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Comings & Goings
Schulman joins Dupont Circle Physicians Group
The Comings & Goings column is about sharing the professional successes of our community. We want to recognize those landing new jobs, new clients for their business, joining boards of organizations and other achievements. Please share your successes with us at: [email protected].Ā
Join me in welcoming Dr. Marc Schulman to the Dupont Circle Physicians Group otherwise known as Dupontdocs. The Dupont Circle Physicians Group has served the community for more than 25 years with professional care.
Upon joining the group Marc said, “As a young gay man ā not yet out to friends and family ā I struggled with the idea of coming out to my physician. Though I recognized the importance of being open and honest with my provider, it was easier said than done. After visiting multiple physicians, I finally found a doctor I could trust. He asked questions without passing judgment and offered the appropriate tests and treatment. In caring for patients throughout my post-graduate training, I aspired to provide the same compassionate care. I look forward to building lasting relationships with patients at Dupont Circle Physicians Group. My interests include primary care, mental health, and HIV treatment and prevention.”
Schulman is certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine and licensed in the District of Columbia.
He is from the area and grew up in Columbia, Md. Prior to joining Dupontdocs Schulman was with Northwestern Medical Group as a moonlighting hospitalist and attending physician at Northwestern Lake Forest Hospital. Before that he was with the University of Illinois at Chicago Global Medicine and doing an elective exposure to Tropical Medicine and Clinical Practice in the Dominican Republic. He also served as a research assistant in Enteric Diseases at the Naval Medical Research Institute.
Schulman earned his bachelorās in Human Biology with high distinction from the University of Virginia; his doctorate in medicine from the Commonwealth University School of Medicine, Richmond, Va. He did his residency in Internal Medicine at University of Illinois Hospital and Jesse Brown VA Medical Center and a fellowship in Infectious Diseases at Rush University Medical Center and Cook County Health, Chicago. He is a member of the American College of Physicians Infectious Diseases Society of America.
Congratulations also to Tatiana Kolina on the first anniversary of sPACYcLOUd: a one-of-a-kind plant-based restaurant, skateshop, kava bar, art gallery, coffee shop and entertainment venue in the heart of Adams Morgan. Tatianaās slogan for her business is “Cut Loose. Hang Tight. Recycle.ā As she says, āIn other words, be bold, follow your heart, believe in magic, use your intuition, and take care of planet Earth.ā
She was born in the Soviet Union and raised by her grandmother. As a teenager, she joined a number of tusovkas (street groups) to survive. The group that affected her life the most was āfarsovshiki.ā It was a new wave group of kids who ran around big cities like Moscow, St. Petersburg, Kiev, Tallinn, etc., using trade as a way to interact and learn about the wild, wild (and very taboo) West. Tatiana was adopted by an American family and moved to California in 1991.
After earning her degree in MIS (Masters in Information Systems) from the University of Notre Dame, she moved to D.C. where she started the non-profit Skate Girls Tribe (SGT). The organization invites girls of all ages and abilities to come together and skate with other girls in a group empowering young women through action sports. SGT holds monthly events to celebrate life, art, culture, education, and fun via skateboarding and longboarding. They also organize surfing and snowboarding camps.
āSkate Girls Tribe promotes confidence and assertiveness, individuality and creativity, strength and dignity, all gathered together with a love for action sports,ā Kolina said. āWith a vigorous setting of play and sociality, SGT nurtures and sustains these values and goals.ā She added, āWith such virtues in place that healthy and responsible choices will be made later in the girlsā lives.ā
Virginia
Man convicted of murder in Fairfax was propositioned by male victim
Defendant faces possible 40-year prison term
A Fairfax County Circuit Court jury on May 9 found a 31-year-old man guilty of second-degree murder for the June 10, 2023, stabbing death of a Fairfax City, Va., man after the man propositioned him for sex, according to a statement released by the Office of the Fairfax County Commonwealthās Attorney.
The statement says Aaron Robertson had been charged with killing Luis Barahona Reyes, 50, in an apparent act of revenge after the two men got off a bus in Fairfax City and Barahona Reyes asked Robertson if he would like to engage in sex.
āRobertson and Mr. Barahona Reyes were unknown to each other when they got off the same bus on Draper Street in Fairfax City around 11 p.m. on the night of June 9, 2023,ā the statement says. āAfter a brief conversation, Robertson lured Mr. Barahona Reyes to a parking lot behind 9715 Fairfax Blvd, where Robertson knocked the victim unconscious,ā the statement continues.
āRobertson later returned to the scene in the early morning hours of June 10, where he proceeded to beat, stab, and eventually kill Mr. Barahona Reyes,ā it says. āRobertson then left and returned a third time to clean up the scene and try to dispose of the victimās body.ā
The statement adds, āSubstantial forensic evidence introduced at trial connected Robertson to the murder, including the victimās blood on his shoes and Robertsonās own DNA under the victimās fingernails.ā
It notes that additional evidence linking Robertson to the murder was obtained from surveillance camera footage and witness accounts from nearby Wawa and 7-Eleven stores showing him entering and leaving the stores multiple times to wash his hands.
āProsecutors argued that Robertson attacked and killed the victim because Mr. Barahona Reyes propositioned Robertson for sex in their first encounter after getting off the bus,ā the statement says.
āIām personally dismayed this type of crime could happen in this day and age, especially in a community like Fairfax County that prides itself on being welcoming,ā said Fairfax County Commonwealthās Attorney Steve Descano in the statement. āMr. Barahona Reyesā death is tragic, and the fact that he may have been killed for his sexuality only further adds to the injustice,ā he said.
Robertson is scheduled to be sentenced on July 26 and faces up to 40 years in prison for the second-degree murder conviction.
The Washington Post reports that during Robertsonās trial, a portion of a recording of a confession that Robertson gave to Fairfax City police was played in court. The Post reports that Robertson stated in his confession that after he returned to the scene where he had knocked Barahona Reyes unconscious, Barahona Reyes āslowly got up,ā pulled out a knife and lunged at Robertson.
It was at that time, Robertson said in his confession, he became fearful of his life and was able to grab the knife away from Barahona Reyes and stabbed him multiple times, slammed his head on the ground, and strangled him, according to the Postās story on the trial and conviction.
The Post story adds that Robertsonās attorney urged the jury, based on what he said was Robertsonās fear for his life, to hand down a verdict of manslaughter rather than first-degree murder as requested by prosecutors. As it turned out, the jury handed down a lesser but still serious verdict of second-degree murder.
District of Columbia
D.C. bill to study trans deaths faces opposition from LGBTQ advocates
Measure calls for creating Medical Examiner committee to identify trends
In a little-noticed development, D.C. Council member Brooke Pinto (D-Ward 2) introduced a bill in September 2023 calling for creating a special committee within the D.C. Office of the Chief Medical Examiner to determine and study trends related to the cause of death of transgender and āgender diverseā people in the District of Columbia.
The bill is called the Transgender and Gender Diverse Mortality and Fatality Review Committee Establishment Act. Among other things, it mandates that the medical examinerās office through the newly created committee āidentify and characterize the scope and nature of transgender and gender-diverse mortalities and fatalities, to describe and record any trends, data, or patterns that are observed surrounding transgender and gender-diverse mortalities and fatalities.ā
In a development that some observers say caught Pinto off guard, officials with two prominent D.C. LGBTQ supportive organizations ā the Whitman Walker Institute and the LGBTQ youth advocacy group SMYAL ā expressed strong opposition to the bill in testimony submitted in April as a follow-up to a Council hearing on the bill conducted by Pinto on March 21.
Among other things, the officials ā Benjamin Brooks, Whitman-Walker Instituteās Associate Director of Policy and Education; and Erin Whelan, SMYALās executive director, said the committee to be created by the bill to identify trans people who die would be an invasion of their and their familiesā privacy. The two said the funds needed to pay for identifying whether someone who dies is transgender should be used instead for other endeavors, including supporting trans people in need, and protecting their rights.
The hearing record for the Councilās Committee on the Judiciary and Public Safety, which Pinto chairs and which conducted the hearing, shows that Brooks and Whelan were among four witnesses that testified against the bill. Six witnesses, including officials with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and Medical Society of the District of Columbia, testified in support of the bill.
Also testifying in support of the bill with suggested revisions was Vincent Slatt, who serves as chair of the D.C. Advisory Neighborhood Commission Rainbow Caucus.
Jenna Beebe-Aryee, Supervisory Fatality Review Program Manager for the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, testified that the bill would be āremarkably challengingā for that office and its partnering city agencies to carry out, including what she said would be a difficult process of identifying whether someone who has died is transgender or gender diverse. But she did not state that her office and the Office of the Mayor outright oppose the bill.
The bill has remained in Pintoās committee since the time of the hearing, with no indication from Pinto of what her plans are for going forward with the bill, including whether she plans to make revisions and if or when she may plan to bring the bill to the full Council for a vote.
Victoria Casarrubias, Pintoās communications director, told the Blade last week that Pintoās office had no immediate comment on Pintoās plans for the bill.
The 17-page bill, according to its introductory summary page, would also ācreate a strategic framework for improving transgender and gender-diverse health outcomes for racial and ethnic minorities in the District,ā and to ārecommend training to improve the identification, investigation, and prevention of transgender and gender-diverse fatalities, and to make publicly available an annual report of its findings, recommendations, and steps taken to evaluate implementation of past recommendations.ā
The bill authorizes the D.C. mayor to appoint the members of the newly created medical examinerās committee and requires that members include representatives of six D.C. government agencies, including the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner; the departments of Health; Behavioral Health; Health Care Finance; Human Services; and the Mayorās Office of LGBTQ Affairs.
It calls on the Office of LGBTQ Affairs to provide support to other city agencies in developing procedures for identifying transgender people who the agencies have provided services for and who have died.
It also requires the mayor to name as committee members representatives of organizations providing health care and services for the transgender community as well as a social worker specializing in transgender related issues and a college or university representative āconducting research in transgender and gender-diverse mortality trends or fatality prevention.ā
Seven other members of the 13-member D.C. Council signed on as co-introducers of the bill. They include Council members Robert White (D-At-Large), Anita Bonds (D-At-Large), Christina Henderson (I-At Large), Matthew Frumin (D-Ward 3), Janese Lewis George (D-Ward 4), Charles Allen (D-Ward 6), and Vincent Gray (D-Ward 7).
Spokespersons for Gray and Bonds told the Blade the two Council members continue to support the bill and would consider any revisions that those who have expressed concern about the bill might suggest.
āThe establishment of this committee will continue the Districtās leading role in LGBTQIA+ advocacy and legislation,ā Pinto states in a letter accompanying her introduction of the bill. āThe Committee will be the first entity of its kind in the United States,ā according to her letter.
Pinto cites in her letter studies and national data showing that deaths of trans people are disproportionately higher due to a variety of causes, including illness compared to cisgender people in the United States. āTrans women in particular are disproportionately vulnerable to the aforementioned risks, as well as to violence and murder, with one in four trans women likely to be victimized by a hate-related crime,ā Pinto said in her letter.
āAlthough data are limited, some studies suggest that transgender people are ātwice as likely to die as cisgender peopleā due to āheart disease, lung cancer, HIV-related illness and suicide,ā with trans women being ātwo times as likely to die compared to cis men and āthree times as likelyā compared to cis women,ā Pinto states in her letter.
In their testimony against the bill, Brooks of Whitman Walker and Whalen of SMYAL said the problems they believe the bill will bring about outweigh the benefits that Pinto says it will provide for the trans community.
āIt is improper for the District government to be investigating and determining someoneās gender identity,ā Brooks said in his testimony. āThis would require District agencies to coordinate investigations into deeply personal characteristics of many people,ā he said. āThis invasion of privacy is a poor use of the governmentās time and energy.ā
Brooks stated that the city has existing policies and requirements designed to find ways to improve the lives of transgender and gender diverse residents. He pointed to the LGBTQ Health Data Collection Amendment Act of 2018, which requires the Department of Health to produce a comprehensive report on the health and health disparities faced by the D.C. LGBTQ community. According to Brooks, the Department of Health has not released such a report since 2017.
āWe strongly recommend that rather than proposing to spend precious time and scarce resources on a novel and invasive committee, the District should put those resources towards fulfilling existing data collection and reporting obligations,ā Brooks states in his testimony.
Whelan of SMYAL expressed similar concerns in her testimony. āTransgender and Gender-Diverse (TGD) people do not need yet another violation of their privacy and exposure to more questions and interrogation for them to provide the reasons for the incredible amount of violence and loss the transgender and gender-diverse community faces,ā Whelen says in her testimony.
āWhat we do need are solutions on how to address the underlying causes of anti-transgender violence, in addition to the barriers that prevent transgender and gender-diverse communities from accessing and maintaining safe and stable housing, and accessing affirming mental health resources,ā Whelan adds in her testimony. āWhat we as a community need is diligent action in a positive direction to actually address the lack of resources, services, and violence towards this community.ā
Supporters of the bill might point out that it includes strongly worded language calling for keeping personal information about transgender and gender-diverse people who die confidential and calls for criminal penalties for anyone who violates the confidentiality provision by disclosing the information, including whether a deceased person identified as transgender.
Brooks said strong grounds exist for not enacting the bill despite its privacy provision.
āThe collection of sensitive information, particularly for decedents who cannot advocate for their own right to privacy, always raises the potential for inappropriate disclosure regardless of potential penalties,ā he said. āThe threat of criminal prosecution can be a deterrent to the intentional inappropriate sharing of private information; however, it may not stop accidental or inadvertent disclosure,ā he said.
Slattās testimony calls for six specific suggested revisions in the bill pertaining to ways the newly created medical examiner committee would obtain information about trans people who die, including the suggestion that the Mayorās Office of LGBTQ Affairs become involved in identifying trans people who pass away and be given one or more additional staff members to help support its increased responsibilities under the legislation.
āMembers of the ANC Rainbow Caucus have discussed this proposed bill and find that it is a remarkable and historic step towards addressing trans and gender-diverse mortalities and fatalities,ā Slatt says in his testimony.
āAt a time when trans and gender-diverse people are under attack by municipalities across the nation, the District of Columbia is setting an example on how to create not just a culture of inclusion, but also a culture of belonging for trans residents,ā he stated.
Rehoboth Beach
New Rehoboth city manager called strong LGBTQ ally
Taylour Tedder backed first-ever Pride proclamation in conservative Nevada city
Taylour Tedder, whose appointment as the new Rehoboth Beach, Del. city manager has come under fire over his salary and benefits package, is described as a strong and committed LGBTQ community ally by the leader of an LGBTQ rights organization in Boulder City, Nev., where Tedder served as city manager for three years before being hired for that same position in Rehoboth.
He is scheduled to begin his new job in Rehoboth on May 15.
Brynn DeLorimier, president of Dam Pride, the LGBTQ organization of Boulder City, told the Washington Blade Tedder played a lead role in helping the group successfully lobby the mayor and City Council in what she calls a conservative, Republican-dominated city to approve earlier this year a first-ever proclamation naming June 2024 as Pride Month in Boulder City.
āI feel heās very supportive,ā DeLorimier said. āWeāre really, really sad to see him go. I have a feeling we wonāt find a city manager as progressive and diplomatic as he is,ā she said. āSo, Rehoboth Beach is really lucky to have him.ā
Since it voted unanimously on April 8 to hire Tedder as city manager, the seven-member Rehoboth City Commission, which acts as a city council, has come under criticism from some Rehoboth residents for providing Tedder with a contract that includes an annual salary of $250,000, coverage of $50,000 for his moving expenses, and a $750,000 house loan that will be forgiven in full if he remains in his job for seven years.
Rehobothās two gay commissioners, Patrick Gossett, and Edward Chrzanowski, are among the commissioners who have been criticized for voting to hire Tedder on grounds, among other things, that his salary and benefits package are out of line with that given to Rehobothās previous city managers,
Rehoboth Mayor Stan Mills, who also serves on the commission, called Tedder āfiscally savvy, experienced in the day-day-day operations of a destination community, enthusiastic and energetic, and a fantastic communicator,ā according to the Cape Gazette newspaper. Mills and others supportive of Tedderās hiring have noted that in recent years city manager positions have become highly competitive among cities large and small across the country.
They point out that Rehobothās previous city manager, Laurence Christian, resigned and left the city in November of last year after serving only about 10 months. A salary and benefits package like what Tedder has received is needed to find and retain a talented and qualified city manager, his supporters have said.
Nearly all the public discussion about Tedder has centered on his salary and benefits as well as claims by some critics that he may not have certain job requirements specified in the Rehoboth City Charter. The Washington Blade could not find reports of any public discussion on whether the Rehoboth City Commission, including the two gay Commission members, sought to find out Tedderās record and position on LGBTQ issues in a beach city with a large number of LGBTQ residents and visitors.
Kim Leisey, executive director of CAMP Rehoboth, the LGBTQ community Center, said she too had not heard of any discussion on Tedderās record or positions on LGBTQ issues.
The Blade couldnāt immediately reach Tedder for comment. DeLorimier of Dam Pride, which she said is named for the Hoover Dam located in Boulder City that makes the city a national tourist destination, said Tedder told her his contract with Rehoboth prevents him from speaking with the press until he begins his new job on May 15.
Mills, the Rehoboth mayor, in response to a request for comment by the Blade, said he and the other commissioners could not publicly disclose the questions asked and responses they received, including any related to LGBTQ issues, in their interviews with candidates applying for the Rehoboth City Manager position under a confidentiality policy, according to Lynne Cohen, the Rehoboth City communications director.
āHe did mention to me that the job posting for the city manager position mentioned or includes language that the City of Rehoboth Beach has a vibrant LGBTQ+ community,ā Cohen said. āAnd that they had asked every candidate if they had read the job posting, and they indicated they had,ā Cohen told the Blade in recounting her conversation with Mills.
Rehoboth officials have said Tedder was selected after a six-month nationwide search.
Prior to his tenure as city manager of Boulder City, Tedder served for a little over five years as assistant city manager for the city of Leavenworth, Kan., a suburb of Kansas City.
DeLorimier said she initially approached Boulder City officials last year to request that a Pride proclamation be issued in time for the June 2023 Pride celebration, but the mayor, a conservative Republican, turned down the request during a meeting that Tedder attended. She said the meeting became tense, noting that the mayorās abrupt decision to say no came after she argued that LGBTQ residents in Boulder City deserved recognition during Pride month.
āAt that point Taylour Tedder spoke up,ā DeLorimier recalled. āHe said, well, maybe start a group and gather support from the community and come back and ask again next year.ā And that is exactly what she and others did, according to DeLorimier, who told of her and her fellow LGBTQ activistsā effort to create Dam Pride.
She also pointed out that Tedder mentioned that the cityās longstanding tradition of changing the color of a string of lights hanging over the cityās main street to celebrate special occasions like Christmas and Valentine’s Day, referred to as the āBistro Lights,ā could also be adopted to reflect Pride month.
āTaylour said, by the way, we can change them to rainbow colors with the flip of a switch,ā DeLorimier recalls. āHe offered that up himself. So, that indicates to me heās very supportive of the cause.ā
Added DeLorimier, āI really feel like Taylour helped us. He gave us all the help we needed. And we will be celebrating Pride month, our very first one, this June.ā