Local

Beyer falls short in bid for legislature

7 gay, lesbian candidates advance in Md. races

Published

16 years ago

September 15, 2010

CHEVY CHASE, Md. — The scene at Dana Beyer’s Chevy Chase, Md., home is somber. With all but seven of the 35 precincts having reported their votes, it’s clear the transgender eye surgeon-turned-political hopeful has not garnered enough votes to secure one of the three state General Assembly seats for her home turf of District 18.

Beyer was pragmatic during a brief concession speech in her living room to a houseful of canvass workers, family, friends and supporters.

“I think you all did a great job,” Beyer said. “This doesn’t reflect on you and it doesn’t reflect on me. The people we ID’ed just didn’t vote. It was the difference between the IDs and the votes. They said they were voting for us and they just didn’t. So that’s it. We just have to live with that. And as they say, people get the elected officials they deserve.”

Beyer was running against incumbents Al Carr, Ana Sol Gutierrez and Jeff Waldstreicher in this race, the Democratic primary. According to unofficial numbers, Beyer trailed all three incumbents but was ahead of the other two challengers. With all precincts accounted for, Gutierrez led with 7,397 votes, Waldstreicher was in second with 6,946 and Carr in third with 6,349 (24.17, 22.69 and 20.74 percent of the vote respectively). Beyer had 5,064 votes or 16.55 percent. Vanessa Atterbeary had 3,982 (13.01 percent) while Michael Heney trailed with just 868 votes (2.84 percent).

After her speech, Beyer admitted the loss was a tough blow.

“It’s very disappointing,” she said. “I don’t know why it happened. As I’ve said before, I knocked on over 10,000 doors, my team knocked on 18,000 doors. We made 10,000 phone calls. Over 5,300 committed to vote for me but it hasn’t happened. Why it hasn’t happened, I don’t know.”

The winners are expected to coast to an easy victory in the November general election as the district, which includes Chevy Chase, Kensington and Wheaton, is overwhelmingly Democratic.

Beyer ran on a platform of health care reform, fair taxes for the middle class and civil rights. Hot-button issues in her district include Metro’s controversial Purple Line, Pepco response to storm-induced power outages and speed cameras.

What were the topics on people’s minds during her door-to-door visits?

“It depended when it was,” Beyer said. “When we started early on, it was the budget crisis. That was the No. 1 issue. So we talked about taxes and spending. I would have preferred to speak about health care because that’s my personal interest as a physician, but that was not the hot topic. We talked about transportation, mass transit, the Purple Line, and such.”

Had she won, Beyer would have been in a solid position to make history as the first transgender person to be elected to a state legislature. Beyer also ran unsuccessfully in 2006.

She says she doesn’t think being trans was a factor this time.

“The media didn’t bring it up other than the gay media,” she said. “It was never raised in my interviews with the Post or the Gazette. With all the other media, people didn’t seem to think it was relevant. And no voter has ever, back in 2006 or this year, ever brought up the issue. And one could say, ‘Oh well they’re just being very polite,’ but it’s hard to believe that the 15,000 doors I knocked on were all just very polite people. Or that they were truly homophobic but they were just being nice to me. I don’t believe that. I think they really didn’t care.”

Elsewhere in Maryland, seven openly gay and lesbian candidates won their races. Incumbent Dels. Heather Mizeur (D-Dist. 20), Maggie McIntosh (D-Dist. 43) and Anne Kaiser (D-Dist. 14) advanced to the general election, along with newcomers Mary Washington (D-Dist. 43), Luke Clippinger (D-Dist. 46) and Bonnie Cullison (D-Dist. 19). Gay Sen. Rich Madaleno (D-Dist. 18) also won his race. With those victories, Maryland is poised to join just a handful of states served by seven openly gay and lesbian state legislators, according to a statement from the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund.

During informal conversations at Beyer’s house while waiting for poll numbers to come in, canvassers said Beyer’s trans status was a rare, though occasional, issue when they went door to door.

“One [person] said he wasn’t voting for her because of her lifestyle choices,” said one canvasser who wasn’t authorized to speak to the press. “But I don’t think most people even knew. I had one older person say, ‘Well you know she used to be a he,’ but I really think people like that, people of that generation, are becoming extinct. People like us, under 30, we just don’t care.”

With some liberal voters, it appeared to be an advantage.

“It did come up once, I can’t remember how,” another person on Beyer’s campaign said. “They were like, ‘Holy shit, that’s progressive. I’m gonna put her picture on my refrigerator.’”

Beyer said she has no immediate plans other than sleeping in and then going on a vacation, her first, she says, in “many, many years.”

“I’m proud of the job I did, so we’ll see,” she said. “I’ve reinvented myself enough times that when I went into this, of course I didn’t know what would happen, but I intended to win. I worked very hard to win but at the end of the day, I knew it wasn’t about the end result. I’d given it my best and I’m proud of that and I’ll move on.”

Local

Comings & Goings

Delaware governor honors Peter Schott

Published

15 hours ago

May 22, 2026

Peter Rosenstein

Peter Schott

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 [email protected].

Congratulations to Peter Schott on being honored by Delaware Gov. Matt Meyer on National Honor our LGBTQ Elders Day.

Schott is a prominent LGBTQ advocate and seasoned political strategist who has spent decades advancing civil rights at the national and state levels. Following a distinguished 25-year career as a staff assistant in the U.S. House of Representatives, Schott leveraged his extensive legislative expertise to help organize the National Stonewall Democrats, serving as an influential member of its national board.

After moving to Delaware in 2002, he became a foundational figure in the state’s LGBTQ political landscape, co-founding the Delaware Stonewall PAC, (now Stonewall Delaware) to champion the election of pro-equality candidates. His strategic lobbying and community organizing were instrumental in the successful passage of Delaware’s landmark non-discrimination, civil union, and marriage equality laws. A former member of the State Human Relations Commission, he remains a vital voice for the LGBTQ community in the Mid-Atlantic, continuing to document and drive social progress through his activism and writing. Schott currently serves as vice chair of the Delaware Democratic Pride Caucus, and a board member of Speak Out Against Hate (SOAH). He was a delegate to two Democratic National Conventions.

He earned a bachelor’s degree in Political Science, New York University; and a master’s of Public Administration degree from American University.

District of Columbia

Doc on Blade reporter Chibbaro scores Emmy nomination

‘Lou’s Legacy’ chronicles 50-year career

Published

3 days ago

May 20, 2026

Staff reports

“Lou’s Legacy: A Reporter’s Life at the Washington Blade” has been nominated for a Capital Emmy in the “Documentary – Historical” category by the National Capital Chesapeake Bay Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.

“Our members include all of the video content producers who serve our local audiences in Washington, DC, Maryland and Virginia—from the Atlantic to the Appalachians, from Bristol to Baltimore,” said Capitol Emmys President Adam Longo in a press release.

Broadcast last June by WETA PBS in Washington, D.C. and MPT in Maryland, the documentary was directed and produced by Emmy-nominated filmmaker Patrick Sammon in association with the Mattachine Society of Washington, D.C. Additional nominees who worked on the film include producer Julianne Donofrio and editor Amir Jaffer.

“Lou’s Legacy” tells the story of two D.C. icons — legendary Washington Blade reporter Lou Chibbaro Jr. and beloved drag performer Donnell Robinson, known to generations of Washington audiences as “Ella Fitzgerald.” Through Chibbaro’s nearly five-decade career at the Blade and Ella’s return to the stage after a three-year hiatus following COVID, the 29-minute documentary explores the history of Washington’s LGBTQ community and today’s rising backlash against LGBTQ rights, including laws targeting drag performers.

“We’re honored that Lou’s Legacy has been recognized alongside such an impressive group of historical documentaries,” said Sammon. “This nomination is especially meaningful because the film preserves and celebrates the stories of people who helped shape queer history in Washington, DC — often without recognition from mainstream institutions. We’re deeply grateful to the Mattachine Society, Lou Chibbaro Jr., Donnell Robinson, WETA PBS, and everyone who helped bring this project to life.”

“Lou’s Legacy” premiered on WETA PBS in June 2025 during Pride month. The documentary also broadcast on Maryland Public Television and is streaming nationally on PBS.org. WETA will rebroadcast “Lou’s Legacy” several times during Pride month, including June 15 th at 9 p.m. Winners of the Capital Emmy Awards will be announced at the Capital Emmy Gala on June 20 at the Bethesda Marriott Hotel.

Rehoboth Beach

Don’t let Rehoboth rain deter you, there’s lots to do for Memorial Day

Local businesses ready to host thousands this weekend

Published

3 days ago

May 20, 2026

Thomas Weaverling

Purple Parrot’s Chris Chandler is ready to welcome the crowds this weekend. (Blade photo by Daniel Truitt)

Although the weather is not expected to produce a picturesque Memorial Day Weekend at the Nation’s Summer Capital, plenty of exciting LGBTQ-friendly events, gatherings, and celebrations remain planned in Rehoboth Beach, Del., come rain or shine.

Thursday (5/21)

Begin this Memorial Day Weekend early on Thursday at The Pines Coastal Tavern, an LGBTQ+ friendly bar and grill that offers a happy hour from 4-6 p.m and a comfort food weekly special on Thursdays.

Next, you have a few options to spend your night enjoying live music, drag performances, and karaoke across Rehoboth.

The Purple Parrot Grill, Rehoboth’s only biergarten, will host its weekly Thursday Karaoke night starting at 9 p.m. With no cover fee, the Purple Parrot offers a queer-friendly space to have a drink or two and sing your heart out with friends.

Aqua, an LGBTQ bar in Rehoboth, is featuring six different DJs from Thursday to Monday. This Thursday will feature DJ KG, who will be spinning from 8 p.m. to midnight. Additionally, Thursdays are Burger Nights with $12 burgers and $3 domestic beers.

Naughtee Bingo will be hosted by Magnolia Applebottom at Diego’s Bar & Nightclub starting at 8:30 pm on Thursday.

Friday (5/22)

Get your Friday night started with a live piano show with Grant Uhle from 7-10 p.m. at The Pines.

Freddie’s Beach Bar, another LGBTQ-friendly bar in Rehoboth, will feature “Freddie’s Follie’s Drag Show” at 9 p.m. with DJ Nan keeping the party going at 11 p.m.

Aqua’s “Beats Party Night” with DJ Matt Bailer will also be going on from 9 p.m.-1 a.m.

Saturday (5/23)

The party is starting early at Diego’s on Saturday with a Splash Party hosted by Magnolia Applebottom at 5 p.m.

The Pines is also offering a live Piano show & sing-a-long with Etienne Pilon from 6-8 p.m. and DJ Fixed Rate spinning from 8-11 p.m.

DJ Chord will play from 9 p.m.-1 a.m. at Aqua on Saturday night.

Sunday (5/24)

On Sunday, Aqua is hosting an “Aquaman” swimsuit modeling contest at 3 p.m. with the “king” chosen by the crowd. The event is sponsored by JimmyTrendy and prizes include a JimmyTrendy swimsuit set and an Aqua Grill gift card. JimmyTrendy will also offer a pop-up shop to purchase swimwear.

DJ Biff will play beats at the “Aquaman” contest until 6 p.m. and DJ Malachi Gomez will spin from 9 p.m.-1 a.m.

Diego’s is putting on its weekly Party Pams T-Dance starring singer Pamala Stanley at 5 p.m. It’s Pamala’s 21st season in Rehoboth Beach and her show is a must-see event.

At Freddie’s Beach Bar, DJ Shady Lady will play from 5-6 p.m. with a Memorial Day Sunday Drag Show taking place from 9-11 p.m. and karaoke directly after.

Monday (5/25)

Come together on Memorial Day to remember and honor the fallen women service members, first responders, and canine war heroes with the Laying of the Wreath. This ceremony will take place at 8:45 a.m. at the Veterans Memorial at the end of Rehoboth Avenue at the Band Stand Area. This event is put together by the Gay Women of Rehoboth.

Sussex Pride invites you to a Memorial Day Cookout Honoring LGBTQ+ Veterans and Servicemembers from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. at Gordons Pond Pavilion in Cape Henlopen.

End your MDW with Monday night singing your heart out with late night karaoke at Freddie’s Beach Bar at 8 p.m. and Piano Pam at Diego’s at 5 p.m. with Pamala Stanley playing everything from Broadway hits to current dance music.