May 07, 2004   | COMMENTS     

The D.C. Democratic State Committee made history on April 29 by electing three more gay Democrats as delegates to the Democratic National Convention, bringing the total number to seven — the largest number ever. In its final meeting to round out the 39-member District delegation headed for the convention, the committee chose Wanda Alston, the special assistant to Mayor Anthony Williams on LGBT affairs, Lynn Chia, a longtime supporter of Senator John F. Kerry, and Phil Pannell, the first openly gay black man to serve as a delegate. “This just shows that gay and lesbian Democrats know how to mobilize,” Pannell said. “We are really working in the party, and we are respected.” Though official delegates and alternates have not yet been determined, all will attend the convention in Boston from July 26-29, in which Kerry is expected to clinch the presidential nomination.
ADRIAN BRUNE

New Paltz mayor to speak at D.C. fund-raiser
The Green Party of the United States plans to host a fund-raiser featuring Mayor Jason West of New Paltz, N.Y. on May 15. Mayor West attracted national attention in late February after he solemnized marriages for 25 gay couples. West is currently under a temporary restraining order after a civil lawsuit was filed in early March against him, arguing that he violated state law banning gay marriages. Also in attendance will be Anthony Brown, family law attorney and a member of the board of directors of the Wedding Party, a nonprofit organization that supports gay marriage, and Brandon Lacy Campos, chair of the Lavender Green Caucus, which represents gay and lesbian Greens. The event is scheduled to take place at Cafe Citron in Dupont Circle. Admission is $25. There is a $5 discount for those who reserve ahead of time. Money from the event will go to support the Green Party. For more information, contact the Green Party of the United States at 202-319-7191 or visit www.gp.org.
JOE CREA

UMD closer to adding trans protections
The University of Maryland is closer to adding discrimination protections based on gender identity and expression to the school’s human rights code after the Maryland Attorney General approved a revised draft of the new language. The request appeared to be in jeopardy in February after the Maryland attorney general’s office rejected the original language, noting, “federal and Maryland law do not protect against discrimination on the basis of either gender identity or gender expression.” Luke Jensen, director of the university’s Office of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Equity, said that university officials had revised the proposal to include specific language about transgendered protections and returned the measure to the attorney general’s office on April 15. Before a final vote from the state Board of Regents, the new proposal must be approved by the university Senate, University of Maryland President Dan Mote and Chancellor William Kirwan, Jensen said. Jensen added it was unclear when the Board of Regents would vote on the measure.
JOE CREA

GWU to honor two gay students
Two gay students at George Washington University are scheduled to be recognized next week for their work in community activism. Graham Murphy and Allison Robbins, both seniors, will be the first recipients of the Manatt-Trachtenberg Prize, which recognizes “special undergraduate qualities,” university officials said. Murphy is the founder of SERC, the Student Equal Rights Campaign, which is dedicated to raising awareness about the Federal Marriage Amendment and whose members recently staged a sit-in at the office of the amendment’s author, U.S. Rep. Marilyn Musgrave (R-Colo.). Murphy is also the Northern Virginia program coordinator of the Sexual Minority Youth Assistance League and the founder of the university’s gay student group, the Out Crowd. Robbins has been a frequent volunteer with Amnesty International, the Washington Area Clinic Defense Task Force and Miriam’s Kitchen, a group that provides meals to the city’s homeless population. She was also involved in several student groups, including the G.W. March for Women’s Lives Delegation, the Feminist Majority Leadership Alliance, the Progressive Student Union and Students for Accountability. “I think that it’s great that the university is recognizing me for my work with the gay and lesbian community and with gay and lesbian students,” Murphy said. “I think the greatest thing about this award is that I’m going to be receiving it at the Ellipse, right in George Bush’s backyard. That’s what makes me the most excited about it.” Murphy and Robbins will receive the awards, which include a cash prize and having their names engraved on a silver cup displayed on the university’s campus, at the university’s graduation ceremonies on May 16.
BRYAN ANDERTON