Local
Committee voids election of gay official as head of Ward 6 Dems
Richardson formerly served as mayor’s GLBT liaison
![Jeffrey Richardson, Vincent Gray, Washington D.C., Mayor's Office of GLBT Affairs, gay news, Washington Blade](https://www.washingtonblade.com/content/files/2012/11/Vince_Gray_and_Jeffrey_Richardson_thumb_c_Washington_Blade_by_Michael_Key.jpg)
![Jeffrey Richardson, gay news, Washington Blade, Ward 6](https://www.washingtonblade.com/content/files/2013/10/Jeffrey_Richardson_insert_c_Washington_Blade_by_Michael_Key1.jpg)
Jeffrey Richardson formerly served as mayor’s GLBT liaison. (Washington Blade file photo by Michael Key)
The D.C. Democratic State Committee ruled on Oct. 11 that the Oct. 1 election of gay activist and city official Jeffrey Richardson as president of the Ward 6 Democratic Committee should be voidedĀ on grounds that eligible voters wereĀ denied the right to vote.
Richardson is director of the Mayorās Office of Volunteerism and is the former head of the Mayorās Office of GLBT Affairs.
The decision calling for voiding the election and calling for a new election came in an eight-page āReport and Orderā dated Oct. 14 and signed by State Committee Chairperson and D.C. Council member Anita Bonds (D-At-Large). The report says the ruling was in response to separate challenges contesting the election by gay ANC Commissioner Alexander Padro and Democratic Party activist Sheila White.
The ruling calls for voiding the election of the entire slate of Ward 6 Democratic officers elected at the Oct. 1 meeting.
Padro and WhiteĀ stated in their challengesĀ thatĀ they and others were misledĀ byĀ public notices announcing the election. TheyĀ said the notices announced the election would be held during an Oct. 1 meeting scheduled to take place between 6:30 p.m. and 8 p.m.
Instead, according to the ruling, those attending the meeting adopted āRules of the Dayā that āsubstantially reduced the anticipated voting time from 90 minutes to approximately 10 minutes.ā The ruling says the only way potential voters could have known about the restricted voting time would be for them to have been present at the start of the meeting.
āThe reduction of voting time unduly disenfranchised Ward 6 Democrats and ultimately resulted in the denial of the opportunity for certain Ward 6 voters to exercise their constitutional right to vote,ā the ruling says.
Charles Allen, president of Ward 6 Democrats up until the completion of the election, told the Blade the procedures used for holding the election were consistent with the organizationās bylaws. He said the procedures and rules for the election were submitted to the State Committee in advance of the election and no one raised any objections.
Allen said he chose not to seek re-election. On Tuesday he announced his candidacy for the Ward 6 D.C. Council seat current held by Tommy Wells. Wells is giving up the seat to run for mayor.
Richardson did not respond toĀ requests by the Blade for comment.
Chuck Burger, a Ward 6 Democrats member who won election on Oct. 1 as 3rd Vice President, disputed the State Committeeās ruling that the election was flawed.
āWe are standing by our election,ā he told the Blade. āWe conducted our election according to our by-laws.ā
Those familiar with State Committee rules said the State Committee may not have authority to force a ward Democratic committee to void an election and hold a new election. But the State Committee could refuse to certify the election and refuse to seat Richardson or another Ward 6 Democrats member as a full member of the State Committee, which serves as the governing body of the D.C. Democratic Party.
Virginia
Parades, community events held to mark Pride Month in Va.
Upwards of 30,000 people attended PrideFest in Norfolk on June 22
![](https://www.washingtonblade.com/content/files/2024/06/20240629_Shi-Queeta_Lee_at_Arlington_Pride_insert_c_Washington_Blade_by_Michael_Key.jpg)
Activists across Virginia last month held a series of events to mark Pride Month.
Hampton Roads Pride, a volunteer-run organization founded in 1997, held 37 different Pride events throughout the region in June.
Their biggest event, PrideFest, which is part of their larger three day event, Pride Weekend, celebrated its 36th anniversary on June 22. Pride Weekend took place from June 21-23 and began with a block party at NorVa in Norfolk.
PrideFest took place at Town Point Park, and an estimated 30,000 people attended. More than 70 venders participated, while Todrick Hall and Mariah Counts are among those who performed.
Another PrideFest event with a DJ in the afternoon and live music at night took place in Virginia Beach on June 23. Congressman Bobby Scott and U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) are among those who attended Pride events in Suffolk on June 30.
Norfolk Mayor Kenneth Alexander, along with members of the Norfolk and Virginia Beach City Councils, also attended the Pride events in their respective cities. Jamar Walker, the first openly gay federal judge in Virginia, also took part.
āYou know people all throughout Pride Month, at all of our various events, tell me all kinds of stories about their own experiences and the past of this community … and some of our older folks especially, remember when we couldn’t have this,ā Hampton Roads Pride President Jeff Ryder told the Washington Blade on Monday during a telephone interview.
āIt was a great year,ā he added. “It was a big achievement for us to have unique celebrations in each of our seven communities. Each of these cities is so different from one another, but to be able to create a Pride celebration that’s unique in each of those places was really great, and I think really well received by folks who may not have felt represented previously. We’re always trying to do better, to embrace every aspect of our community, and take a big step forward there this year.ā
State Dels. Adele McClure (D-Arlington County) and Alfonso Lopez (D-Arlington County) are among those who spoke at Arlington Pride that took place at Long Bridge Park on June 29. The Fredericksburg Pride march and festival took place the same day at Riverfront Park in Fredericksburg.
Republican Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin on June 10 hosted a Pride Month reception in Richmond.
Youngkin in previous years has hosted Pride Month receptions, even though Equality Virginia and other advocacy groups have criticized him for supporting anti-LGBTQ bills.
The Republican governor in March signed a bill that codified marriage equality in Virginia. Youngkin last month vetoed a measure that would have expanded the definition of bullying in the state.
Baltimore
Baltimore street named in honor of trans activist
Iya Dammons is founder of support groups Safe Haven in Baltimore, D.C.
![](https://www.washingtonblade.com/content/files/2024/07/20240629_Iya_Dammons_at_street_naming_ceremony_in_Baltimore_insert_courtesy_Iya_Dammons.jpg)
Baltimore city officials and LGBTQ activists participated in a ceremony on June 29 officially dedicating the renaming of a street in honor of transgender woman Iya Dammons, who founded and serves as executive director of the LGBTQ services organization Maryland Safe Haven.
A section of Baltimoreās 21st Street at the intersection of North Charles Street, where the Maryland Safe Haven offices are located, has been renamed Iya Dammons Way.
The ceremony took place six years after Dammons founded Maryland Safe Haven in 2018 and one year after she launched a Safe Haven operation in D.C.in 2023 located at 331 H St., N.E.
A statement on its website says Safe Haven provides a wide range of supportive services for LGBTQ people in need, with a special outreach to Black trans women ānavigating survival modeā living.
āThrough compassionate harm reduction and upward mobility services, advocacy support, and community engagement, we foster a respectful, non-judgmental environment that empowers individual agency,ā the statement says. āOur programs encompass community outreach, a drop-in center providing HIV testing, harm reduction, PrEP, medical linkage, case management, and assistance in accessing housing services,ā it says.
Among those participating in the street renaming ceremony were Baltimore City Council member Zeke Cohen, interim director of Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scottās Office of LGBTQ Affairs Alexis Blackmon, and Dominique Morgan, an official with the national foundation Borealis Philanthropy, which provides financial support for transgender supportive nonprofit organizations, including Safe Haven.
āThis is a significant achievement and historic moment for our city,ā a statement by Maryland Safe Haven announcing the ceremony says. āIya Dammons has been a tireless advocate for transgender rights and has worked tirelessly to provide safe spaces and resources for transgender individuals in our city,ā it says. āThis honor is well-deserved, and we are thrilled to see her contributions recognized in such a meaningful way.ā
Baltimore
Despite record crowds, Baltimore Prideās LGBTQ critics say organizers dropped the ball
People on social media expressed concern about block party stampede
![](https://www.washingtonblade.com/content/files/2024/06/Screenshot-2024-06-29-at-18.01.33.png)
BY JOHN-JOHN WILLIAMS IV | This yearās Baltimore Pride Week attracted 150,000 people ā record attendance that far exceeded initial projections of 100,000.
But some see room for improvement and want organizers to address safety issues and make changes so the annual event that celebrates the LGBTQ population is better run.
The rest of this article can be found on the Baltimore Banner’s website.
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