Local
Md. lawmaker faces retaliation for anti-gay views: lawyer
Claims Del. Alston indicted because she withdrew marriage support
The lawyer representing Maryland State Del. Tiffany Alston (D-Prince Georgeās County) says heās convinced that Alston was targeted for alleged campaign finance violations under the stateās criminal law because she withdrew her support for a same-sex marriage bill earlier this year.
Baltimore attorney J. Wyndal Gordon told the Blade Monday that Alstonās indictment on felony theft charges in September was the result of a ābacklashā against her decision to oppose the same-sex marriage equality bill after she promised to vote for it.
Gordon said authorities initially investigated Alston for alleged campaign irregularities through a non-criminal, civil process overseen by the stateās Board of Elections. He said state prosecutors changed course and sought a criminal indictment against her almost immediately after she angered same-sex marriage supporters by switching sides and opposing the bill.
āThatās when there was an intense scrutiny placed upon her and they started looking at her with a jaundiced eye like they were out to get her after that situation occurred,ā he said.
MORE IN THE BLADE: THE BACKGROUND ON THE ALSTON INDICTMENT
The Maryland Office of the State Prosecutor charged Alston with one count of felony theft, one count of misdemeanor theft, one count of fraudulent misappropriation by a fiduciary, and two election law violations. If convicted, she faces a possible sentence of ten years in jail.
A conviction also would force her to give up her seat as a state delegate representing Prince Georgeās County.
The charges, which were handed down by a grand jury on Sept. 23, allege that Alston made illegal disbursements from her election campaign account for personal use. Among other things, the indictment charges that she issued two campaign account checks totaling $3,560 to cover the cost of her wedding in December 2010.
LGBT activists called that allegation an ironic development, saying she allegedly broke the law to help pay for her own wedding just a few months before she moved to deny weddings for same-sex couples.
James Cabezas, chief prosecutor at the Office of the State Prosecutor, declined to comment on Gordonās claim that Alstonās indictment was a result of a backlash against her opposition to the marriage bill. Cabezas said the office never discusses pending cases.
āWhen a matter is being litigated in a courtroom, thatās where we do our talking,ā he said.
Gordon said he will argue at Alstonās trial, scheduled to begin Jan. 10, that the funds Alston withdrew from her campaign account were her own personal funds.
āSo the funds that sheās accused of stealing were actually her personal funds that she invested in her own campaign with agreements with the campaign treasurer that she would be reimbursed for what she contributed to the campaign,ā he said. āAnd the law allows for that as well.ā
MORE IN THE BLADE: GEARING UP FOR ANOTHER MARRIAGE FIGHT IN MARYLAND
When asked if the backlash he claims resulted in Alstonās indictment was brought about, in part, by gay community outrage over her decision to switch sides on the marriage bill, Gordon said he bases his assertion on āanecdotalā rather than āempiricalā evidence.
āI think it was an unpopular position that she took,ā he said. āIt took a lot of courage for her to reconsider her previous position and vote the way her constituency insisted that she voted. And sheās paying the price for it. And whoās behind it? Letās just say those who were in favor of gay marriage. Thatās the best I can say.ā
Gay rights attorney Patrick Wojahn, who serves as board chair for the Equality Maryland Foundation, a statewide LGBT advocacy group, described as a āred herringā Gordonās claim that Alston was singled out for prosecution due to her flip-flop on the marriage bill.
āThese are completely separate issues,ā he said. āI donāt think thereās any likelihood that the state prosecutor would care about a legislative issue.ā
Lisa Polyak, board chair of Equality Maryland, said Gordon’s claim that Alston’s indictment was linked to her views on the marriage bill came as a surprise to the group.
“Our focus continues to be on achieving equal treatment under the law for the LGBT community of Maryland, and we welcome Del. Alston’s assistance in this struggle,” Polyak said. “Mr. Gordon’s remarks are disappointing, as they seem to scapegoat our community as a means to achieve fair treatment for his client.”
Virginia
Man went on āhomophobic rantā inside Va. pub that displayed Pride flags
Suspect arrested on charges of public intoxication, assaulting police officer
The Hawk & Griffin British Pub located in Vienna, Va., posted a message on Facebook last week saying a man was arrested after going on a āhomophobic rantā inside the pub on June 28 when he saw that LGBTQ Pride flags were displayed at the pub for Pride month.
āLast night we had an incident here at the pub when a man came off the street to accost patrons in our beer garden because of our flags displayed for pride month,ā the Hawk & Griffin Facebook posting says. āHe then spit on our windows and came inside to confront our staff and patrons with homophobic rants,ā the posting continues.
āOur manager and staff handled the situation very professionally and police were called to investigate and later arrested a man a couple of blocks away,ā the message says. āWe want to thank the Vienna Police Department for their quick response. We are and will continue to be community focused and we will never stop working to create and maintain a place of inclusion and tolerance,ā the statement concludes.
Vienna police charged Justin Wayne Hendricks, of no known address, with misdemeanor counts of being ādrunk in publicā and providing false identification to a police officer and with a felony count of assault on a police officer. A police spokesperson said Hendricks was also found to be in violation of an outstanding arrest warrant from Alexandria, Va., related to a prior charge of failing to register as a sex offender.
The spokesperson, Juan Vazquez, said Hendricks is currently being held without bond at the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center. Online records for the Fairfax County General District Court show that Hendricks is scheduled to appear at a preliminary hearing on Oct. 9.
āOn Friday, June 28, around 9:28 p.m. the Vienna Police Department responded to reports of an intoxicated individual threatening customers of the Hawk & Griffin,ā a Vienna police statement says. āUpon the arrival of the officers the individual had already left the premises but was promptly located at an address nearby,ā according to the statement.
The statement adds that Hendricks was subsequently charged with being drunk in public, providing false information about his identity to police, and assault on a police officer along with being served with the outstanding warrant related to the prior charge in Alexandria of failing to register as a sex offender.
Details of the prior sex offender charge couldnāt immediately be obtained from online court records. However, the online records show that Hendricks has at least a dozen or more prior arrests between 2014 and 2023 on charges including public intoxication, trespassing, and failing to register as a sex offender.
Police spokesperson Vazquez said it would be up to prosecutors with the office of the Fairfax County Commonwealthās Attorney to determine if a subsequent hate crime related charge would be filed in the case.
Virginia
Parades, community events held to mark Pride Month in Va.
Upwards of 30,000 people attended PrideFest in Norfolk on June 22
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.
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
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