District of Columbia
D.C. continues to have largest percentage of LGBT residents: report
Williams Institute shows 14.5% of locals are LGBT, greater than all 50 states
A report released last month by the Williams Institute, an LGBT think tank affiliated with the University of California Law School in Los Angeles, shows that LGBT adults make up 14.5 percent of the adult population in the District of Columbia, a figure nearly twice as large as the 7.8 percent of LGBT adults in Oregon, which the report says has the second highest percentage of LGBT adults after D.C.
The report shows that Delaware came in third place, with 7.5 percent of its adult population found to be LGBT. According to the report, Virginia has an adult LGBT population of 5.9 percent and Maryland’s LGBT adult population is 5.4 percent.
It says the estimated total percentage of LGBT adults in the United States is 5.5 percent, which comes to a total number of 13,942,200.
The 16-page report, entitled Adult LGBT Population in the United States, says it bases its LGBT population figures on data gathered by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s annual Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System survey for the combined years of 2020 and 2021, the most recent data available from that survey.
It points out that the CDC conducts its annual surveillance survey that gathers a wide range of health-related and demographic data, including sexual orientation and gender identity, by telephone “with representative samples of non-institutionalized adults” who live in each state, D.C., and three U.S. territories. Respondents to the survey remain anonymous, the report says.
“LGBT people reside in all regions of the U.S.,” the report says. “Consistent with the overall population in the United States, more LGBT adults live in the South than in any other region,” it says, comprising 35.9 percent of the population of LGBT adults in the U.S. It says in the Western states, LGBT adults make up 24.5 percent of the adult U.S. LGBT population, 21.1 percent in the Midwest, and 18.5 percent in the Northeast region.
As expected, the report says the actual number of LGBT adults is highest in the larger states compared to D.C., which the report says has an adult LGBT population of 81,400. California has the highest number of LGBT adult residents at 1,549,600, according to the report. The next highest is Texas, with 1,071,300, followed by Florida, with 898,000, New York, with 853,600, and Pennsylvania, with 586,500.
The report shows Virginia has an adult LGBT population of 390,700, with Maryland’s LGBT adult population at 252,700, and Delaware’s at 56,600.
“In terms of the number of LGBT adults, the top states with the largest number of LGBT adults are also the states with the largest overall populations, except for Washington, which is 13th in terms of overall adult population and 10th in terms of the adult LGBT population,” the report states.
Among the report’s findings is young people at the age of 18 to 24 are much more likely to self-identify as LGBT compared to those at an older age. It shows that 15.2 percent of people ages 18-25, or 4,659,600 people, identify as LGBT in the surveys. According to the report, the 9.1 percent of people ages 25-34 identify as LGBT, 4.1 percent of those 35-49 identify as LGBT adults, and 2.7 percent of those 50 to 64 identify as LGBT adults.
Only 1.8 percent identify as LGBT among people 65 years of age or older, the report says.
USA Today reports that the Williams Institute report, which was released on Dec. 6, reconfirms earlier LGBT population surveys that also found the highest percentage of LGBT adults live in the South, with D.C. found to have the highest percentage of LGBT adults in previous surveys.
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser has often mentioned D.C.’s status as the U.S. jurisdiction with the highest percentage LGBT residents in her appearances before LGBT audiences.
“As the mayor says, ‘We are the gayest city in the world’ and we are proud to be home to the largest percentage of LGBTQIA+ folks in the nation,” said Japer Bowles, director of the Mayor’s Office of LGBTQ Affairs. “We don’t take this lightly,” said Bowles, adding that this distinction “comes from the resources and community that we continually support and empower.”
Added Bowles, “D.C. will continue to be a leader for LGBTQIA+ rights and resources and we welcome all, no matter your identity or who you love to live, work, and play in D.C.”
The full report can be accessed via ucla.edu.
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.
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.
District of Columbia
Whitman-Walker Health to present ‘Pro Bono Excellence’ award to law firm
Health center set to celebrate 40th anniversary of legal services program
Whitman-Walker Health, the D.C.-based community healthcare center that specializes in HIV/AIDS and LGBTQ-related health services, announced it will present its annual Dale Edwin Sanders Award for Pro Bono Excellence to the international law firm McDermott Will & Schulte at a May 6 ceremony.
“This year’s award is especially significant as it coincides with the 40th anniversary of Whitman-Walker Health’s Legal Services Program, marking it as the nation’s longest running medical-legal partnership,” a statement released by Whitman-Walker says.
“As a national leader in public health, Whitman-Walker celebrates our partnership with McDermott to strengthen the health center and to enable Whitman-Walker to reach more medical and legal clients,” the statement adds.
“McDermott’s firm-wide commitment to Whitman-Walker’s medical-legal partnership demonstrates a shared vision to serve those most in need,” Amy Nelson, Whitman-Walker’s director of Legal Services, says in the statement. “Our work protects individuals and families who face discrimination and hostility as they navigate increasingly complex administrative systems,” Nelson said.
“Pro bono legal services – like that of McDermott Will & Schulte – find solutions for people who have no place else to turn in the face of financial and health threats,” she added.
“Our partnership with Whitman-Walker Health is a treasured commitment to serving our neighbors and communities,” Steven Schnelle, one of the law firm’s partners said in the statement. “We are deeply moved by Whitman-Walker’s unwavering dedication to inclusion, respect, and equitable access to health care and social services,” he said.
The statement notes that the award for Pro Bono Excellence honors the legacy of the late gay attorney Dale Edwin Sanders. It says Sanders’s pro bono legal work for Whitman-Walker clients “shaped HIV/AIDS law for more than four decades by securing key victories on behalf of individuals whose employment and patient rights were violated.”
It says the Whitman-Walker Legal Services program began during the early years of the AIDS epidemic in the 1980s at a time when people with AIDS faced widespread discrimination and often needed legal assistance. According to the statement, the program evolved over the years and expanded to advocate for transgender people and immigrants.
Whitman-Walker spokesperson Lisa Amore said the presentation of the Dale Edwin Sanders Pro Bono Excellency Award will be held at the May 6 fundraising benefit for Whitman-Walker’s Legal Services Program. She said the event will take place at the offices of the DC law firm Baker McKenzie and ticket availability can be accessed here: https://www.whitman-walker.org/gtem-2026/
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