Local
CDC urged to expand meningitis vaccine recommendations
D.C. activist John Becker launched petition with transgender Minnesota man who nearly died from infection
![John Becker, Bilerico Project, Human Rights Campaign National Dinner, gay news, Washington Blade](https://www.washingtonblade.com/content/files/2013/10/John_Becker_thumb_c_Washington_Blade_by_Michael_Key.jpg)
John Becker, who is the managing editor of the Bilerico Project, on Oct. 9 launched the petition on Change.org with Julian Siwek, a transgender Minnesota man who lost all of his fingers and most of his feet when he contracted bacterial meningitis as a child. The petition had 14,682 signatories as of deadline.
āI donāt want any other children to have to experience something similar,ā Siwek said on Change.org.
Becker told the Blade on Tuesday he decided to launch the petition, in part, because LGBT people ā and those with HIV/AIDS who have compromised immune systems in particular ā remain vulnerable to bacterial meningitis.
Headaches, fever and a stiff neck are the most common symptoms associated with meningitis. It is spread through respiratory droplets or oral secretions, and the incubation period is typically between three and seven days.
The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene earlier this year recommended men who have sex with men who live in the five boroughs or visited them to receive a meningitis vaccine after officials reported seven people had died from bacterial meningitis since 2010. The New York State Department of Health in March expanded this list to include MSM and people with HIV/AIDS who have had āintimate contactā with other men since Sept. 1, 2012.
A West Hollywood, Calif., lawyer in April died from bacterial meningitis.
Even though D.C. health officials stressed they had not seen an increase in bacterial meningitis cases in the nationās capital, Whitman-Walker Health in April recommended gay and bisexual men receive the vaccine.
āOur community has heightened vulnerability as it is, plus the vulnerability that kids under a year old have,ā Becker told the Blade, noting there are 115,000 same-sex couples in the U.S. who are raising children. āTo me that really magnifies the importance within our own community.ā
The CDC recommends adolescents and teenagers between 11-18 should receive two doses of the meningitis vaccine. It also says children who are between 9 and 23-months-old and those with specific medical conditions should receive two doses of the vaccine for āadequate protection.ā
The CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices on Wednesday considered lowering the age threshold for the vaccine.
āI know theyāre getting the messages and e-mails that are generated by this position,ā Becker said. āJulian and I wanted to demonstrate grassroots support in the LGBT community. Itās clearly resonated so thatās encouraging.ā
CDC spokesperson Benjamin Haynes told the Blade the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices “carefully reviews evidence and considers public perspectives as part of its public deliberation of immunization policy.”
“CDC and the committee appreciate the concerns raised in both petitions and public testimony at todayās meeting,ā he said.
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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