Recent News Articles
LGBT Groups Slam Gov. McDonnell on ''Virginia Adopts''
New campaign for placement of children labeled hypocritical in light of McDonnell signing ''conscience clause'' law
LGBT groups are crying foul after Gov. Bob McDonnell (R) launched a campaign Friday aimed at finding homes for a thousand of the nearly 4,000 children in Virginia's foster care system. The Family Equality Council and Equality Virginia are pointing out that McDonnell has previously restricted adoption and foster-care options by signing into law a so-called ''conscience clause'' bill that allows state-licensed agencies to discriminate against prospective parents on sexual orientation and a variety of other factors. A component of ...[more]
New DC Center Space Is Secure
David Mariner says rumored land swap reported by Business Journal has no bearing on June move
Rumors of a potential land swap that could jeopardize the June relocation of The DC Center, the area's LGBT community center, were floated in an April 30 article in the Washington Business Journal, but the center's executive director, David Mariner, assures that the new space is secure. The Business Journal article included speculation that District government could be considering a land swap in which Akridge, a commercial real-estate company, would turn over its Buzzard Point site in Southwest Washington for ...[more]
Whitman-Walker Honors Advocates
WWH to present three awards for work related to LGBT and HIV/AIDS issues at legal-services fundraiser
Whitman-Walker Health, the nonprofit community health center specializing in HIV/AIDS and LGBT-sensitive health care, will present three awards recognizing advocacy on behalf of the LGBT community at its May 29 ''Going the Extra Mile'' benefit. The fundraising event benefits Whitman-Walker's legal-services program, which provides pro bono legal advice and representation to LGBT people and those with HIV/AIDS. At the benefit, Whitman-Walker will present the Joel A. Toubin Memorial Award, for outstanding advocacy on behalf of people living with HIV/AIDS, to ...[more]
Robbery Victim Reports Anti-Gay Slurs
As status hearing is postponed, no bias enhancements filed against two suspects charged in 14th Street assault
The two men suspected of an April 25 altercation, in which they allegedly beat and robbed a man in the 1300 block of 14th Street NW just before 1 a.m., appeared in D.C. Superior Court today, where they were assigned new lawyers and had their preliminary status hearing postponed by two weeks. Gustavo Velasquez, 24, and Ciriaco Oxlaj, 26, have each been charged with one count of robbery for allegedly assaulting and stealing an iPad from a man standing on ...[more]
Whitman-Walker Expands Meningitis Response
Due to growing demand, health center now offering meningitis vaccinations to non-patients
Whitman-Walker Health, the nonprofit community health center that specializes in HIV/AIDS and LGBT-competent care, announced Tuesday it will be offering meningitis vaccinations to people who are not current patients due to increased demand. Although there have been no reported cases of meningitis in the gay male community in D.C., reports of deaths of gay men in New York and Los Angeles have raised concerns among gay men in Washington. Chip Lewis, a spokesman for Whitman-Walker, says the cost of vaccination ...[more]
Maryland Del. Dwyer Appealing Sentence
Anti-gay lawmaker appealing 30-day jail sentence after pleading guilty to charges related to 2012 boat crash
A lawyer for Maryland Del. Don Dwyer (R-Anne Arundel Co.), one of the General Assembly's most vocal opponents of LGBT rights and same-sex marriage, has filed an appeal of Anne Arundel District Court Judge Robert Wilcox's decision today to sentence Dwyer to 30 days in jail, as reported by WBAL TV, for operating a boat under the influence of alcohol, leading to a powerboat crash on the Magothy River in August in which Dwyer, another adult and four children sustained ...[more]
Mayor Offering Forum for LGBT Youth
Saturday town-hall event will be Gray's first to address LGBT youth specifically
The office of D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray (D) will be hosting its first LGBT-themed youth town hall tomorrow, at noon at Eastern Market's North Hall, located at 225 7th St. SE. Gray has held other monthly town halls geared at youth, but Saturday's will mark the first time Gray specifically focuses on LGBT-related youth issues, said Sterling Washington, director of the Mayor's Office of GLBT Affairs. According to Washington, Gray typically lets the audience determine the topic of conversation. Some ...[more]
Qween Amor Assaulted
LGBT-rights advocate and street performer with D.C. ties attacked in New York
Street performer, dancer and LGBT-rights advocate Qween Amor, a frequent fixture at Metro stations around the D.C. area, was assaulted and robbed while performing in New York City Tuesday. Amor, whose last prominent performance in the District involved leading a group of pro-marriage-equality demonstrators in dance outside the Supreme Court in March, and who has previously clashed with anti-gay forces such as the Westboro Baptist Church and the Black Israelite movement, has been traveling the country dancing to spread a ...[more]
EV Advocates Entering Election Mode
LGBT group uses threat of Cuccinelli governorship as organizing, fundraising tool ahead of 2013 elections
It's the poll heard round the commonwealth. EV Advocates, a nonprofit affiliate of Equality Virginia that performs voter outreach and education, sent an fundraising email to supporters soliciting donations following the release of a recent Washington Post poll showing Virginia Attorney General and presumptive Republican nominee Ken Cuccinelli leading presumptive Democratic nominee Terry McAuliffe by 5 points. ''When you wake up on November 6, 2013 – will it be a breath of fresh air with an administration that directly reaches ...[more]
Transgender Homicides in Baltimore and Elsewhere Raise Alarm
NBJC, NCAVP and others call on authorities to solve recent killings of trans women in Florida, Maryland and Ohio
The New York-based National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs (NCAVP) and the D.C.-based National Black Justice Coalition (NBJC) are calling for action after recent killings of young transgender women of color. From Kelly Young's Facebook Both groups – who have partnered along with NCAVP member organizations Buckeye Region Anti-Violence Organization (BRAVO) of Ohio and Florida's SunServe Services, to raise awareness about the crimes, which include the April 3 murder of 29-year-old Kelly Young of Baltimore – released a joint statement May ...[more]
D.C. Leaders Show Support for Jason Collins
Washington Wizards center sees local love after coming out in Sports Illustrated
Jason Collins, a National Basketball Association (NBA) free agent who was traded by the Boston Celtics to the Washington Wizards in February, came out as gay in an interview with Sports Illustrated released today, becoming the first active major-league male athlete to do so, telling the magazine, ''I'm a 34-year-old NBA center. I'm black. And I'm gay.'' In the Sports Illustrated interview, which will appear in the magazine's May 6 issue, Collins said he started thinking about coming out during ...[more]
Allegations Aimed at Anne Arundel Police Chief
Larry Tolliver accused of using homophobic slurs, retaliation against officers
Anne Arundel County Executive Laura Neuman launched an investigation last week into allegations that the county's top law enforcement officer, Chief Larry Tolliver, used homophobic slurs and retaliated against officers whose testimony led to the criminal conviction of former County Executive John Leopold on charges of misconduct, according to The Baltimore Sun. County Councilman Jamie Benoit first called for the investigation into Tolliver, repeating allegations from officers that Tolliver had moved detectives into less desirable positions and had used homophobic ...[more]
Sentencing Delayed in Family Research Council Shooting
Floyd Lee Corkins, who pleaded guilty to shooting at D.C. headquarters, to be sentenced in July
A U.S. District Court judge this morning rescheduled the sentencing of Floyd Lee Corkins II, the Virginia man who pleaded guilty in February of attempting to commit a mass shooting at the Washington headquarters of the Family Research Council (FRC), a conservative Christian organization and lobbying group. Corkins, of Herndon, Va., pleaded guilty to committing an act of terrorism while armed, assault with intent to kill while armed, and interstate transportation of a firearm and ammunition for the shooting attempt, ...[more]
Allies on the Ice
Hockey world is working to give LGBT athletes and fans warm welcome
As far as the D.C.-area hockey community is concerned, the time to end any stereotypes of hockey as a virulently homophobic sport filled to the brim with machismo is long overdue. And now that community is getting backup on a national level. The National Hockey League (NHL) and the NHL Players' Association (NHLPA) announced April 11 they would be partnering with the You Can Play Project as part of an initiative designed at making the NHL one of the most ...[more]
DC Health Clinic Now Recommending Meningitis Vaccination for Some Gay and Bi Men
Whitman-Walker Health advising men meeting certain sexual criteria to take precautions against potentially deadly illness
Whitman-Walker Health, the local nonprofit community health center that specializes in HIV/AIDS and LGBT-sensitive care, is advising self-identified gay and bisexual men, as well as any men who otherwise have sex with men (MSM), who meet certain criteria to get vaccinated against bacterial meningitis, which has resulted in deaths among gay men in New York City and Los Angeles. Whitman-Walker posted a notice on its website Tuesday advising men planning to travel to New York to consider getting vaccinated, but ...[more]
WWH Speaks to D.C. Meningitis Concerns
Whitman-Walker Health advises Washington-area gay and bi men not to worry after California and New York cases
Local health experts say there's no cause for concern among gay and bisexual men in the District who might be worried about contracting meningitis following the death of Brett Shaad, 33, a gay West Hollywood resident, last week, as reported by the Los Angeles Times, and a small outbreak in New York City, primarily among gay men, that killed seven in recent years. Dr. Ray Martins, the chief medical officer for Whitman-Walker Health, the local nonprofit community health center specializing ...[more]
Medical Marijuana Makeover
Pat Hawkins and the staff at Capital City Care take on misconceptions of medical marijuana in the District
Pat Hawkins is trying to remake the image of medical marijuana as the District prepares to make it a reality. Hawkins, a clinical social worker, psychologist and former substance-abuse treatment counselor who has long been involved in health care advocacy, particularly around HIV/AIDS, sees the District as potentially a model for how to administer a medical-marijuana program for severely sick patients. {Pat Hawkins of Capital City Care (Photo by Todd Franson)} Speaking to Metro Weekly in an interview at Capital ...[more]
New Hope Ministries To Settle Discrimination Suit
Agreement requires women's homeless shelter to admit transgender clients
A transgender woman who was turned away from a D.C. women's temporary homeless shelter due to her gender identity has won her fight against the shelter after a D.C. Superior Court judge issued a temporary restraining order April 12 requiring the shelter to allow transgender residents to stay there. D.C. Superior Court Judge Geoffrey Alprin, substituting on behalf of presiding Judge Thomas Motley, issued the restraining order against New Hope Ministries Inc., a Woodbridge-based company that operates the John L. ...[more]
Choi Appealing Conviction
Gay military activist refuses to pay fine for guilty verdict stemming from arrest at anti-DADT protest
Prominent gay rights activist and former Army Lt. Dan Choi has filed notice with the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia that he will be appealing his conviction on a charge of failing to obey the lawful order of a government employee or agent. At Choi's trial on March 28, Magistrate Judge John M. Facciola found Choi guilty and fined him $100. At the time, Choi told Facciola he was refusing to pay the fine. But Choi's guilty ...[more]
Montgomery Again Found Competent To Stand Trial
June trial date for suspect in stabbing death of Deoni Jones, a transgender woman, stands despite defense objections
The Northeast D.C. man accused of killing transgender woman Deoni Jones last year by stabbing her in the face as she waited at a Northeast bus stop has been ruled competent to stand trial for the second time in a year, based on findings of a mental observation report by staff at St. Elizabeth's Hospital, despite objections from the suspect's defense team. Gary Niles Montgomery, 56, faces a charge of first-degree murder while armed for Jones's murder on the evening ...[more]
Today's Most Popular Articles
- Coverboy: Jared (Coverboy Interview)
- Warming Trend (Feature Story)
- The Search Must Continue (Opinion)
- LGBT Groups Slam Gov. McDonnell on ''Virginia Adopts'' (News)
- San Francisco Pride and the LGBT divide over Bradley Manning (Poliglot)
- Boots Over Broadway (Feature Story)
- Va.'s Family Foundation legislative ratings highlight LGBT partisan divide (Poliglot)
- Star Trek Returns (Film)
- How To Be Gay (Opinion)
- Star Dreck (Games)
