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 (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
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.
“I don’t want any other children to have to experience something similar,” Siwek said on Change.org.
Becker told the Blade on Tuesday he decided to launch the petition, in part, because LGBT people – and those with HIV/AIDS who have compromised immune systems in particular – 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 “intimate contact” 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 nation’s capital, Whitman-Walker Health in April recommended gay and bisexual men receive the vaccine.
“Our community has heightened vulnerability as it is, plus the vulnerability that kids under a year old have,” Becker told the Blade, noting there are 115,000 same-sex couples in the U.S. who are raising children. “To me that really magnifies the importance within our own community.”
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 “adequate protection.”
The CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices on Wednesday considered lowering the age threshold for the vaccine.
“I know they’re getting the messages and e-mails that are generated by this position,” Becker said. “Julian and I wanted to demonstrate grassroots support in the LGBT community. It’s clearly resonated so that’s encouraging.”
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 today’s meeting,” he said.
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].
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 Yadiel Meléndez, on their new role as Community Associate, with the Wanda Alston Foundation. Meléndez is piloting a new role as a Community Associate at the Wanda Alston Foundation, where they support queer and trans young people in finding their footing, building independence, and experiencing a housing community where they are seen, valued, and affirmed. They are coming into this role with more than a decade of experience as a community organizer and operations specialist, supporting diverse communities through service, advocacy, and program coordination.
Previously they worked for Right Proper Brewing Shaw as a server and bartender and at Sephora, Washington, DC, and at FreshFarm, DC, in bilingual food access. They also worked freelance to build foundational structures for local queer BIPOC performance art coalitions, producing variety shows to curate space for marginalized performance artists in the community. They were a production manager for Haus of Hart Productions, a BIPOC centric performance art production. They also worked as field staff with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention in Stafford, Va.
Meléndez is bilingual, Spanish and English. Their work is guided by a commitment to dignity, safety, and trauma-informed engagement, particularly within LGBTQ and BIPOC communities.
Congratulations also to Ben Rosen LICSW, on his new role as program director, with the Wanda Alston Foundation. Rosen previously worked with Fountain House’s OnRamps program, helping to build a new, innovative outreach program for individuals considered chronically homeless, and living with serious mental illness, in the Times Square area of New York. Rosen is a Psychotherapist, having worked with SG Psychotherapy, and as the psychotherapist with the Nest Community Health Center (URAM).
Rosen has a B.F.A. in Theatre Arts: Musical Theatre, Minor in Psychology (Cum Laude) from Malloy University Conservatory; and his M.S.W. in Clinical Practice with Individuals, Families, and Groups, from The Silberman School of Social Work, Hunter College, N.Y. He is independently licensed in New York and Washington, D.C.
Rehoboth Beach
BLUF leather social set for April 10 in Rehoboth
Attendees encouraged to wear appropriate gear
Diego’s in Rehoboth Beach hosts a monthly leather happy hour. April’s edition is scheduled for Friday, April 10, 5-7 p.m. Attendees are encouraged to wear appropriate gear. The event is billed as an official event of BLUF, the free community group for men interested in leather. After happy hour, the attendees are encouraged to reconvene at Local Bootlegging Company for dinner, which allows cigar smoking. There’s no cover charge for either event.
District of Columbia
Celebrations of life planned for Sean Bartel
Two memorial events scheduled in D.C.
Two celebrations of life are planned for Sean Christopher Bartel, 48, who was found deceased on a hiking trail in Argentina on or around March 15. Bartel began his career as a television news reporter and news anchor at stations in Louisville, Ky., and Evansville, Ind., before serving as Senior Video Producer for the D.C.-based International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers union from 2013 to 2024.
A memorial gathering is planned for Friday, April 10, 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. at the IBEW International Office (900 7th St., N.W.), according to a statement by the DC Gay Flag Football League, where Bartel was a longtime member. A celebration of life is planned that same evening, 6-8 p.m. at Trade (1410 14th St., N.W.).
Minimal version of ‘Streetcar Named Desire’ heading to Dupont Underground
Comings & Goings
An effort to increase the number of psychiatrists of color
Calendar: April 10-16
BLUF leather social set for April 10 in Rehoboth
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