’s County), former Prince George’s County Executive Rushern Baker, former U.S. Capitol Police Officer Harry Dunn, and Quincy Bareebe are among the Democrats running for Hoyer’s seat.
During his congressional career, Hoyer supported LGBTQ rights legislation and opposed the Trump-Vance administration’s trans military ban.
His daughter, Stefany Hoyer Hemmer, in 2012 came out as a lesbian in an exclusive interview with the Blade. Maryland voters the same year approved the state’s marriage equality law in a referendum.
“I’m pleased that Stefany is adding her voice to those across Maryland and the country calling for marriage equality,” Steny Hoyer told the Blade, referring to his daughter’s decision to come out and to champion the marriage equality law. “This is about ensuring all families receive equal treatment under the law. As more people speak out, the more momentum this effort gains to give every family the dignity and respect they deserve.”
Gay, lesbian incumbents running for re-election
A number of openly gay and lesbian members of the Maryland General Assembly are seeking re-election this year.
State Del. Joe Vogel, who represents Montgomery County’s District 17, is seeking another term in office. Vogel made national headlines during his 2024 congressional campaign and has received support from LGBTQ advocacy organizations, including the Human Rights Campaign.
State Del. Gabriel Acevero, who represents District 39 in Montgomery County, is also seeking re-election. When he was first elected in 2018, Acevero became the first openly gay Afro-Latino elected to the General Assembly.
State Del. Anne Kaiser (D-Montgomery County), who represents District 14, is running for another term. Kaiser, who is a lesbian, was recently appointed vice chair of the House Appropriations Committee and has served in the legislature since 2003.
State Del. Kris Fair is seeking re-election in District 3 in Frederick County. Fair has been active in civil rights advocacy and has worked with organizations including Marylanders for Marriage Equality, the campaign in support of the state’s marriage equality law.
State Del. Ashanti Martinez (D-Prince George’s County), who represents District 22, is also running for re-election. Martinez has focused on issues including affordable housing, healthcare access, and support for small businesses during his time in office.
State Sen. Mary Washington (D-Baltimore County) is seeking another term for District 43. When she was first elected to the House of Delegates in 2010, Washington became Maryland’s first openly LGBTQ African American elected official.
State Del. Luke Clippinger (D-Baltimore City) is also running for re-election for Legislative District 46. Clippinger has served in the House of Delegates since 2010 and has supported legislation including marriage equality and efforts to ban the use of LGBTQ panic defenses.
Byron MacFarlane seeking re-election in Howard County
Several other LGBTQ candidates are running for local and state offices across Maryland.
Jamar Day is running for an at-large seat on the Baltimore City Board of School Commissioners. According to the LGBTQ+ Victory Fund, Day identifies as pansexual and would become the first openly gay member of the board if elected. He previously worked as a teacher and dean of students in Baltimore and Washington.
Jamie McGonnigal is running for the Prince George’s County Board of Education representing District 3. McGonnigal currently serves as president of the Hyattsville Elementary School PTA and founded the advocacy organization TalkAboutEquality.org.
Matt Menter is seeking election to represent District 41 in the House of Delegates. Menter has worked on issues related to homelessness and addiction recovery and has served on Baltimore City’s LGBTQ Commission.
Joe Toolan is running for Anne Arundel County Council’s District 6 seat. Toolan previously served as the first chair of the Maryland Commission on LGBTQIA+ Affairs and currently works with the environmental advocacy organization GreenLatinos.
Spencer Dixon is seeking a seat in the House of Delegates representing District 32 in Anne Arundel County. Dixon currently serves on the Maryland Prescription Drug Affordability Board and has worked on Democratic political campaigns in Maryland.
Byron Macfarlane is running for re-election as Howard County’s register of wills. When he was first elected in 2010, Macfarlane became the first openly gay person elected in Howard County.
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