LGBTQ News, Politics, LGBTQ Rights, Gay News
July 8, 2022 12:00 amNotice: Undefined index: csmt_taxonomies in /var/www/washingtonblade.com/htdocs/wp-content/plugins/category-seo-meta-tags/category-seo-meta-tags.php on line 92
Warning: Use of undefined constant show_category_title – assumed ‘show_category_title’ (this will throw an Error in a future version of PHP) in /var/www/washingtonblade.com/htdocs/wp-content/plugins/category-seo-meta-tags/category-seo-meta-tags.php on line 510
Warning: Use of undefined constant show_tag_title – assumed ‘show_tag_title’ (this will throw an Error in a future version of PHP) in /var/www/washingtonblade.com/htdocs/wp-content/plugins/category-seo-meta-tags/category-seo-meta-tags.php on line 511
Notice: Undefined variable: data in /var/www/washingtonblade.com/htdocs/wp-content/plugins/feed-reading-blogroll/feedreading_blogroll.php on line 65
Deprecated: add_option was called with an argument that is deprecated since version 2.3.0 with no alternative available. in /var/www/washingtonblade.com/htdocs/wp-includes/functions.php on line 5617
Deprecated: Function create_function() is deprecated in /var/www/washingtonblade.com/htdocs/wp-content/plugins/feed-reading-blogroll/feedreading_blogroll.php on line 75
Deprecated: The called constructor method for WP_Widget in FeedReadingBlogrollWidget is deprecated since version 4.3.0! Use __construct() instead. in /var/www/washingtonblade.com/htdocs/wp-includes/functions.php on line 5416
Deprecated: The called constructor method for WP_Widget in SC_Widget is deprecated since version 4.3.0! Use __construct() instead. in /var/www/washingtonblade.com/htdocs/wp-includes/functions.php on line 5416
Deprecated: The called constructor method for WP_Widget in SC_Widget_Advanced is deprecated since version 4.3.0! Use __construct() instead. in /var/www/washingtonblade.com/htdocs/wp-includes/functions.php on line 5416
America’s Leading LGBT News SourceThu, 07 Jul 2022 12:43:25 +0000en-US
hourly
1 https://wordpress.org/?v=5.9.3
Thu, 07 Jul 2022 12:43:20 +0000https://www.washingtonblade.com/?p=98930884A local insider’s look at life in the city
The post My favorite things to do in D.C. after nearly 45 years here appeared first on Washington Blade: LGBTQ News, Politics, LGBTQ Rights, Gay News.
]]>
I am a New Yorker by birth and lived there until I was 31. It was a great place to grow up. There is a kinetic energy to the city and you always need to be ‘on’. In 1978, a job in the Carter administration brought me to D.C. and I never left.
In 1978, D.C. was still a small, slow, southern town. In William Manchester’s book, “Portrait of a President; John F. Kennedy in profile” (1962), he included a famous line: “Washington, John Kennedy once said lightly, is a city of Southern efficiency and Northern charm.” When I moved here it was still partially true.
Today, D.C. is a vibrant city with great theater, restaurants, art galleries, and museums, a beautiful waterfront with access points in Southeast and Southwest in the new Wharf neighborhood, and in Georgetown. From the Mall to exciting neighborhoods there is always plenty to see and do.
D.C. is still much slower than New York, which to me is a good thing. It is an easy city to navigate with good public transportation and is also a good walking city. It is incredibly easy to live here, occupy a week or two as a visitor, or for locals to have a staycation.
I live in Dupont and am always amazed at all the activities available to me within less than a 30-minute walk. Literally dozens of restaurants, many hotels, museums, three theaters, houses of worship and even a great farmers market. Friends often kid me I live my life all within a one-mile radius from my home. They aren’t really wrong. People can often find me at what my friends call my living room, Java House coffee shop, off 17th on Q street, N.W.
Here are some of the other places I can go, and things I can do, within walking distance of my home. If I walk east one block to 17th Street there are restaurants and bars including the famous Annie’s, the Turkish restaurant Agora, two Italian restaurants, Floriana and Dupont Italian Kitchen (better known as DIK). There are two gay bars, JRs and DIK Upstairs. If I walk farther up Q Street there is Hanks Oyster Bar owned by the incredible chef, Jamie Leeds, and then over to 14th Street to Le Diplomate. Along the way I would have passed FIT, a personal training gym where I work out, and the JCC with its gym and great Cecile Goldman Theater. On 14th Street there is Studio Theater, and a host of restaurants with any kind of food your heart desires. If I then walk over to P Street and head back from 14th to 15th there is the new bagel place (be prepared for long lines) Call Your Mother, and longtime favorites, Logan Tavern and Commissary. Then there is Number Nine, another great gay bar, and around the corner on 15th is a VIDA gym.
If I head west on a Sunday there is the Dupont Farmers Market, which seems to be growing weekly. There is the Phillips Collection, one of the better modern art galleries in the city. Then I can walk down to the Kennedy Center or continue west into Georgetown where there are literally dozens more restaurants and some expensive hotels like the Four Seasons. There is the new park at the riverfront with a skating rink. You can even catch a ferry from there to National Harbor to gamble at the MGM Hotel. Then there are the AMC movie theaters with 14 big screens and an Imax theater.
A short walk south from Dupont I can reach one of the newest coffee shops, Tatte, with its delicious pastries. There is the Renwick Gallery and the White House. There are also two major universities within walking distance, George Washington University and Georgetown University.
Again, remember all this is within a short 30-minute walk from my home. Now I know people reading this will remind me of all their favorite places I didn’t mention and I apologize for that. But clearly it is no wonder so many people love living here and coming for a visit. With its embassies, the Mall and Smithsonian museums all free to visit, D.C. is truly an international favorite.
Just before the pandemic began, we had more than 26 million visitors a year, and are getting back to that quickly. So come join us in D.C. — I promise you will have a good time.
The post My favorite things to do in D.C. after nearly 45 years here appeared first on Washington Blade: LGBTQ News, Politics, LGBTQ Rights, Gay News.
]]>
Sat, 02 Jul 2022 12:50:52 +0000https://www.washingtonblade.com/?p=98930760Roane named COO of Lambda Legal
The post Comings & Goings appeared first on Washington Blade: LGBTQ News, Politics, LGBTQ Rights, Gay News.
]]>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: comingsandgoings@washblade.com.
Congratulations to John Roane appointed Lambda Legal’s Chief Operating Officer. On his appointment he said, “I’m delighted and honored to join Lambda Legal and its dedicated team of lawyers, paralegals, and support staff at this critical time in our movement. The forces that oppose our civil rights are organized and formidable, and Lambda Legal is our last line of defense.”
Prior to joining Lambda Legal, Roane was Vice President and COO at AIDS UNITED, Inc. He has also served in that role for the Association of American Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine and with the Association of American Veterinary Colleges. He was Associate Director, Program Support Services with the DC Association of American Medical Colleges.
In his volunteer capacity, Roane was past chair of the board of directors, Finance and Administration Roundtable (FAR); former board secretary, Us Helping Us; and active with the Society of Human Resource Management, American Society of Association Executives (ASAE), Food and Friends, and Dog World Rescue. He has also volunteered with CAMP Rehoboth.
Congratulations also to Jimmy Rock for being named a partner at Edelson PC, opening the firm’s Washington, D.C. office. Rock said, “I’m thrilled to be joining this team helping to redefine what it means to be part of the plaintiffs’ bar.” His work focuses on consumer protection and environmental cases. He is also the lead for the firm’s Public Client Litigation.
Prior to joining Edelson PC, he was with the Office of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia where he helped to start OAG’s Office of Consumer Protection. He also served five years as an Assistant Deputy Attorney General managing OAG’s Public Advocacy Division. Rock received the Attorney General’s Distinguished Service Award for Trial of Affirmative Litigation in 2015. He has served as an adjunct professor at Georgetown University Law Center; and as faculty at the National Attorneys General Training Institute’s “Trial of a Complex Consumer Case.” He has presented at numerous conferences.
Congratulations to Torey Carter-Conneen honored with a Business of Pride award from the Washington Business Journal. On accepting the award, he said, “I am humbled and honored to receive this recognition and be among an accomplished group of fellow leaders, and especially as we celebrate Pride.”
He is currently CEO of the American Society of Landscape Architects. Prior to joining ASLA, he served as COO of the American Immigration Lawyers Association and previously he was the Senior Vice President and CFO for the Center for American Progress, COO and later acting president and CEO at the LGBTQ Victory Fund and Institute.
Outside of work, Carter-Conneen sits on the executive committee of the board for Shepherd’s Table in Silver Spring, Md., and serves on the board of the American Immigration Council. He and his husband Mike are fathers to two children, Drew and Aiden.
The post Comings & Goings appeared first on Washington Blade: LGBTQ News, Politics, LGBTQ Rights, Gay News.
]]>
Tue, 28 Jun 2022 16:49:16 +0000https://www.washingtonblade.com/?p=98930583Protests are fine but we must all vote for Democrats
The post Supreme Court, GOP are sliming our democracy appeared first on Washington Blade: LGBTQ News, Politics, LGBTQ Rights, Gay News.
]]>In two decisions — one throwing out New York’s gun laws and the other overturning Roe v. Wade — the Supreme Court and the Republican Party who put them there, have slimed the American public and in essence our democracy.
With the decision on Roe v. Wade, for the first time, the court has taken away a constitutional right. One recognized by previous courts and upheld for nearly fifty years. Justices Thomas and Alito finally had the votes, with Trump’s three stooges, to do what they have wanted to do for decades. We now understand how far this court is willing to go to take rights away from the American people, and we should all be afraid.
They proved they have the votes to attack women and we must believe the LGBTQ+ community could easily be their next target. They almost certainly are not finished with their attacks on women as they can come down on contraception and other pharmaceuticals. Then they can end affirmative action even though it was what got Thomas to where he is. Clearly, we should have listened to Anita Hill. Thomas’s written decision could even put into question the Loving decision, which allowed interracial marriage and made it legal for him to marry his wife. We must believe the court will look at all these issues.
There is a sickness in the land and we will either succumb to it, or fight it. My answer is we have to fight it with all we have. We must collectively stand up and say “no more!” Allowing Republicans to continue to take the nation in this direction is unacceptable. The only way we can do something about it and stand up for our democracy is by VOTING. Every poll shows Americans are against what the Supreme Court is doing. Yet we are stuck with a court, which as Nancy Pelosi says “gave a slap in the face to women.” Justices clearly care more for an unborn fetus than a living child. A living child who could be mowed down by the guns they are allowing on the streets.
As Democrats, and all decent people, mull over how to react, we must come together as never before. We can march until we are blue in the face but if we don’t vote, we lose. We need to elect Democrats to statehouses and state legislatures, and keep majorities in both Houses of the Congress. The House has already passed legislation curbing guns and codifying Roe v. Wade. We now need more senators to go along. It actually could take only two more who would agree to end the filibuster to move these issues forward.
I have written before to the LGBTQ+ community that parades and parties celebrating Pride are wonderful, but if every person who participates in them doesn’t vote, they mean very little because next year we will have lost some of our rights. We must not let ourselves and future generations down and be victimized by the likes of Thomas, Alito and the three disgusting Trump judges. We must vote against the Republican Party because the right wing now controls it.
Sen. Mitch McConnell has already said if Republicans take over Congress he will consider passing a law outlawing abortion nationally. We cannot allow that to happen. It is only Congress and state governments that can act to counter what the court with Republican support is doing. We must do more than show the nation with the January 6th hearings about Trump’s attempted coup. Even if through that we can put the likes of Ginny Thomas in jail for her role in it.
The results of the midterm elections will show the world where America stands. These elections will play out over a range of issues. We will see if people vote more based on inflation and the cost of gas, or vote for their right to privacy and freedom. Those of us who promote the right to privacy and democracy must stand together if we are to win. We cannot fight each other, creating internal battles, rather must fight the enemy, the Republican Party, as it is constituted today.
It won’t be easy but we can win this fight. We can keep the House of Representatives and win at least two additional Senate seats making it easier to move the Senate forward on a host of issues. When it comes to what the court has done to women, their decision on guns, and what Thomas is signaling they will do in the future, it really is clear we are facing life and death issues.
Peter Rosenstein is a longtime LGBTQ rights and Democratic Party activist. He writes regularly for the Blade.
The post Supreme Court, GOP are sliming our democracy appeared first on Washington Blade: LGBTQ News, Politics, LGBTQ Rights, Gay News.
]]>
Sat, 25 Jun 2022 01:53:28 +0000https://www.washingtonblade.com/?p=98930402Cummings joins White House Office of National Cyber Director
The post Comings & Goings appeared first on Washington Blade: LGBTQ News, Politics, LGBTQ Rights, Gay News.
]]>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: comingsandgoings@washblade.com.
Congratulations to John Cummings on joining the Office of the National Cyber Director at the White House as Director of Supply Chain and Technology Security. Upon getting the position, he said, “I am beyond thrilled to join the growing team at the National Cyber Director’s Office and bring my experience to our mission of mitigating the cyber threats facing our nation and ensuring every American can enjoy the full benefits of the digital ecosystem. It is truly a privilege to work with this incredibly brilliant and collegial group of cyber experts.”
Prior to joining the White House, Cummings served as Associate General Counsel at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI). Before that role, he served as interim Chief Counsel for ODNI’s National Counterintelligence and Security Center and as Associate General Counsel for the Office of the Inspector General of the Intelligence Community.
He has provided legal advice and counsel on matters of government-wide and interagency policy and national security in the areas of executive authority, cyber, constitutional law, civil rights and civil liberties, legislative affairs, and international cooperation. He has worked on recruiting LGBTQ, women, and minority applicants for government roles in national security and is experienced in public relations, stakeholder relationships, and international partnerships.
Cummings began his career clerking for the Honorable Ivan L.R. Lemelle, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana, and also clerked for the House Committee on Homeland Security and the American Bar Association’s Standing Committee on Law and National Security.
He attended Villanova University where he received a bachelor’s degree in English. He earned his J.D. from Loyola Law, New Orleans, and his LL.M. in National Security Law from Georgetown Law.
The post Comings & Goings appeared first on Washington Blade: LGBTQ News, Politics, LGBTQ Rights, Gay News.
]]>
Thu, 23 Jun 2022 13:53:33 +0000https://www.washingtonblade.com/?p=98930297Why are some Democrats challenging strong incumbents?
The post Re-elect Reps. Sean Patrick Maloney, Mondaire Jones appeared first on Washington Blade: LGBTQ News, Politics, LGBTQ Rights, Gay News.
]]>There are two outstanding gay members of the House of Representatives running for reelection in New York.
Sean Patrick Maloney is running in the redrawn 17th district. He was first elected to represent the Hudson Valley in 2012. He defeated Congresswoman Nan Hayworth, a member of the Tea Party. Maloney has been effective working across party lines to invest in and improve our infrastructure, strengthen the health and financial security of America’s retirees, and to keep the United States safe and free. He understood constituent services and won tax relief for small businesses in the Hudson Valley. He knew what it meant to bring investments to his district and the importance nationally of improving schools, making the highways and Metro North (in his District) safer and more reliable, and fighting for the money to hire more police and firefighters, giving them the resources they need to keep everyone safe. Maloney signed onto the Green New Deal resolution.
The second gay incumbent we must support is Mondaire Jones, now running in the new 10th district. While he is a first-term representative, this is a safe district for Democrats, which is why 14 others have announced their candidacies. Jones made history when he was sworn in on Jan. 3, 2021 as the nation’s first openly gay, Black member of Congress. His bio is impressive. “He grew up in Section 8 housing, raised by a single mom who worked multiple jobs to provide for their family. He attended public schools before earning degrees from Stanford University and Harvard Law School and working in the Obama administration. Jones has championed strengthening our democracy, protecting fundamental rights like abortion and marriage equality, making housing affordable, Medicare for All, and universal childcare. He has served on the NAACP’s National Board of Directors and on the board of the New York Civil Liberties Union. Once he won his seat he was elected unanimously by his colleagues as Freshman Representative to House Democratic Leadership, and he was appointed a Deputy Whip of the Congressional Progressive Caucus and Co-Chair of the LGBTQ Equality Caucus. He currently serves on the House Judiciary, Education and Labor, and Ethics Committees, where he has established himself as a leader on issues of democracy reform, civil rights, child care, and climate.”
Today, New Yorkers have the chance to reelect these two effective LGBTQ congressmen. Yet one member of the New York delegation — Rep. Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez — has endorsed a candidate running against Maloney in the new 17th congressional district. She is advocating the defeat of a progressive and proven effective, gay congressman who is also the House Democratic Campaign Chair. Another member of the delegation has endorsed someone running against Jones.
Some questioned why Maloney entered the race for the new 17th District after lines were redrawn. But Jones, now running in the newly redrawn 10th, understood a more leftist candidate like himself would have had a harder time winning the redrawn 17th had he won a primary there. So, you really have to question why AOC didn’t simply endorse both strong LGBTQ members of the New York delegation and work to ensure they both win.
Democrats have been screwed in the final redrawn congressional lines in New York. They will lose a Manhattan member of the House with Carolyn Maloney pitted against Jerold Nadler. The new 17th in which Maloney is running is not a guaranteed Democratic win. Even if AOC’s candidate were successful in defeating him there is a good chance she would lose the District to a Republican. Maloney, a rational progressive, who has served part of the District, has a much better chance of keeping it in Democratic hands.
This will be a difficult year for Democrats. With inflation and redistricting around the nation keeping the House of Representatives won’t be easy. So why would Democrats make it even harder by challenging incumbents with a great chance of winning. Aside from anything else it is a huge waste of money that could go into winning seats now occupied by Republicans.
As a party we need to stick together if we are to make any progress on issues we all care about. We may have differences on how to get there, how fast it will happen. But we must remember the founders of the nation set up a system calling for compromise to move forward. Sean Patrick Maloney has proven he wants to move forward and knows how to do it.
I urge all New Yorkers to focus on a better future. A future that is closer if we re-elect both Sean Patrick Maloney and Mondaire Jones. Let’s make sure we don’t lose any LGBTQ+ members of Congress.
The post Re-elect Reps. Sean Patrick Maloney, Mondaire Jones appeared first on Washington Blade: LGBTQ News, Politics, LGBTQ Rights, Gay News.
]]>
Wed, 15 Jun 2022 19:44:11 +0000https://www.washingtonblade.com/?p=98930003Support police departments while holding each officer accountable
The post We can be tough on crime and reform the system appeared first on Washington Blade: LGBTQ News, Politics, LGBTQ Rights, Gay News.
]]>The nation is at a crossroads and it’s not the first time. We have seen it before and I believe we are strong enough to survive it again and continue to move forward. We are seeing a crime spree across the nation and we can agree on some underlying causes — lack of education, housing, employment opportunity, mental health issues, and too many guns. But none of those things can be the get out of jail card for those who commit crimes.
We can fight to reform the criminal justice system and yet be tough on crime. We can convict and jail or punish those who commit crimes while working to ensure race is not the reason someone who commits a crime is punished, or receives harsher punishment than someone who is not Black or brown. In our country we say all are born equal. We know that is not the case and there is white privilege. There is systemic racism. So, while we are tough on crime trying to make our neighborhoods safer let us make sure our criminal justice system is color blind. If you commit murder, you should get the same sentence whether you are Black or white at the same time we ensure each defendant has equal representation.
We must strive to ensure everyone has a good education and the opportunity for an equal shot at success. We must work to bring people out of poverty and into the middle class. But we also know just giving someone a job doesn’t necessarily lower the crime rate. Mayor Marion Barry tried to give everyone in D.C. a job, in the process bankrupting city government. Yet even with his initiatives, D.C. was considered the ‘murder capital’ of the nation.
Education should include job training. We need to end homelessness, getting people off the streets and into housing. But we have seen that alone won’t help if we don’t give them access, and in some cases insist, they use the whole panoply of social services available to them at the same time. I grew up in NYC and we built huge public housing projects, which often became hotbeds of crime. Many of the good people placed in those projects were afraid for themselves and their children while living there. In an effort to make it easier for poor parents in NYC we began to make some schools full-service schools. They became a place where a parent could bring their child and also access every other public service available. This was done because we knew how hard it was for a parent to go from office to office in the city to look for the services they needed. These services included everything from food stamps to job training, mental health services and the myriad of other social services the city provided. The expense of staffing offices for those services in every school was prohibitive so even though it was a successful idea it never went beyond a few experimental schools. We can and must do better.
I taught 4th and 6th grades in Harlem after graduating from college. It both amazed and saddened me that the majority of my 6th graders had never been outside of their own neighborhood. So even growing up in New York with its vast cultural opportunities — museums, theaters, parks, zoos and so much more — they had never experienced them. I made it a policy to take my class on as many trips around the city as possible. We traveled by subway to the planetarium, the Bronx Zoo and botanical gardens, the Statue of Liberty and numerous museums. My goal was to open their eyes to what was there because if a child doesn’t see what is available to them in the world how can they aspire to it or know what to work for?
So yes, we can do all these things for our children and yet can teach them if they commit a crime, they will suffer the consequences. We must work to make our communities safer and take the criminals off the streets. We must support our police departments at the same time we hold each officer accountable. We can do both at the same time.
We must fight to take guns off the streets and hold anyone who uses a gun in a crime fully accountable. One doesn’t take away from the other; we can do both. We can be tough on crime and reform the criminal justice system.
Peter Rosenstein is a longtime LGBTQ rights and Democratic Party activist. He writes regularly for the Blade.
The post We can be tough on crime and reform the system appeared first on Washington Blade: LGBTQ News, Politics, LGBTQ Rights, Gay News.
]]>
Fri, 10 Jun 2022 14:00:00 +0000https://www.washingtonblade.com/?p=98929521Lagomarcino promoted at OriginPoint
The post Comings & Goings appeared first on Washington Blade: LGBTQ News, Politics, LGBTQ Rights, Gay News.
]]>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: comingsandgoings@washblade.com.
The Comings & Goings column also invites LGBTQ college students to share their successes with us. If you have been elected to a student government position, gotten an exciting internship, or are graduating and beginning your career with a great job, let us know so we can share your success.
Congratulations to Joseph Lagomarcino on his promotion to Senior VP Mortgage Lending with OriginPoint LLC. OriginPoint is a joint venture between Guaranteed Rate and Compass. Upon receiving his promotion he said, “I am excited to continue my long mortgage lending career with OriginPoint which is a very tech forward company. Combining my hands-on personal service with our technology makes it an easy and simple process. I continue to approach mortgage lending as the trusted adviser who helps my clients understand all of the options available to them which allows them to make the very best decisions for their home purchase financing. We always work strategically to make sure they are the strongest borrower possible in our competitive marketplace”
Lagomarcino has 28 years of residential mortgage experience having worked for Atlantic Coast Mortgage, McLean Mortgage, Wells Fargo Private Mortgage, and Bank of America.
Over the years he has earned many awards, including various President Club awards for production with past employers; Scotsman Guide Top Dollar Volume Originator; and has been recognized by Washingtonian as a ‘best lender’ a number of times. He was a Top 10% National Mortgage Lender in 2020 and 2021. He has volunteered his time as an HRC National Dinner committee member; past Board Chair of American Heart Association of Montgomery County, Md., and former board member Boys & Girls Club, D.C.
He earned his undergraduate degree in economics from DePauw University, Greencastle, Ind.; and his MBA in finance and marketing from Washington University, St. Louis.
The post Comings & Goings appeared first on Washington Blade: LGBTQ News, Politics, LGBTQ Rights, Gay News.
]]>
Wed, 08 Jun 2022 09:53:27 +0000https://www.washingtonblade.com/?p=98929410That should be the slogan for every float in the parade this year
The post Show your Pride by voting appeared first on Washington Blade: LGBTQ News, Politics, LGBTQ Rights, Gay News.
]]>I am always surprised when I hear someone proudly say “after two years Pride is back!” If you are ‘out’ and didn’t have Pride in yourself and your community for the past two years there is a real problem and it’s not about missing the parades and parties.
Pride needs to be about having Pride in who you are, being comfortable in your own skin, with a willingness to be open and ‘out’ sharing with others who you are. Even today, that’s not always easy everywhere. Clearly it is easier than when I was young back in the dark ages. I knew I was gay, not knowing the term, but knew I was attracted to boys. When going through puberty in the early 1960s I felt as if I was the only one who felt that way and it embarrassed me. I managed to hide it from myself, often convincing myself it was phase, most of the time until I left New York City and moved to D.C. Even then it took me a few years to come out.
I was 34 going to my first Pride event and hid behind a tree in Dupont Circle, afraid someone would take my picture. Today I think Pride parades are most important for people who are still struggling with their identity to enable them to see there are many others like themselves and being LGBTQ is OK. In June 2021, friends participated in a walk from Dupont Circle to Freedom plaza and told me how great it was to celebrate Pride in a simpler way without all the parades and parties just walking together in sisterhood and brotherhood. I missed that walk as it was the day of my friend Clark Ray’s memorial service. Clark lived a life we all admired with his husband Aubrey and their four adopted children. No one was a better role model for younger members of the community everywhere, for what it meant to be ‘out and proud,’ compassionate and successful.
Don’t get me wrong I’m not opposed to parades and parties. When I was younger, I fully participated and still think it’s great to see all the people who do. I was even honored as a Pride Hero in 2016, riding in a convertible at the front of the parade — a long way from hiding behind a tree in 1981.
But in these difficult times parades and parties must have a purpose. They should focus on the next generations and show them what it’s like to be part of a strong, successful community. It is the reason I fought so hard for marriage equality. At the time I was asked if I would marry and answered “most likely no, I don’t even have a boyfriend.” Yet to me it was important every young boy and girl who realized they were gay or lesbian knew they could be married and live a full and open life like all their straight friends.
Pride month is about celebrating how far we have come, and also recognizing how far we still have to go. Today we must understand if the Supreme Court can overturn Roe v. Wade, it can overturn marriage equality and even interracial marriage. All things a pig like Alito and his co-signers of the leaked draft opinion on Roe v. Wade can claim are not explicitly written into the Constitution.
The slogan for all Pride parades in the United States this year should be “Show your Pride by voting!” I hope each Pride event across the nation has that as a focus. Each Pride event needs multiple opportunities for people to register to vote.
I consider myself lucky to live in D.C. with politicians who support me and a large open and welcoming community. Yet I am well aware not everyone has that luxury. It means those of us who do must lead the way and be examples for what it means to support each other and support every minority community. We are all in this together. Women may not be a minority but too many in the world still treat them as such and we must support them.
Maybe this year we ask every participating float, in every parade, to have a sign saying ‘Show your Pride by voting!’ If we stand shoulder to shoulder, committing to each other to work at it and vote, we can continue to move forward making progress toward what the Constitution calls “A more perfect union.”
Peter Rosenstein is a longtime LGBTQ rights and Democratic Party activist. He writes regularly for the Blade.
The post Show your Pride by voting appeared first on Washington Blade: LGBTQ News, Politics, LGBTQ Rights, Gay News.
]]>
Thu, 02 Jun 2022 04:20:14 +0000https://www.washingtonblade.com/?p=98928920Attack Republicans instead of each other
The post Once again, if Democrats don’t work together, we lose appeared first on Washington Blade: LGBTQ News, Politics, LGBTQ Rights, Gay News.
]]>Democrats are facing a mid-term election where if we don’t work together, we will surely lose. If we lose, Trumpism wins and democracy loses. To succeed, left, moderate and more conservative Democrats, young and old, women, minorities and the LGBTQ community must all focus on attacking Republicans instead of each other.
When I wrote this column, a Florida appeals court had reinstated the congressional redistricting map signed by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis. In New York, Judge Patrick McAllister “approved the court-appointed special master’s new congressional map. It creates 15 U.S. House districts that favor Democrats and around half a dozen competitive seats. Under a blocked map the legislature drew earlier this year, Democrats had hoped to have an easier path to about 22 House seats from New York. So redistricting will most likely leave Democrats in a hole nationally and make it ever harder to keep the House of Representatives.”
To make matters worse recent polls have President Biden’s approval ratings at the lowest point in his presidency. Forbes reported a new Associated Press-NORC poll finds “even Democrats take a dimmer view of the president as the U.S. battles issues like inflation, war in Ukraine, the Covid-19 pandemic and the ongoing baby formula shortage.” The poll found “Biden has only a 39% approval rating, which is the lowest approval rating of his presidency thus far, down from 45% in mid-April and 63% a year ago.” The report goes on to say “Biden’s previous lowest approval rating was in January, when the AP found 43% approved of his presidency a year after his inauguration.” AP notes “Republicans’ disapproval of Biden has remained steady—the poll found less than one in 10 GOP respondents approve of him—his popularity among Democrats has declined throughout his presidency, with 73% approving of his job performance now.”
This has to be scary for Democrats to read and Republicans must be dancing in the streets. But despite this, not all hope is lost for Democrats. In a wide variety of polls Democrats appear to be holding their own. This includes three Senate races Democrats need to win to switch seats from Republican to Democratic: Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Ohio. In polling collected by Five Thirty-Eight Republicans are now only about 2.3% ahead of Democrats in generic polls about whom voters believe should control Congress.
Now while these polls aren’t great for Democrats, there is a real upside potential for a major surge in voting by Democrats based on the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade. Clearly it is only potential, but it can be realized if young people, who are big supporters of keeping Roe v. Wade, come out and vote. They and suburban women can make a huge difference in the outcome across the board. We know President Biden won these two groups of voters against Trump in 2020, so if they come out again Democrats can hold Congress.
But to have any chance to accomplish this, Democrats must work together, which is not an easy thing to make happen. Part of the problem with the Democrats ‘Big Tent’, which has been a goal for years, is the tent includes many people with very diverse views on how to move forward. While some applaud the views of the ‘squad,’ what is clear is if their views become the message of the party, then Democrats lose.
General election voters across the country are moderate, to moderate/right. They don’t support radical change. They do support some of the initiatives of progressives like Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont), such as a higher minimum wage and better healthcare. But we have seen time and again, they won’t choose him, or those associated with the far left, as their candidate. Smart Democrats like Lt. Gov. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate, made it clear throughout his winning primary campaign he believes in progressive issues, yet also took pains to say he was not aligned with the ‘squad.’ He said he would vote for progress but understood it takes compromise. Conservative Democratic Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.) who has always been pro-life, joined with other Senate Democrats and voted to try to codify Roe v. Wade. The far-left members in the Senate and House need to take heed, and they too must come to the center for this mid-term election and make the effort to get something done in Congress before November.
Democrats can win if we do this. We saw it with the Biden election. But as we know this is much easier said than done. Let’s hope saving democracy can be the catalyst to do it.
Peter Rosenstein is a longtime LGBTQ rights and Democratic Party activist. He writes regularly for the Blade.
The post Once again, if Democrats don’t work together, we lose appeared first on Washington Blade: LGBTQ News, Politics, LGBTQ Rights, Gay News.
]]>
Sat, 28 May 2022 16:06:46 +0000https://www.washingtonblade.com/?p=98928778Kris Perry to head Children and Screens
The post Comings & Goings appeared first on Washington Blade: LGBTQ News, Politics, LGBTQ Rights, Gay News.
]]>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 comingsandgoings@washblade.com.
The Comings & Goings column also invites LGBTQ college students to share their successes with us. If you have been elected to a student government position, landed an exciting internship, or are graduating and beginning your career with a new job, let us know.
Congratulations to Kris Perry on being named the first executive director of Children and Screens: Institute of Digital Media and Child Development. Children and Screens founder and President Pamela Hurst-Della Pietra said, “I feel grateful that for the past decade, the Institute has been able to advance and fund new interdisciplinary research and provide useful education into digital media’s effects, as well as help nurture talent in the field. We’ve made real progress on understanding the cognitive, mental and physical effects of new technologies on children’s health and well-being, but there’s so much more work that still needs to be done. During the next decade, it will be more important than ever that we have a proven leader that can move forward with an even more ambitious agenda. I have every confidence that Kris will amplify the institute’s reach and influence.”
Children and Screens board member Dimitri A Christakis, Editor in Chief, JAMA Pediatrics said, “Kris is the perfect leader for the next stage of the Institute’s development. Her deep insights and breadth of experience will advance our mission of ‘helping children lead healthy lives in a digital world.’”
Upon accepting the position Perry said, “There are far too many examples of digital media products designed to take advantage of children during important stages of their development, leading to challenges with fundamental aspects of childhood such as sleep, self-image, mood and attention. Joining Children and Screens at this watershed moment is an honor, and an opportunity to leverage scientific research to ensure digital media supports healthy child development.”
Most recently Perry served as senior adviser to California Gov. Gavin Newsom, focusing on the implementation of early childhood development initiatives, and as Deputy Secretary, California Health and Human Services Agency. Prior to that she was president of Save The Children Action Network.
Perry began her career at the Alameda County Social Services Agency, working in child protective services. She served as executive director of First Five San Mateo, and First Five in California, then as executive director, First Five Years Fund in D.C.
Perry and her wife Sandy Belzer Stier were instrumental in returning marriage equality to California after the landmark 2013 U.S. Supreme Court ruling Hollingsworth v. Perry, which she wrote about in her book, “Love on Trial.” She was an early leader in the implementation of Proposition 10, California’s historic early childhood initiative.
Perry earned her bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Sociology, University of California, Santa Cruz; and her MSW, at San Francisco State University.
The post Comings & Goings appeared first on Washington Blade: LGBTQ News, Politics, LGBTQ Rights, Gay News.
]]>
Categorised in: News, Washington Blade