Local
New D.C. Council member backs same-sex marriage
Sekou Biddle wins appointment to at-large seat
Ward 4 school board member Sekou Biddle, who won an interim appointment to the D.C. City Council Thursday night, says he’s a strong supporter of LGBT rights, including same-sex marriage.
Biddle, 39, beat former City Council member Vincent Orange (D-Ward 5) and four other Democratic candidates who competed for the interim appointment before the 80-member D.C. Democratic State Committee, which makes interim Counsel appointments.
“I support same-sex marriage,” Biddle told the Blade after the vote. “I think it’s an indication of the kind of city that we have. It’s what makes us, in my opinion, a top-flight, world-class city that we have that level of respect for human and civil rights.”
Biddle will face off against Orange and other candidates expected to enter the race from all political parties in a special city-wide election scheduled for April 26.
He was expected to take office immediately in his temporary Council appointment for a seat made vacant after Council member Kwame Brown (D-At-Large) won election as City Council Chairman.
Before getting elected to the school board, Biddle began his career as a classroom teacher for eight years. He later served in leadership positions in education advoacy organizations, including his current post as executive director of the group Jumpstart.
Thursday night’s vote by the State Committee came after each of the candidates spoke before the committee and an overflowing crowd that gathered in a meeting room at the Democratic National Committee headquarters on Capitol Hill.
The Gertrude Stein Democratic Club, the city’s largest LGBT political group, endorsed Biddle in his race for the school board, where he has served since 2007.
Three Stein Club members who also are members of the D.C. Democratic State Committee endorsed and campaigned for Biddle in his quest for the committee’s appointment. The three are Jeffrey Richardson, the Stein Club president; Lateefah Williams, the club’s vice president for legislation and political affairs; and Alexandra Beninda, the club treasurer.
He also received the endorsement of Brown, who beat Orange in the hotly contested race in November for the Council chair race. At least three other Council members – Mary Cheh (D-Ward 3), Harry Thomas (D-Ward 5), and Marion Barry (D-Ward 8) also endorsed Biddle.
Mayor Vincent Gray remained neutral in the contest but some of his top political operatives backed Biddle. This prompted many political observers to conclude that the city’s political establishment had shifted its support from Orange – who was considered the frontrunner just two weeks ago – to Biddle.
Orange came out strongly against same-sex marriage during his unsuccessful race for mayor in 2006. When he ran against Brown for the Council chair seat last year he announced he had changed his position to support the city’s same-sex marriage law. But he was less clear about whether he would support or oppose holding a voter initiative seeking to overturn the marriage equality law, which took effect last March.
It took three rounds of voting for Biddle to nail down his victory over Orange Thursday night. With 74 of the 80 State Committee members present to vote, Biddle won on the third round by a vote of 40 to 31. Three ballots cast by committee members were disqualified because they voted for one of the other candidates that were eliminated after the first round of voting.
Only Biddle, Orange and candidate Stanley Mayes, a Ward 1 political activist, received any votes in the six-candidate race.
Many of the observers at the State Committee meeting were looking toward gay Council member David Catania (I-At-Large) as a possible predictor of what might happen in the April special election.
Catania stunned the city’s political establishment in 1997 when, running as a Republican, he defeated Democratic frontrunner Arrington Dixon in a special election to win his at-large Council seat.
Just 7 percent of the city’s registered voters turned out for the special election. But gays and Republican voters turned out in force, giving Catania his margin of victory over Dixon, a former City Council chairman who some observers said was overly complacent in his campaign.
Catania won re-election to a full term the following year and has retained his seat since that time. He withdrew from the Republican Party in 2004 to become an independent after the GOP and President George W. Bush embraced a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage.
Some local political pundits say pro-gay Republican Patrick Mara, who won election in November to the school board from Ward 1, could be the next “Catania” in the April special election. With a low voter turnout and support from Republicans and gays, among other groups, Mara supporters say he has a shot at winning. He has yet to announce whether he plans to run, although insiders believe he will enter the race.
Catania unofficially backed Mara when Mara ran against and defeated former Republican Council member Carol Schwartz two years ago in the Republican primary. Mara lost the general election to Democrat turned independent Michael Brown in the general election. As a friend of Mara’s, some observers are wondering if Catania will throw his support and political organization behind Mara, with the possibility of Mara coming out ahead if Biddle and Orange split the Democratic vote.
Some gays, including David Mariner, executive director of the D.C. LGBT community center, backed Orange in last year’s council chair race, saying Orange has come around to support LGBT issues and was more qualified as an attorney and accountant to address the city’s budget and economic development issues. Mariner said he has yet to decide whom to support in the April special election.
Ben Young, a spokesperson for Catania, said Catania has no comment at the present time on the upcoming Council special election and the potential candidates that might run in the race.
Richardson of the Stein Club said the comparison between Catania and Mara would not likely apply in this year’s special election because Biddle is expected to run a vigorous campaign and line up support from large numbers of gay voters.
Like Biddle, Mara supports same-sex marriage and has expressed strong support for all other LGBT-related issues.
Biddle told the Blade Thursday night that his political ties to the LGBT community are strong.
“In terms of politics and endorsements, I got my start in the LGBT community,” he said. “When I ran in 2007 for the Board of Education, the Stein Club was the first one to endorse me, and that gave my candidacy a lot of momentum and visibility. I’ve built a solid relationship since I’ve been in office and I think a level of trust.”
He said he considers himself a “progressive” on a wide range of city issues and hopes to draw support from all sections of the city.
District of Columbia
Mary’s House founder, CEO retires
Dr. Imani Woody played leading role in opening DC’s first home for LGBTQ seniors
The board of directors for Mary’s House for Older Adults, DC’s first official home dedicated to providing affordable housing for LGBTQ seniors, announced on July 7 that its founding president and CEO, Dr. Imani Woody, has retired.
Woody, who holds a PhD in Human Services, is credited with playing a leading role over many years in arranging both city and private funding needed to construct and operate the Mary’s House three-story building located at 401 Anacostia Road, S.E., in the city’s Fort Dupont neighborhood.
The house, which opened in March 2025, with a grand opening ceremony held in May 2025, includes 15 single-occupancy residential units and more than 5,000 square feet of shared communal living space.
“It is with profound gratitude and hearts full of celebration that the board of directors of Mary’s House for Older Adults, DC (MHFOA) announces the retirement of our visionary founder, Dr. Imani Woody, from her role as president and CEO,” the Mary’s House board says in a statement.
“Dr. Woody’s journey with Mary’s House began with her vision and a kitchen table gathering of women with a bold, urgent, and loving vision: to create safe, affirming, affordable housing for LGBTQ/SGL older adults in Washington, DC,” the statement says.
It adds, “What started as a dream has grown into DC’s first affordable LGBTQ+/SGL affirming communal living space for adults 60 and over, a 15-room community residence at 401 Anacostia Road in Southeast Washington.”
The statement says Woody will continue to serve on Mary’s House board.
“The board will be sharing information about the leadership transition process in the coming weeks,” the statement continues. “We are committed to honoring Dr. Woody’s legacy by ensuring Mary’s House continues to thrive and grow in faithful service to LGBTQ/SGL elders experiencing housing insecurity and isolation.”
Maryland
Va., Md., advocates brace for next fight after Supreme Court sports ruling
Neither state has statewide ban on trans student athletes
On June 30, the U.S. Supreme Court cleared the way for states to enforce laws barring transgender students from participating on school sports teams consistent with their gender identity, a decision LGBTQ advocates say could encourage additional restrictions across the country.
While neither Maryland nor Virginia currently has a statewide ban on trans student athletes, advocates say the decision could reshape future legislative battles and school policies throughout the region.
Directly following the case, attorneys for trans student athletes spoke out about the case and how detrimental it could be to students.
“This ruling is deeply harmful for transgender women and girls who only asked for the ability to participate in sports with their peers,” said Sasha Buchert, senior attorney and director of the Nonbinary and Transgender Rights Project for Lambda Legal, in a press release from the American Civil Liberties Union.
The next step is figuring out how states will move forward, specifically in Maryland and Virginia.
As of right now, neither state has bans on trans athletes in schools. The new Supreme Court decision also does not require states to enact bans, only that bans are allowed if states or school districts choose to enforce them.
According to the ACLU, 27 states have banned trans youth from participating in school sports since 2020. Most of these states also require sex testing, which the organization says is invasive for all female athletes.
Equality Virginia Executive Director Narissa Rahaman said that while she has heard a lot of frustration following the decision, people are ready to take action.
“Families, parents and youth have lived through disappointing changes to the Virginia Department of Education’s model policies for the treatment of transgender students, and the Virginia High School League’s decades-old policy that allowed transgender students an opportunity to play sports with their friends,” Rahaman said in a statement to the Washington Blade.
She believes they are not ready to give up this fight quite yet.
As of now, trans and nonbinary students are protected under Virginia law, and Rahaman wants that to continue.
“This ruling will likely embolden right-wing members of the General Assembly to pursue trans athlete bans, and we will continue to defeat every bill like we have the past five legislative sessions. Now is our time to be proactive,” Rahaman said.
She also calls upon Democratic Gov. Abigail Spanberger to defend trans youth in Virginia from what she describes as bullies and to continue to stand up to federal attacks on the trans community in general.
For trans students, Rahaman wants to ensure that they continue to know that they belong and have a place in school sports.
“To the transgender young people watching this decision unfold: you belong on your team, in your school, in your community, and here in Virginia. This ruling does not change that. A single Supreme Court decision cannot define your worth or your future,” Rahaman said.
For people who may be outside the community but want to help, she encourages them to speak with trans and nonbinary people in their community, befriend the families of youth to show their support, and continue to speak up on these issues when needed.
According to ACLU of Virginia, high schooler Eliza Munshi was told she could not compete on the girls’ track team because she was trans. To prove a point, she decided to compete with the boys.
She had previously competed on the girls’s track team before her Virginia school decided to enforce the ban demanded by President Donald Trump. With pink hair and pink makeup, she decided to continue her love for the sport alongside boys. According to Munshi, her entire community rallied for her.
“I did it to prove a point. I knew I could do it. I knew it wouldn’t phase me. My gender itself and that label has been the least important part of my transition: I want to look how I want to look. I want to dress how I want to dress. If you don’t like that, then that’s not my business,” Munshi said.
DOE has launched Title IX probe against Md. school districts
In the weeks leading up to the ruling, multiple Maryland school districts were included in a Title IX probe stating that not enforcing sex-based protections guaranteed by federal law. Currently, there have been no updates on the lawsuit or the district’s decisions.
According to the U.S. Department of Education, the federal probe is based on parent complaints that the school districts were violating a specific Trump-Vance administration addition to Title IX, stating it aligned the sex-based protections “with biological reality, not ideological fantasy.”
According to FreeState Justice, an LGBTQ advocacy group in Maryland, while this is a disappointing ruling to see, they will continue to fight for trans student-athletes in Maryland and want trans youth to know that they belong.
“Every young person deserves the opportunity to participate in school and community life without being singled out because of who they are. These decisions send a harmful message to transgender youth that they are somehow less deserving of that opportunity,” said Phillip Westry, the group’s executive director.
Westry wants to make sure the community knows that their commitment to the organization has not changed and will continue to provide the same legal services they have prior and to advance policy solutions, to ensure “every LGBTQ+ Marylander can live with dignity, safety, and equal opportunity.”
Another issue brought up by trans advocates is the issue of testing women to determine whether they are biologically female or not.
According to Human Rights Watch, as of 2023, World Athletics required cis women with increased testosterone levels to undergo medical procedures to have it reduced to avoid advantages. Other forms of “sex verification” may include genetic testing, screenings of an athlete’s anatomy or chromosomes.
However, this can become detrimental because not all women have ovaries, a uterus, or XX chromosomes, meaning cisgender women could potentially be included in these bans, depending on how the specific state plans to enforce them.
Maryland
Eastern Shore school board wants an 18-and-over rule for young adult books
Classics like ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ and ‘Little Women’ might be off limits to most students
By LIZ BOWIE | Somerset County’s school board is considering barring students under the age of 18 from reading any young-adult literature in school libraries, essentially restricting all but 12th graders from checking out books written for teens and tweens.
The proposed policy also calls for the superintendent to discipline librarians if “adult” reading material appears in the children’s section.
The policy defines young adult as students over 18. “Young adults are not minors and books suitable for young adults shall be placed on a separate Young Adults library section to reflect age-appropriate literature,” a draft of the policy says.
The rest of this article can be read on the Baltimore Banner’s website.
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