DavidMariner

Job Opening at LPAC

April 9, 2017 by DavidMariner

LPAC Is hiring a Political Operations Associate. The Political Operations Associate provides executive support to the Executive Director and serves as the primary point of contact for external constituencies on all matters pertaining to LPAC. The Associate also serves as a liaison to the LPAC Board of Directors; organizes and coordinates LPAC’s outreach and external relations efforts; and oversees special political projects.

For more information, download the job announcement below

LPAC Political and Operations Assoc 4.7.17

LPAC is the first and only national values-based political action committee dedicated to building the political power of LGBTQ women. Since its founding in 2012, LPAC has focused on electing candidates who are outspoken champions for the issues that are at the intersection of women’s lives and politics: LGBT rights, women’s equality (including reproductive health and justice), and social, economic and racial justice. LPAC is building a community of engaged and activated LGBTQ women who are joining together to affect positive political change on the local, state, and national level for LGBTQ women, our families and our allies.

2017 LGBTQ Community Survey

April 3, 2017 by DavidMariner

The DC Center for the LGBTQ Community is proud to partner with Community Marketing Inc for the 11th annual LGBTQ Community Survey. When you complete the survey using our unique link (tinyurl.com/lgbtqsurvey17) your survey data is shared with the DC Center.

In 2016 we had 299 individuals complete the survey. Download this PDF File and see the complete results of the 2016 survey.

2016 LGBTQ Community Survey

Here are a few of the things we learned from the 2016 Survey.

Top 3 LGBTQ Priorities

The top three priorities identified in 2016 were:

63.5% LGBT youth/anti-bullying/teen suicide prevention (connect with thedccenter.org/youth to learn more about our work in this area).
58.9% Stopping anti-LGBT “religious freedom” legislation (connect with thedccenter.org/faith for faith community resources).
50.5% Workplace Equality (connect with thedccenter.org/careers to learn about our work around employment)

Top 3 General Priorities

The top three general priorities (aside from LGBT Equality were) in 2016 were:

79.3% Affordable healthcare (visit thedccenter.org/health to learn about our LGBT health related work).
76.8% Racial Discrimination (visit thedccenter.org/poc to see information and resources for LGBTQ People of Color)
75.8% Homelessness/Poverty

Demographics

Our oldest respondent was 75 years old and our youngest was 19%. While over 60 percent of our respondents came from folks who identify as gay men, many diverse identities were reported including same gender loving, non-binary, genderqueer, pansexual, asexual, genderfluid and genderqueer.

In terms of race/ethnicity 68% identified as White, 17% identified as Black or of African descent, 4.7% identified as mixed ethnicity, 4% identified as Latin(o/a) of of Hispanic descent, and 2.3% identified as Asian or of Asian descent.

Next Steps

We’re counting on you to make your voice heard in the 2017 survey. Take a few minutes now and visit tinyurl.com/lgbtqsurvey2017. We look forward to the results and better understanding our local LGBTQ community.

LGBT Memorial Planned for National Cemetery

May 13, 2018April 2, 2017 by DavidMariner

The LGBT Fallen Heroes Fund Fund has signed the contract and made a down payment to buy the sites that we will eventually hold the LGBT Fallen Heroes Memorial at the Historic Congressional Cemetery. The LGBT Fallen Heroes Fund works to identify and honor those fallen LGBT Law Enforcement Officers, Firefighters, EMS, and members of the Military who have dedicated their lives to their communities and give recognition to their survivors.

The memorial will be located in what has become a special location at the cemetery, where several LGBT community members are remembered. The memorial is steps away from the gravesite of Sergeant Leonard P. Matlovich, a vietnam veteran remembered for bravely coming out as gay on the cover of Time Magazine in 1975. The site is adjacent to the memorial marker for LGBT civil rights pioneer and veteran Frank Kameny.

An annual service to honor LGBT Veterans takes place every year at the cemetery on Veterans Day.

Other individuals memorialized at the Cemetery include Barbara Gittings (Daughters of Bilitis, The Ladder); Alain Locke (hailed by many as the father of the Harlem Renaissance); and Peter Doyle (believed by historians to have been the greatest love of gay American poet Walt Whitman).

While the deposit has been made on the memorial site, the LGBT Fallen Heroes Funds will be making monthly payments for the site for the next two years. To make a donation to support this important work, visit their website at lgbtfallenheroesfund.org.

New Trans Health Coordinator at HAHSTA

April 1, 2017 by DavidMariner

The DC Department of Health (DOH) HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis, STD and TB Administration (HAHSTA) has hired Diedre Gray to serve in a newly created role as the Trans Health Coordinator. Ken Pettigrew, from HAHSTA, stated:

” Diedre has been at HAHSTA since June 2016 as a Health IMPACT Specialist. Now serving as the Trans Health Coordinator, Diedre will be responsible for establishing and maintaining relationships with community partners from the academic, medical, governmental and community that are involved in transgender health. Diedre will further be responsible for establishing guidelines on approaches for gender affirming procedures like transitioning, hormone replacement therapy, safety and other elements that would have an impact on transgender persons overall health and wellness. Diedre will be working across the agency to inform, support and assess specific needs as it relates to transgender health.”

The DC Center Seeks Nominees for our 12th Annual Reception

March 20, 2017 by DavidMariner

The DC Center will once again honor members of our community at our 12th Annual Reception taking place Thursday, May 11th from 6:00PM to 9:00PM on the roof deck at the Warner Building (1299 Pennsylvania Ave, NW).

The Board of Directors of the DC Center invites you to nominate those you believe should be recognized. To nominate an individual please e-mail contact@thedccenter.org and include your name, the name of the nominee, and a detailed explanation of why this individual should be recognized.

We are looking for individuals who have made extraordinary contributions to the LGBT community in Washington, DC. All nominations must be received by 5:00 PM on Monday April 3rd.

Previous honorees may not be nominated again. Previous honorees are listed below for your reference.

2016 Honorees

David Grosso
Barbara Chinn
Congressional LGBT Equality Caucus

2015 Honorees

Jim Marks
Sharon McGowan
Rayceen Pendarvis
Imani Woody

2014 Honorees
Pete Cahall
Sergeant Jessica Hawkins
Sterling Washington

2013 Honorees
Mayor Vincent Gray
Ruby Corado
Wanda Alston House

2012 Honorees
Michele Zavos
Ron Simmons
Joseph Palacios

2011 Honorees
Frank Kameny
Earline Budd
Rick Rosendall
Sheila Alexander-Reid

2010 Honorees
June Crenshaw
D.C. Allen
Councilmember Jim Graham
Linda McCalister

2009 Honorees
Jonathan Blumenthal
Councilmember Phil Mendelson

2008 Honorees
Ken South
Wallace Corbett
Kathleen DeBold

2007 Honorees
DC Crystal Meth Working Group Founding Members
Christopher Dyer
Brett Parson
David Schwartz
Kevin Shipman
Bruce Weiss

2006 Honoree
Councilmember David Catania

All Gender Restroom at the Reeves Center

March 19, 2017 by DavidMariner

The Reeves Center now has an all-gender restroom located on the first floor of the building. The new sign outside the restroom states in part:

“All Gender Restroom. Transgender and gender non-conforming people often face stress, anxiety and mistreatment when accessing the gendered bathroom that is appropriate for them. Providing access to a private non-gendered stall can reduce or even eliminate this burden.”

For several years now, District of Columbia law has required single stall restrooms to be all-gender. For many government buildings like the Reeves Center, however, all public restrooms are multi-stall and therefore were not covered by the law.

It is our hope that every DC Government Building with at six or more public restrooms will go ahead and designate at least one restroom as an all-gender restroom. The State Board of Education recently unanimously passed a ceremonial resolution to this effect. Protecting and Supporting all District Students Ceremonial Resolution, includes this and other initiatives to make DC Schools safe and welcoming to all. Thanks to Jack Jacobson (Vice President, Ward 2) for his leadership on this effort.

Thank you to the Mayor’s Office of LGBTQ Affairs for their work on this, as well as the DC Office of Human Rights. Thanks also to Councilmember Brianne Nadeau, who recently raised this issue at the oversight hearing for the Mayor’s Office of LGBTQ Affairs.

Together We Will #FreeGiGi

February 28, 2017 by DavidMariner

Thank you to Collective Action for Safe Spaces, The Baltimore Transgender Alliance, SWOP Baltimore, and everyone who came out to support GiGi Thomas on the first day of her trial! The trial continues today and GiGi will testify on Wednesday. Sign up to offer car rides or secure a ride to join us back at the courthouse tomorrow to #FreeGiGi and demand an end to violence against trans women of color!: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSciqKXZtsGSK-lDrwHNyWBQ5jtJ8oWa3fkTAxoZJHPVJ5qTpw/viewform

Date & Location:
Wednesday, March 1st from 9am until 5pm
Prince George’s County District Court

14735 Main Street, Upper Marlboro, Maryland 20772

¡Gracias a Collective Action for Safe Spaces, The Baltimore Transgender Alliance, SWOP Baltimore y todxs quienes pudieron asistir el primer dia del juicio de GiGi Thomas! Su juicio continua hoy, y mañana miercoles GiGi dara su testiminio — estaremos ahi el miercoles para apoyar a GiGi. Si necesita aventon, o si tiene carro y le puede dar aventon a otrxs, por favor contacteme por correo electronico a lissette@thedccenter.org. Juntxs vamos a liberar a GiGi y terminar la violencia contra las mujeres trans de color!

Fecha y Direccion:
miercoles 1ro de marzo de las 9 AM hasta las 5 PM
Corte del Distrito del Condado de Prince George’s en Maryland
14735 Main Street, Upper Marlboro, Maryland 20772

Center Global Seeks Volunteer Social Worker

February 25, 2017 by DavidMariner

Center Global, a program of the DC Center for the LGBT Community, seeks a Social Work volunteer to conduct psychosocial assessments, referrals and access to internal and community resources to Center Global program participants (specifically LGBT asylum seekers/asylees) who are experiencing personal difficulties. These will be individual interviews scheduled with the assistance of the Center Global leadership team.

Download the volunteer job description here:

Job Description – Volunteer Social Worker

Legisation Would Bar Use of Trans/Gay Panic Defense

February 22, 2017 by DavidMariner

District of Columbia Councilmember David Grosso has introduced legislation that would amend Chapter 1 of Title 23 to curtail the availability and effectiveness of defenses that seek to partially or completely excuse crimes such as murder and assault on the grounds that the victim’s sexual orientation, gender identity, or other inherent identity, is to blame for the defendant’s violent action and to require an anti-bias jury instruction in criminal trials if requested by the prosecutor or the defendant.

This would effectively bar the use of the trans panic defense or gay panic defense which has been used in several hate crimes.

Co-sponsoring the bill are councilmembers: Jack Evans, Robert White Brianne Nadeau, and Mary Cheh.

Download the legislation here.

SAFE Trial Act of 2017

SMYAL LGBT Youth Leadership Scholarships

February 21, 2017February 21, 2017 by DavidMariner

SMYAL is currently accepting applications for their 2017 LGBT Leadership Award. This award is a scholarship paid out to high school seniors who will be entering college Fall 2017 or Spring 2018. This year we have increased our scholarship funds to $10,000 and each recipient has the opportunity to be awarded up to $2,000.

Please find attached to this email the flyer containing detailed information regarding the Scholarship. We are requesting that you share this information will all of your networks and any persons whom you believe are eligible to apply.

If there are any questions please feel free to reach out to Brandan, who is cc’d on this email and assisting in coordinating these efforts. However, please direct all youth to email questions and information to scholarship@smyal.org.

Click below to download the flyer:

SMYAL LGBT Youth Leadership Scholarships