Marion Barry - Convicted Felon holds public office?

Last time I looked convicted felons weren't allowed to hold public office, vote, be a teacher or own a weapon.

Why is Marion Barry still on the Washington D.C. council?

GayTalk- Round Table Discussions - Separation of Church and State

1/18/2009 - 2 hrs

GayTalk at 9 AM (PST). Call in during the live show (347) 237-5246 otherwise call voicemail at (360) 283-5052 or send me email tom@2015Place.com . The topic is not limited to Separation of Church and State but we plan on starting the show out with that topic. Sunday mornings is our "round table discussion" show. Please join us.

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All the best to you and yours.

A Place to Call Home

by Yusef Najafi
Metro Weekly
Washinton, DC's GLBT News Magazine

Two weeks before opening the District's first transitional home for homeless GLBT youth, Brian Watson is working on only four hours of sleep, consumed by all the work yet to be done on the house, as well as by how much information to share.

''At first I was hesitant,'' admitted Watson, the director of programs at Transgender Health Empowerment (THE) and president of the D.C. Coalition of Black LGBT Men and Women, of officially announcing the opening date of the Wanda Alston House at THE's pageant fundraiser, May 18, the night before speaking with Metro Weekly. ''But now it's really coming together.''

full article

Activist Brian Watson honored by GLAA, along with five others

Brian Watson likes to fix things.

But a decade before making Washington his home and establishing himself as one of the city's most prominent young GLBT activists, the Oklahoma native was battling his own personal demons that had set his life on a dangerous path.


''[A friend] had died from AIDS and when I saw him in the casket, I got a reality check,'' Watson, now 26, says of the ''darkest period'' of his life. It was a rebellious time of partying, skipping school, and avoiding routine that sparked from the rejection he faced as a gay teen from his beloved local church.


Today local D.C. residents and activists know Watson as the Director of Programs at Transgender Health Empowerment (THE) and president of the D.C. Coalition of Black Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Men and Women. He is a proactive member of a handful of other GBLT, HIV/AIDS and health-related organizations, and serves on the Advisory Committee to the Mayor's Office of LGBT Affairs.


full article

Hate Crime: Metro calls victim a liar

WASHINGTON D.C.: Last night, Fox 5 reported on an alarming attack of a gay man by six or seven men on the Metro. "Nathaniel," as he's referred to in the report, was riding alone on a train Friday night. As the doors closed at Metro Center, the group surrounded and beat Nathaniel, kicking him as he fell to the floor and yelling "faggot".

Nathaniel managed to get off the train at the Smithsonian station, and he ran up to the station manager's booth to report the incident. He said Metro Transit Police would not drop him off at his house, only to another Metro station.

He believes that the attackers targeted him for money and their realization that he's gay "escalated their rage." Nathaniel also believes that Metro surveillance cameras caught footage of his attackers, but has yet to hear of any arrests related to the incident. Fox 5 contacted Metro hoping to air some of the surveillance footage, but did not receive a response by the time the story aired.

UPDATE: Via the comments, reporter Lena Sun posted the following response from Metro in the WaPo's Roads and Rails chat earlier today:

The local TV station, WTTG Fox 5, that reported the story about the man who was attacked this weekend did not get the complete story before its report was broadcast.

Metro Transit Police responded to the scene immediately and spoke to the victim and took an official report. Officers said the victim never told them that the assailants had used anti-gay language during the assault. Indeed, he had been injured during the incident, however the man refused medical aid and signed a waiver that he refused to receive any medical attention. Officers indeed did volunteer to drive the man home, however he said he only wanted the officers to drop him off at the Eastern Market Metrorail station, which they did.

Metro does have cameras in its stations, and Metro Transit Police have publicly released video of suspects when investigators believed it would help them catch criminals.