Local
D.C. AARP to host ‘LGBTQ Conversation’
Learn about gov’t programs to make city living easier


Terrance Laney, deputy director of the Mayor’s Office of LGBTQ Affairs is tentatively scheduled to speak on Nov. 30 to the AARP. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
The D.C. office of the American Association of Retired Persons, or AARP, is inviting people of all ages to attend an “LGBTQ Community Conversation” on Wednesday, Nov. 30, to discuss two D.C. government programs intended to make city living easier and more welcoming for seniors.
“AARP D.C. is interested in determining if the LGBTQ community knows about the Age Friendly D.C. Strategic Plan and what the State Office can do to help guide efforts of the Age Friendly D.C. Initiative in making D.C. a better place for people of all ages,” an AARP announcement says.
The Age Friendly D.C. Strategic Plan and Age Friendly D.C. Initiative are programs run by the D.C. Office of Aging. AARP officials say their upcoming event on Nov. 30 is intended to be a “listening post” to help them and the city better serve the LGBT community.
Among those tentatively scheduled to speak at the event are Susan Messina of IONA Senior Services, a D.C. group; Murray Scheel of Whitman-Walker Health; and Terrance Laney, deputy director of the Mayor’s Office of LGBTQ Affairs.
The event will take place from 6-8 p.m. at the Washington Ethical Society offices at 7750 16th Street, N.W.
Maryland
A Baltimore theater educator lost jobs at Johns Hopkins and the Kennedy Center
Tavish Forsyth concluded they could not work for Trump

BY WESLEY CASE | Tavish Forsyth had come to a conclusion: They could not work for President Donald Trump.
So the 32-year-old Baltimore resident stripped down, turned on their camera, and lit their career on fire.
“F—— Donald Trump and f—— the Kennedy Center,” a naked Forsyth, an associate artistic lead at the Washington National Opera’s Opera Institute, which is run by the Kennedy Center, said in a video that went viral. The board of the nation’s leading cultural institution had elected Trump just weeks prior as its chairman after he gutted the board of members appointed by his predecessor, President Joe Biden.
The rest of this article can be read on the Baltimore Banner’s website.
District of Columbia
Little Gay Pub to host April 25 celebration of life for Patrick Shaw
School teacher, D.C. resident praised for ‘warmth, humor, kindness’

Co-workers and friends will hold a celebration of life for highly acclaimed schoolteacher and D.C. resident Patrick Shaw beginning at 5:30 p.m. Friday, April 25 at The Little Gay Pub 1100 P St., N.W.
Little Gay Pub co-owner and Shaw’s friend, Dusty Martinez, said Shaw passed away unexpectedly on April 19 from a heart related ailment at the age of 60.
“Patrick touched so many lives with his warmth, humor, kindness, and unmistakable spark,” Martinez said. “He was a truly special soul – funny, vibrant, sassy, and full of life and we are heartbroken by his loss.”
In an Instagram posting, Shaw’s colleagues said Shaw was a second-grade special education teacher at the J.F. Cook campus of D.C.’s Mundo Verde Bilingual Public Charter School.
“Patrick brought warmth, joy, and deep commitment to Mundo Verde,” his colleagues said in their posting. “His daily Broadway sing-alongs, vibrant outfits, and genuine love for his students filled our community with energy and laughter.”
The posted message adds, “Patrick was more than a teacher; he was a light in our school, inspiring us all to show up with heart, humor, and kindness every day. His spirit will be deeply missed.”
The Washington Blade is preparing a full obituary on Patrick Shaw to be published soon.
District of Columbia
D.C. police seek help in identifying suspect in anti-gay threats case
Victim threatened with assault, called ‘faggot’ as he left Capitals game

D.C. police are seeking help from the public in identifying a male suspect whose image was captured by a video surveillance camera after he allegedly shouted anti-gay slurs and threatened to assault a man at 6th and H Streets, N.W. on March 20 at about 9:54 p.m.
A police report says the victim told police the incident took place shortly after he exited the nearby Capital One Arena where he had attended a Washington Capitals hockey game.
The police report says the incident began when the victim saw the suspect yell a racist slur at a person behind the victim and started to berate a valet operator.
“Suspect 1 then turned his attention to Victim 1 and called him a ‘faggot’ among other homophobic slurs,” the report says. It says the victim then used his phone to record the suspect, prompting the suspect to walk away before returning and “snatching” the phone from the victim’s hand.
“Suspect 1 walked several feet as Victim 1 followed, requesting his phone back,” the report continues. “Suspect 1 stopped and turned to Victim 1 and while yelling other obscenities exclaimed ‘if you keep recording, I’m going to kick your ass.’” The report concludes by saying the victim was able to recover his phone.
It lists the incident as a “Threats To Do Bodily Harm” offense that is a suspected hate crime.
“Anyone who can identify this suspect or has knowledge of this incident should take no action but call police at 202-727-9099, or text your tip to the Department’s TEXT TIP LINE at 50411,” according to a separate police statement released April 23.
The statement says police currently offer an award of up to $1,000 to anyone who can provide information that leads to an arrest and indictment of the person or persons responsible for a crime committed in D.C.
D.C. police spokesperson Tom Lynch said the case has been under investigation since the incident occurred on March 20. He said the video image of the suspect, most likely obtained from a security camera from a nearby business, was released to the public as soon as it was obtained and processed through the investigation.
-
Federal Government2 days ago
HHS to retire 988 crisis lifeline for LGBTQ youth
-
Opinions2 days ago
David Hogg’s arrogant, self-indulgent stunt
-
District of Columbia2 days ago
D.C. police seek help in identifying suspect in anti-gay threats case
-
Virginia2 days ago
Gay talk show host wins GOP nom for Va. lieutenant guv