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Equality Virginia executive director to step down

Vee Lamneck to leave organization at end of year

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Equality Virginia Executive Director Vee Lamneck (Photo courtesy of Vee Lamneck)

Equality Virginia Executive Director Vee Lamneck on Monday announced they will leave the organization at the end of the year.

Lamneck joined Equality Virginia in 2013.

They were the organization’s program director until they become Equality Virginia’s deputy director in 2016.

Lamneck became Equality Virginia’s executive director in January 2020. Their tenure coincided with Democrats regaining control of the General Assembly, which paved the way for the inclusion of sexual orientation and gender identity in Virginia’s nondiscrimination law, a ban on so-called conversion therapy for minors in the state and other LGBTQ rights laws.

“I’m so proud of all that we have accomplished together — from our very first Transgender Information and Empowerment Summit (TIES) to our most recent legislative victories,” said Lamneck in an email to Equality Virginia supporters. “After this incredible tenure, it is with deep gratitude and a full heart that I announce that I will be leaving EV at the end of December 2021.”

Lamneck in the email said they “have decided to go back to my roots and pursue my life-long dream of serving others through therapy, and I am so excited for this next chapter in my personal life and professional career.”

“As joyful as I feel about what is ahead; I will miss working daily with our amazing staff, committed board, and incredible community members, partner organizations, legislators, allies and volunteers from every corner of the state,” said Lamneck. “The respect and appreciation that I have for each of you is immense, and, because of you, I am confident that a bright dawn for all LGBTQ Virginians is on the horizon.”

“Since I started with Equality Virginia, we have changed and grown in significant ways, and the organization will continue to do so with new leadership,” they added. “EV is headed in a bold, new direction and the staff and board are dedicated to reshaping the organization into one that is more racially just and trauma informed. We have made substantial headway in these areas, and the next executive director will have a strong foundation to build upon. There is still so much work to be done, and I hope that you will continue to support EV during this time of transition and into the next chapter of the organization’s development.”

Lamneck said Equality Virginia’s board of directors “in the coming weeks” will release more information about the process to choose their successor.

“I will do everything possible to ensure there is a smooth transition and a seamless continuation of our work,” they said. “In the meantime, please know that EV is as strong as ever and we will keep providing the excellent programming, support, and advocacy that you expect from us. I am feeling hopeful for the possibilities ahead and I look forward to staying connected as we continue to make Virginia a safer and more welcoming place for all LGBTQ people.”

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Maryland

A Baltimore theater educator lost jobs at Johns Hopkins and the Kennedy Center

Tavish Forsyth concluded they could not work for Trump

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Tavish Forsyth, a queer artist and educator, posted a nude video on YouTube in protest of the Trump administration’s takeover of the Kennedy Center earlier this year. (Photo by Jessica Gallagher for the Baltimore Banner)

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.

ā€œF—— Donald Trump and f—— the Kennedy Center,ā€ 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.

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District of Columbia

Little Gay Pub to host April 25 celebration of life for Patrick Shaw

School teacher, D.C. resident praised for ā€˜warmth, humor, kindness’

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Patrick Shaw (Photo via GoFundMe)

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.

ā€œPatrick touched so many lives with his warmth, humor, kindness, and unmistakable spark,ā€ Martinez said. ā€œHe was a truly special soul – funny, vibrant, sassy, and full of life and we are heartbroken by his loss.ā€

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.

ā€œPatrick brought warmth, joy, and deep commitment to Mundo Verde,ā€ his colleagues said in their posting. ā€œHis daily Broadway sing-alongs, vibrant outfits, and genuine love for his students filled our community with energy and laughter.ā€

The posted message adds, ā€œPatrick 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.ā€

The Washington Blade is preparing a full obituary on Patrick Shaw to be published soon. 

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District of Columbia

D.C. police seek help in identifying suspect in anti-gay threats case

Victim threatened with assault, called ā€˜faggot’ as he left Capitals game

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D.C. police are seeking help from the public in identifying a male suspect whose image was captured by a video surveillance camera.

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.

ā€œSuspect 1 then turned his attention to Victim 1 and called him a ā€˜faggot’ among other homophobic slurs,ā€ the report says. It says the victim then used his phone to record the suspect, prompting the suspect to walk away before returning and ā€œsnatchingā€ the phone from the victim’s hand.

ā€œSuspect 1 walked several feet as Victim 1 followed, requesting his phone back,ā€ the report continues. ā€œSuspect 1 stopped and turned to Victim 1 and while yelling other obscenities exclaimed ā€˜if you keep recording, I’m going to kick your ass.ā€™ā€ The report concludes by saying the victim was able to recover his phone.

It lists the incident as a ā€œThreats To Do Bodily Harmā€ offense that is a suspected hate crime.

ā€œAnyone 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,ā€ 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.

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