District of Columbia
Youth activists hold D.C. rally for LGBTQ rights
Students call on U.S. Senate to pass Equality Act
About 100 youth activists and their supporters from throughout the country turned out for a rally on Monday, Sept. 12, at D.C. ‘s John Marshall Park near the U.S. Capitol to call on Congress to pass the LGBTQ nondiscrimination legislation known as the Equality Act.
At least a dozen participants who identified as LGBTQ college or high school students spoke at the rally, with several expressing concern that the Equality Act was stalled in the U.S. Senate by a Republican-led filibuster after being approved two times by the U.S. House during the past two years.
A statement released by Advocates for Youth, a D.C. group that organized the rally, said the youth activists participating in the rally had mounted a letter writing campaign ahead of the event in which more than 200 letters were to be sent to U.S. senators urging them to support the Equality Act.
Among the speakers at the rally was Ranen Miao, a senior at Washington University in St. Louis, Mo., who identified himself as a gay man.
āToday, if I go back to my campus, I can be denied housing, lose my insurance, or be taken off jury duty because of my sexual orientation,ā he told the gathering. āAnd itās because Missouri is one of the dozens of American states that refuses to protect LGBTQIA youth, that refuses to institute nondiscrimination protections.ā
Miao was referring to the 28 states, including Missouri, that have not adopted LGBTQ rights legislation and which LGBTQ rights advocates say highlights the need for a federal law like the Equality Act, which would ban LGBTQ-related discrimination in employment, housing, public accommodations, insurance, and other areas.
Another speaker at the rally, Alex Lewis, an 18-year-old sophomore at Emerson College in Boston, who uses the pronouns they/them, self-identified as āpansexual, transgender, genderfluid, and queer.ā Lewis said they grew up in Houston.
āI am here speaking about the Equality Act because it affects me and all my friends,ā Lewis said. āAs queer people, weāre being refused our rights because of who we are and who we love. Our rights are being undermined, and we are being forced to live in fear because our representatives do not have the decency to uphold the Declaration of Independence,ā which they pointed out, says everyone has āunalienable rights, among which are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.ā
Aimaloghi Eromosele, who identified herself as a ā24-year-old queer Black woman born and raised in Texas,ā stated in her remarks at the rally that she is currently living in New York City āgetting my Ph.D. in clinical psychology, with a special interest in the impact of societal trauma on communities of color.ā
She said discrimination and harassment of LGBTQ people made possible by the lack of a federal nondiscrimination law has resulted in a higher percentage of LGBTQ people, especially LGBTQ people of color, experiencing homelessness, substance abuse, and mental health problems.
āLGBTQ+ folks need and deserve a full federally recognized blanket of protection that will explicitly protect the LGBTQ+ community from discrimination based on sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity,ā Eromosele said. āWe deserve the Equality Act.ā
Maxx Fenning, a resident of Pompano Beach, Fla., and the founder and president of PRISM, an LGBTQ nonprofit organization that supports LGBTQ youth in South Florida, told the rally the so-called āDonāt Say Gay or Transā law passed by the Florida Legislature has had a negative impact LGBTQ youth in his state.
āI am tired of living in a world where in 55 out of 67 counties, I can be fired, evicted, or denied service at a restaurant just for who I love, along with so many other Americans,ā he said. āIt has been almost two years since the House passed the Equality Act. Itās time for the Senate to grow a goddamn backbone and do the same.ā
The statement released by Advocates for Youth says Mondayās rally was the culmination of a four-day Youth Activist Institute in D.C. that enabled the youth participants to āhone their advocacy skills and share organizing tactics with peers.ā The statement says the youth will return to their schools and communities with the tools to organize classmates and neighbors around the important issue of LGBTQ rights other issues such as sex education and abortion access.
Deb Hauser, president of Advocates for Youth, told the Washington Blade at the rally she believes a little over half of the youth activists attending the event self-identify as LGBTQ, with the remaining participants being āabsolute allies.ā She said about a third of the participants were high school students, with about two-thirds being college students.Ā
āThis is an amazing group of very compassionate and passionate young people,ā Hauser said. āAnd they have the right to live free from discrimination.ā
District of Columbia
D.C. Council member proposes change for Mayorās Office of LGBTQ Affairs
Parker also seeks increased funding for LGBTQ programs in FY 2025 budget
D.C. Council member Zachary Parker (D-Ward 5), the Councilās only LGBTQ member, has asked his fellow Council members to support a proposal to change the Mayorās Office of LGBTQ Affairs to become a āstand-alone entity outside the Executive Office of the Mayor to allow for greater transparency and accountability that reflects its evolution over the years.ā
In an April 30 letter to each of his 12 fellow Council members, Parker said he plans to introduce an amendment to the cityās Fiscal Year 2025 Budget Support Act to make this change for the LGBTQ Affairs Office.
His letter also calls for adding to the cityās FY 2025 budget two specific funding proposals that local LGBTQ activists submitted to D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser that the mayor did not include in her budget proposal submitted to the Council. One calls for $1.5 million to fund the completion of the build out and renovation for the D.C. Center for the LGBTQ Communityās new building in the cityās Shaw neighborhood and $300,000 in subsequent years to support the LGBTQ Centerās operations.
Parkerās second budget proposal calls for what he said was about $450,000 to fund 20 additional dedicated LGBTQ housing vouchers as part of the cityās existing program to provide emergency housing support for LGBTQ residents and other residents facing homelessness.
āThe Office of LGBTQ+ Affairs currently manages about 90 vouchers across various programs and needs,ā Parker said in his letter to fellow Council members. āAdding an additional 20 vouchers will cost roughly $450,000,ā he wrote, adding that dedicated vouchers “play a crucial role in ensuring LGBTQ+ residents of the District can navigate the complex process of securing housing placements.ā
In her proposed FY ā25 budget, Bowser calls for a 7.6 percent increase in funding for the Office of LGBTQ Affairs, which amounts to an increase of $132,000, bringing the officeās total funding to $1.7 million.
āTo be clear, I support the strong work and current leadership of the Office of LGBTQ+ Affairs,ā Parker says in his letter to fellow Council members. āThis push for change is in recognition of the officeās notable achievements and the significant demands being placed on it, which require a greater level of accountability.ā
Parker told the Blade in an April 30 telephone interview that he believes Japer Bowles, the current director of the Office of L|GBTQ Affairs is doing an excellent job in operating the office, but he believes the office would be able to do more for the LGBTQ community under the change he is proposing.
āMaking it a stand-alone office versus it being clustered within the Community Affairs division of the mayorās office, it will get more attention,ā Parker told the Blade. āThe leadership will have greater flexibility to advocate for the interest of LGBTQ residents, And we will be able to conduct greater oversight of the office,ā he said, referring to the Councilās oversight process.
Parker noted that other community constituent offices in the mayorās office, including the Office of Latino Affairs and the Office of Veterans Affairs are stand-alone offices that he hopes to bring about for the LGBTQ Affairs Office. He said Council member Brianne Nadeau, who chairs the Council committee that has oversight for the LGBTQ Affairs Office, has expressed support for his proposal.
Also expressing support for Parkerās proposal to make the LGBTQ Affairs Office a stand-alone office is the D.C. Advisory Neighborhood Commission Rainbow Caucus. Vincent Slatt, the caucusās chairperson, submitted testimony last week before the D.C. Council Committee on Public Works and Operations, which is chaired by Nadeau, calling for making the LGBTQ Affairs Office a stand-alone office outside the Executive Office of the Mayor.
Slatt also stated in his testimony that the office has a āchronic staffing shortageā and recommended that at least three additional staff members be assigned to the office.
Daniel Gleick, the mayorās press secretary, told the Blade the mayorās office is reviewing Parkerās budget proposals, including the proposed change for the Office of LGBTQ Affairs.
But in testimony at a May 1, D.C. Council budget hearing before the Councilās Committee on Executive Administration and Labor, Lindsey Parker, Mayor Bowserās Chief of Staff, appeared to express skepticism over making the LGBTQ Affairs office a stand-alone office. Lindsey Parker expressed her thoughts on the proposed change when asked about it by Councilmember Anita Bonds (D-At-Large), who chairs the committee that held the hearing.
āI would proffer that it doesnāt matter whether the agency is within the EOM [Executive Office of the Mayor] or not,ā Lindsey Parker told Bonds. āThey will still be reporting up into one would argue the most important agency in the D.C. government, which is the one that supports the mayor,ā Lindsey Parker said. āSo, itās the closest to the mayor that you can get,ā she said āSo, you could pull it out and have a different budget chapter. I actually think thatās confusing and convoluted.ā
Lindsey Parker added, āThe Mayorās Office of LGBTQ Affairs, with their six FTEs right now, if they were a stand-alone function they wouldnāt have all the non-personnel services in order to operate. They need to be under sort of the shop of the EOM in order to get those resources.āĀ
By FETs Lindsey Parker was referring to the term Full Time Equivalent employees. Ā
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 cafĆ© 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 ātemporarilyā close on April 8.
āAs you may be aware, As You Areās location in Eastern Market has been closed since April 8, when we began to have concerns about the physical condition of the building,ā the Instagram message states. āWe worked quickly to alert our landlord, and they have assessed the building with their engineers,ā the message says.
āWe understand that certain repairs need to be made to ensure the safety of our staff, patrons, and community,ā 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. āThe engineers and contractors have all come into the space, and weāre just waiting on a plan and a timeline from our landlord,ā 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, āWeāre really interested in supporting our team through this, as this is an unexpected loss of income for all of us.ā
McDaniel didnāt 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, āHeavy rain damaged the back wall of our building, and we are closed to assess and repair.ā
The message added, āRegular updates and ways to support can be found on our Instagram page @asyouaredc.ā
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 cafƩ, 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 cafƩ.
āAYA is a cafĆ©, 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,ā the two said in their message.
The buildingās 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, couldnāt immediately be reached for comment. The Washington Post reported that he contributed $500 to the As You Are GoFundMe appeal, saying, āI personally want to see As You Are succeed.ā
District of Columbia
Weekend brings two shootings in U Street, Dupont Circle areas
Man dies after incident at Desperados
A man was shot to death shortly after 1 a.m. on Saturday, April 27, inside the Desperados Burgers & Bar at 1342 U St., N.W., which is located on the same block a short distance away from the LGBTQ nightclub Bunker D.C. and around the corner less than a block away from the recently opened LGBTQ bar Crush on 14th Street, N.W.
The incident prompted Bunker to post on its Facebook page a message saying its security team quickly ushered patrons standing outside to enter the club and as a precautionary measure prevented patrons from leaving until it was deemed safe to do so.
A D.C. police statement identifies the shooting victim as Kenneth Goins, 43, of Salisbury, Md. The statement says officers on patrol in the 1300 block of U Street, N.W. heard gunshots at about 1:12 a.m. and immediately arrived at Desperados to investigate the incident.
āOfficers located a man inside with multiple gunshot wounds,ā the statement says. āDespite all life saving efforts, the victim was pronounced dead on the scene,ā it says. Neither the statement nor a police incident report pertaining to the shooting provides a description of the person who committed the shooting nor discloses whether any of the customers inside the restaurant and bar witnessed the shooting.
The statement says the police Homicide Branch is investigating the shooting and urges anyone with knowledge of the incident to call police at 202-272-9099. Like all homicide cases, it says the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department offers a reward of up to $25,000 to anyone who provides information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for a homicide committed in the District.
āThere was a shooting incident on U ST. N.W., just 4 doors down from BUNKER,ā the Bunker Facebook post says. āOur security team promptly responded, ensuring the safety of everyone by ushering them inside for cover,ā it says. āCurrently, the courageous police officers are outside, handling the situation and working diligently to maintain a secure environment for our guests,ā the message continues.
āAs a responsible establishment, we strongly prioritize your safety, and as a precautionary measure, we will not permit anyone to exit the building until we deem it safe to do so,ā the posting says. āRest assured, we, as the owners, take this matter very seriously, and your safety remains our highest priority.ā
The U Street shooting at Desperados Burgers & Bar took place a little over two hours after six people were shot and wounded outside the Decades nightclub at 1219 Connecticut Ave., N.W. near Dupont Circle and near several gay bars on P Street and 17th Street in the Dupont Circle area. Police said none of those who were shot suffered life-threatening injuries
A separate police statement says with the help of several witnesses, police identified and arrested Rennwel Mantock, 29, of Hyattsville, Md., in connection with the shooting on charges of Assault with Intent to Kill, Possession of Unregistered Ammunition, and Possession of an Unregistered Firearm. The statement says a gun belonging to Mantock was recovered on the scene. Court records show a judge has ordered him to be held without bond until a May 7 preliminary hearing.
āThe detectivesā investigation determined Mantock opened fire after employees removed him from a nightclub following a dispute,ā according to the statement.
A police arrest affidavit filed in D.C. Superior Court says Mantock told police at the time he was apprehended on the scene that he was dancing with a woman at the club when a security guard ordered him to leave and then āgrabbed him by the neck and punched him in the face right before dragging him down the steps.ā The Decades club states on its website that it has several floors with multiple bars.
According to the arrest affidavit, Mantock told police that one of the security officials punched him in the face again and threw him to the ground after dragging him out the door. It says Mantock āstated that he then pulled out his gun and started shootingā because āhe was very upset about the security punching him in the face,ā adding that he ābegan firing at the Decadesā security.ā
The affidavit says five of the six people shot were Decades employees.
Gay former Dupont Circle Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner Mike Silverstein, who lives near where the shooting took place, said Decades is not known as a place that LGBTQ people patronize but said the surrounding neighborhood is home to many LGBTQ residents and draws many LGBTQ visitors.