washingtonblade.com, volume 47, issue 9, february 26, 2016

8/20/2019 Washingtonblade.com, Volume 47, Issue 9, February 26, 2016

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‘She’s always been avoice for the voiceless’

By CHRIS [email protected]

The conventional wisdom is Hillary Clinton has awall of support in the South in the Democratic primarybecause of her popularity with black voters.

One recent NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll hasClinton up 68-21 percent over Sen. Bernie Sandersamong black voters.

That conventional wisdom was reinforced in a seriesof interviews the Washington Blade conducted withblack LGBT voters in the South this week. Those whospoke to the Blade in the days before primary contests

in their states are uniformly in favor of Clinton for arange of reasons.Alvin McEwen, a gay Columbia, S.C.-based blogger

who writes for “Holy Bullies & Headless Monsters,”said he came to support Clinton because she has a

more realistic approach to her proposals.“I’m 45, I’m not one for revolution,” McEwen said.

“I’m a very pragmatic individual. It’s all about planningand execution and the work. You got to build. It

doesn’t happen fast. So, Clinton is the closer to mystyle of how things move along for us or will happenfor us in the LGBT community.”

Based on her record, McEwen said he thinks Clintoncan make things happen in Congress — or makethings happen even without lawmakers if they decideto obstruct her.

“We’re going to have to have somebody who canwork with Congress, or if Congress pulls that nonsensethey did when Obama was president, somebodywho knows the ins and outs,” McEwen said. “I thinkClinton’s the one to do it.

The views of black Americans will carry particular

weight in the upcoming Democratic primary onSaturday in South Carolina, where an estimated 55percent of the electorate in 2008 was black.

Other states in the South with significant blackpopulations will follow South Carolina on Super

Tuesday. Among those states are Virginia, Alabama,Georgia, Tennessee, Arkansas and Texas. Thecontest in Louisiana will follow on March 5, followed

Newly discovered documents shed light on 1960s-eraWhite House scandal that led to ouster of 2 senior aides

By LOU CHIBBARO [email protected]

President Lyndon B. Johnson’s longtime aide and White House special assistant Walter Jenkins, whose 1964 arrest for alleged “homosexual conduct” created an uproar in the midst of Johnson’s re-election campaign, revealed in a confidential memo that another longtime Johnsonaide was accused of engaging in homosexual acts, according to documents released for the firsttime last month by the LBJ Library in Austin, Texas.

The newly released documents include an October 1964 draft memo attributed to Jenkins thatreveals that a government background check discovered that White House secretary and Johnsonfamily friend Robert “Bob” Waldron “had engaged in homosexual acts” in the recent past.

CONTINUES ON PAGE 12

F E B R U A R Y 2 6 2 0 1 6 V O L U M E 4 7 I S S U E 0 9 • A M E R I C A ’ S G A Y N E W S S O U R C E • W A S H I N G T O N B L A D E . C O M

Gay blogger ALVIN MCEWEN supports Hillary Clinton.

PHOTO COURTESY OF MCEWEN


President LYNDON B. JOHNSON (right) requested the resignation of hislongtime aide WALTER JENKINS (left) after he was arrested a second time

for having sex at a YMCA near the White House, according to newly releaseddocuments. A second aide, who was revealed to be gay, was also ousted.

Black voters talk Clinton support


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02 • FEBRUARY 26, 2016 WASHINGTONBLADE.COM


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WASHINGTONBLADE.COM FEBRUARY 26 , 2016 • 03


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Suspect released inunrelated stabbingcase in 2014

By LOU CHIBBARO [email protected]

One of two men shot to death in an all-

male group home on Feb. 18 called D.C.police for help in a gay-related domesticviolence incident at the home at 509 58th St.,N.E., last August, according to a police reportand a police source familiar with the incident.

The man who sought help in the domesticviolence incident, Clifton David Francis, 51,and his roommate, David Aumon Watkins Jr.,45, died in a hail of bullets from a handgunallegedly fired by a third roommate at thehouse, 29-year-old David Joshua Bright, apolice affi davit states.

Police charged Bright withpremeditated first-degree murder whilearmed in connection with the fatalshootings. Police have yet to disclosewhether they have identified a motive forthe double murder.

Two separate police incident reportsfiled on Aug. 31, 2015, identify Francisas the person who called for help in adomestic violence incident at the grouphome on that day.

“On the listed date and time, C-1[Complainant 1] reported to MPD thatS-1 [Suspect 1] made threats to harmhim,” the report states. “S-1 was placed

under arrest and transported to the SixthDistrict for processing,” it says.

A second incident report filed earlierthat day was in response to anotherdomestic related call to police by Francisin connection with the same incident.The report says four people at the house“were involved in a verbal altercationregarding living arrangements.”

It says, “No physical assaults took place.All parties were advised of the domesticviolence laws in the District of Columbia.”

Neither report identifies the suspect

who was arrested or the offensewith which the suspect was charged.However, a police arrest affi davit filed incourt identifies the suspect as 57-year-old Kenneth Sloan and says Sloan wascharged with attempted threats to dobodily harm.

The affi davit says Sloan was “previouslyin a romantic relationship” with a witness inthe domestic violence case who is believedto also have been living in the house.Sources familiar with the house, includingthe police source, say all of the occupants of

the house at that time were men, indicatingthe domestic violence report filed byFrancis was gay related, even though thepolice reports don’t specifically identify anyof the parties as gay.

Court records show a judge dismissed

the case against Sloan in November 2015for “want of prosecution,” a term used insituations where prosecutors are unableto move forward with a case within arequired time period.

Court records show Bright, who’scharged in the double murder, has beenarrested in D.C. at least eight times onvarious misdemeanor and felony chargesbeginning in 2006. One of his prior arrests

on May 26, 2014, involves a charge ofassault with a dangerous weapon forallegedly stabbing a man in the abdomenin the 100 block of E Street, N.W.

A pol ice arrest affi davit says fourwitnesses observed the incident,described the suspect to police, andtold police the suspect fled the scenein an old model Chevrolet sedan. Theaffi davit says a police cruiser gave chaseto the suspect’s vehicle in a descriptionreminiscent of a Hollywood movie. It saysthe suspect, later identified as Bright,drove over sidewalks striking other cars,drove in the wrong direction on a one-way street, and drove through numerousred lights before finally being stopped bypursuing police cars.

In a development likely to raise concernamong community activists, a prosecutorwith the U.S. Attorney’s Offi ce filed amotion approved by a judge in December2014 calling for the case to be dismissedwithout prejudice. A dismissal withoutprejudice allows prosecutors to reinstatethe case at a later date.

William Miller, a spokesperson for the

U.S. Attorney’s Offi ce, declined to disclosethe reason for the decision to dismiss thecase, saying his offi ce has a longstandingpolicy of not revealing reasons forpursuing or not pursuing criminal cases.

Had Bright been convicted on thecharge of assault with a dangerousweapon he would have faced a possiblemaximum sentence of 10 years in jail.

The home where Bright and the twomen he is accused of killing lived isoperated by Friendship Place, a D.C.non-profit organization that provides

temporary housing and social servicesfor homeless people in immediate needof housing. The services are providedunder a program funded by the D.C.Department of Human Services, thegroup’s director, Jean-Michel Giraud, toldthe Washington Blade.

Giraud said Bright, whom police say hadbeen living in the house, was not enrolledin Friendship Place’s housing program. Hesaid the program arranges for clients toobtain their own separate leases from theowner of the house and they are free to

invite others to stay at the house.“They can do in their own home what youand I can do in our own home as long asthe landlord has no objection,” Giraud said.

He said that under privacy rules he couldnot disclose whether a resident in the

house raised concerns about a threat ofdomestic violence. Giraud said employeesinvolved in operating the group’s housingprogram receive training on LGBT-relatedissues and that LGBT clients are alwayswelcome in the program.

The arrest affi davit for the doubleslaying at the house on 58th Street, N.E.,last week says a witness who was livingin the house called police after he heard

gunshots fired in the house and allegedlysaw Bright shooting Francis multipletimes in the living room.

The witness reported seeing Brightrunning in and out of the house andup and down a staircase leading to thebedroom where he was staying severaltimes before the shooting began, theaffi davit says.

“While shooting at decedent (Francis) atclose range, W-1 [Witness 1] states, ‘Day-Day’was yelling, ‘This will teach you!” the affi davitsays. It says that the witness and others

knew Bright by the nickname “Day-Day.”

� CONTINUES AT WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

CPAC accepts Log Cabin as sponsor

After years of being turned away, the national LGBT group Log CabinRepublicans received notice last week that its application to become a sponsorof the 2016 Conservative Political Action Conference, known as CPAC, has beenapproved, according to Log Cabin President Gregory Angelo.

Angelo announced what he called a “watershed moment” in Log Cabin’s historyat the regularly scheduled meeting of the group’s D.C. chapter on Wednesdaynight.

“I couldn’t wait to share this news with all of you as so many of you have beenasking me about this for probably a better part of a year now,” Angelo told thegathering, which included Jose Cunningham, the gay chair of the D.C. RepublicanParty.

“I’m happy to say, I’m pleased to say, I’m honored to say that this morning Log

Cabin Republicans was accepted as formal sponsors at this year’s ConservativePolitical Action Conference,” Angelo said.

His jubilant announcement came one year after Angelo and LGBT conservativescriticized the American Conservative Union, which organizes the annual CPACevent, for rejecting Log Cabin’s request to become a sponsor on grounds that itwasn’t conservative enough and didn’t submit a proper application.

Last year’s rejection followed similar rejections of Log Cabin’s request tobecome a CPAC sponsor over the past several years. CPAC offi cials in past yearshad also refused to accept as a sponsor the conservative LGBT group GOProud.

Matt Schlapp, the ACU chair, has denied that his organization, which isconsidered the nation’s preeminent conservative advocacy group, turned downLog Cabin’s application in previous years because of anti-gay bias. Schlapp notedthat many prominent conservative advocates who are gay have attended and

participated in CPAC for many years.Angelo declined to disclose the cost of Log Cabin’s sponsorship for the CPACevent, but the CPAC website shows that the cost of the level of sponsorship thatAngelo appeared to be describing Wednesday night is $7,500.

LOU CHIBBARO JR.

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

04 • FEBRUARY 26, 2016 LOCAL NEWS

GREGORY ANGELO called the CPAC news a ‘watershed moment’ in L og Cabin’s history.

WASHINGTON BLADE FILE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEY

Victim in double murder filed gay domestic violence report


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Bowser meets with Mariela Castro in Cuba

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser on Mondaymet with the daughter of Cuban PresidentRaúl Castro who promotes LGBT-specificissues.

A press release from D.C. offi cials saidthat Mariela Castro, director of Cuba’sNational Center for Sexual Educationthat is known by the Spanish acronymCENESEX, led Bowser on a tour of herorganization’s headquarters in Havana’sVedado neighborhood.

The press release described CENESEXas “a teaching and research institution inthe area of human sexuality, best knownfor advocating for tolerance of LGBTQ”Cubans. It also applauded Mariela Castro’sorganization as “a leader in educationconcerning contraception and AIDS.”

“A city is only as strong as the healthand well-being of its residents,” saidBowser in the press release. “No matteryour background or economic status,everyone has the right to quality healthcare — and it’s encouraging to see that

Cuba has made that a top priority.”Bowser on Tuesday spoke about the

meeting during a conference call with reporters from Havana.“We found it a very informative session,” she said in response to the

Washington Blade’s question.Bowser told the Blade that CENESEX focuses on human rights to “eliminate

homophobia and transphobia across Cuba.” She added that Mariela Castro’sorganization is “analogous” to non-profits in D.C. that work toward “endingdiscrimination and promoting human rights.”

Bowser is among the offi cials from D.C., Maryland and Virginia who are takingpart in an “exploratory mission” to Cuba that the Greater Washington HispanicChamber of Commerce organized.

D.C. Schools Chancellor Kaya Henderson and D.C. Councilmen Jack Evans

(D-Ward 2) and Vincent Orange (D-At-Large) are among those from the nation’scapital who are taking part in the trip. Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett,Montgomery County Councilwoman Nancy Navarro and Virginia Secretary ofCommerce and Trade Maurice Jones are also part of the Greater WashingtonHispanic Chamber of Commerce delegation to Cuba.

MICHAEL K. LAVERS

Clippinger endorses Van Hollen for U.S. Senate

Maryland Rep. Chris Van Hollen on Tuesday announced that gay state Del.Luke Clippinger (D-Baltimore City) has endorsed his U.S. Senate campaign.

“I am excited to endorse Chris Van Hollen for U.S. Senate,” Clippinger told the

Washington Blade in a statement.Van Hollen as a member of the Maryland Senate co-sponsored a 2001 bill that

banned discrimination based on sexual orientation in the state. Clippinger alsopointed out to the Blade that Van Hollen “politically and financially” supportedthe campaign in support of Maryland’s same-sex marriage law ahead of the2012 referendum on it.

The Baltimore City Democrat noted that Van Hollen is a co-sponsor of theEquality Act that would add sexual orientation and gender identity to federal civilrights law. Clippinger also pointed out that the congressman is a member of theU.S. House of Representatives’ Transgender Equality Task Force.

“Chris has been a leader on important issues for LGBT Marylanders,” saidClippinger.

Van Hollen declared his candidacy last March shortly after U.S. Sen.Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.) announced her retirement from the U.S. Senate. Thecongressman who has represented Maryland’s 8th Congressional District since2003 will face Congresswoman Donna Edwards in the April 26 Democraticprimary.

MICHAEL K. LAVERS

AIDS activist, father of 5, issecond out gay man to run

By STEVE CHARING

Citing flaws in the Baltimore Citygovernment and drawing upon his ownexperience of discrimination, Rev. KinjiScott has filed as a candidate for theBaltimore City Council in the 5th District. Indoing so, he becomes the second openlygay candidate to run for the City Council in2016. Kelly Cross recently announced he isa candidate for the 12th District.

Scott, 46, and a father of five sons, willbe among seven candidates vying forthe seat in the 5th Councilmanic District,which includes the West Baltimore

neighborhoods of Pimlico, MountWashington, Cheswolde and Glen. It hasbeen represented by the retiring Rochelle“Rikki” Spector for the past 36 years.

“I am running for offi ce because theBaltimore City Council has lost touch withthe citizens,” Scott told the Blade. “I amnot a politician.”

Scott said that there is a need for a voicethat represents the people’s interests andnot those of the politicians and noted heis that proven voice.

“I have stood against the city

administration, criminals in ourcommunity, and Baltimore City PoliceDepartment on behalf of Baltimoreans,”he said. “I will continue when I am electedto the City Council.”

Scott, who prides himself as being theonly gay Baptist minister in Baltimore,was an activist most of his life. However,he says a tragic event in 2005 motivatedhim to do more.

He had been a group home managerfor the now defunct Fellowship of Lights— a place in Baltimore where homeless

or runaway gay or straight youths ages 12to 17 came for shelter. When Scott foundsuitable housing for a 16-year-old boynamed Vatell Murray, who was a resident ofthe home, the Baltimore City Departmentof Social Services dismissed it, according toScott, and instead placed the teenager inan area where people had threatened tokill him. Department offi cials, said Scott,had promised to keep him safe.

Tragically, the teen was murdered45 days later, and after denouncing thetragedy publicly, Scott said he was firedfrom his job. Since then he has spokenout on such community issues as leadpaint poisoning, juvenile services, housing,police reform and public education. Hehas also been a strong voice concerninghate crimes against LGBT community,

such as the beating of Kenni Shaw in 2012.Scott accelerated his activism after his

experience at a Baltimore City HealthDepartment clinic soon after beingdiagnosed in 2012 with the co-infectionsHIV and syphilis. Scott said contracting

both infections is not uncommon fromMSM encounters.

“Syphilis ulcers on the genitals establishentry ways for HIV,” Scott explained. “Wecan’t simply talk about HIV without talkingabout syphilis. Baltimore City HealthDepartment has to do a better spreadingthis message in our schools, churchesand places where people gather like barsand clubs. Especially when it comes toour young LGBTQ community membersthat message has to be established.”

He added, “The Baltimore City Police

stepped up patrolling the infamous ‘meatrack’ in Mount Vernon where young blackmen sex workers can be found, but theHealth Department canvassing andoutreach has not increased. That needsto happen and when I am elected I willget it done.”

Scott earned a master’s in Americanhistory from Southern Illinois University andhas completed all but his thesis for a secondmaster’s in city planning from Morgan StateUniversity. He said his life’s experiences andhis zeal to help others in need provide therationale for his candidacy.

“I am an outspoken and passionateactivist with a history of advocating onbehalf of Baltimoreans,” he said. “I wantto advocate on behalf of Baltimoreans asa member of Baltimore City Council.”

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

06 • FEBRUARY 26, 2016 LOCAL NEWS

D.C. Mayor MURIEL BOWSER thisweek visited the organization runby Mariela Castro, the daughter ofCuban President Raúl Castro.

WASHINGTON BLADE FILE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEY

Gay minister seeksBaltimore Council seat

Rev. KINJI SCOTT is running for BaltimoreCity Council in the 5th district.

PHOTO COURTESY OF SCOTT


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WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

NATIONAL NEWS FEBRUARY 26, 2016 • 07

12 states up for grabs inmake-or-break contest

By CHRIS [email protected]

The result of a tumultuous presidentialprimary could become clear next weekwhen the results of the Super Tuesdaycontests are known.

Combined with earlier contests andthe Democratic South Carolina primaryon Saturday, a total of 16 states will havehad their say in the presidential primaryfor both parties.

On Super Tuesday, alternatively known

as the “SEC Primary” because of thestates involved, voters will give voice totheir picks in Alaska, Texas, Colorado,Oklahoma, Minnesota, Arkansas,Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, Virginia,Vermont and Massachusetts.

On the Democratic side, formerSecretary of State Hillary Clinton isexpected to fare well because manyof these states have significant blackpopulations, where she enjoys a widemargin of support.

Last week, an NBC/WSJ/Marist poll

found Clinton had a 28-point lead overher rival Sen. Bernard Sanders (I-Vt.)in South Carolina. Compared to the 60percent support for Clinton, Sanders had32 percent.

That margin of support for Clintonextends to states on Super Tuesday.An Emerson poll published Wednesdayfound Clinton leading 56-40 over Sandersin Texas. On Tuesday, a Fox 5 Atlanta pollpredicted Clinton would trounce Sandersby a 57-29 margin in the state.

But Sanders has a few bright spots.An Emerson poll on Monday found therace between Clinton and Sanders inMassachusetts was essentially tied, 46-46.A Castleton University poll gave Sandersa whopping 83-9 lead over Clinton in hishome state of Vermont.

A Washington Free Beacon poll lastweek found Sanders leading Clinton 49-43 in Colorado, which recently legalizedmarijuana. According to a report in

Politico, the Sanders campaign hassought to muscle up in Minnesota on thebelief his message would resonate in thatstate. For Sanders, those two states willlikely serve as a test for his endurancegoing forward.

On the Republican side, Super Tuesdaymay be the last chance for the Republicanestablishment to stop Donald Trumpfrom winning the party’s nomination.After former Florida Gov. Jeb Bushdropped out of the race following hisabysmal performance in the Republican

South Carolina primary, many Republicanoffi cials endorsed Sen. Marco Rubio(R-Fla.) in hopes he would save the party,but that didn’t seem to have any impacton the Nevada Republican caucus, whereTrump ran away with a victory on Tuesdayby a double-digit margin.

Polls this week show Trump has thelead in several Super Tuesday states.A Fox 5 Atlanta poll predicts Trumpwill win Georgia with 34 percent of thevote, an Emerson poll predicts he’ll winMassachusetts with 50 percent of the vote

and a Castleton University poll predictedhe’d win Vermont by 32 percent.One state Trump may not win on Super

Tuesday is Texas, where an Emerson pollon Wednesday showed the real estatemagnate essentially tied with Sen. TedCruz (R-Texas), 29-28, in the senator’shome state, followed by Rubio at 25percent.

Ohio Gov. John Kasich and retiredneurosurgeon Ben Carson haveessentially become afterthoughts asthey continue to poll in the single digits.Kasich, the second-place winner in NewHampshire, is pinning his hopes onMidwestern states later in the primaryprocess after Super Tuesday, whileCarson stays in the race even though hehas no place to win.

Trans woman killed in Philadelphia

PHILADELPHIA — A transgender woman was stabbed to death in Philadelphiathis week.

The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that Maya Young was stabbed in the neckand chest around 11:50 p.m. on Feb. 20 in the city’s Frankford neighborhood.She died a short time later at a local hospital.

“My heart is with her sister, family, friends and community,” Nellie Fitzpatrick,director of the Philadelphia Mayor’s Offi ce of LGBT Affairs, told the PhiladelphiaInquirer.

The Inquirer reported that police have yet to make an arrest in Young’s death.Her murder took place a day before San Antonio police found a trans woman

dead in a local motel.Out In SA, a local LGBT newspaper, reported that offi cers found Veronica

Banks Cano’s body in a bathtub on Feb. 19.Friends told Out In SA that Cano was in her mid-30s and grew up outside of San

Antonio. They said that she had worked as a nurse’s assistant in her hometown.

GLAD changes its name

BOSTON — A New England-based LGBT legal advocacy group on Feb. 23announced that it has changed its name.

Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders, which formed in 1978 in responseto an anti-gay police sting at the Boston Public Library, is now GLBTQ LegalAdvocates and Defenders. The new name ensures that the organization will stillbe known by the acronym GLAD.

“GLAD has blazed a trail of legal victories for gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgenderand queer people across New England and the nation,” said GLAD ExecutiveDirector Janson Wu in a press release that announced the name change. “As wecontinue our pioneering work, we’re proud to bring all of our communities intoour name.”

GLAD is the latest LGBT advocacy group to change its name in recent years.The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force in 2014 announced it had changed

its name to the National LGBTQ Task Force. Parents, Families and Friends ofLesbians and Gays in the same year changed its name to PFLAG.

Congressional LGBT group elects new of cers

WASHINGTON — The LGBT Congressional Staff Association on Feb. 23announced the election of its 2016 board members.

The organization’s members elected Mitchell Rivard as president and ToddSloves as vice president respectively. Ross Arnett, Robert Edmonson, RaghibAllie-Brennan, Yesenia Chavez, Michael Wong and Megan Crouch were alsoelected to the LGBT Congressional Staff Association’s board of directors.

“The LGBT Congressional Staff Association is dedicated to helping LGBTstaffers succeed on Capitol Hill and our new board of directors is already puttingtogether great career and networking events for the new year,” said Rivard ina press release. “We are always welcoming new members, both Democratsand Republicans, and look forward to expanding the great progress the LGBTCSA has made over the last year. We are a safe and diverse space for any LGBTCapitol Hill staffers looking to meet new people and get advice for their career.”

MAYA YOUNG was found stabbed to death in Philadelphia.

SCREEN CAPTURE; COURTESY OF NBC PHILADELPHIA

Super Tuesday shouldclarify tumultuous 2016 race

Can Sens. MARCO RUBIO or TED CRUZ stop Donald Trump? We should find out next week.

WASHINGTON BLADE FILE PHOTOS; RUBIO BY LEE WHITMAN, CRUZ BY MICHAEL KEY


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New eort seeks to shut down‘ex-gay’ group as fraud

National LGBT organizations are set onWednesday to file a complaint seekingto shut down a Virginia-based “ex-gay”group for engaging in widely discreditedsexual orientation conversion therapy,the Washington Blade has learned.

The 38-page complaint, obtained inadvance by the Blade, is set to be filedbefore the U.S. Federal Trade Commissionand accuses “People Can Change” —an organization that offers therapyservices “to support and guide men whoseek to transition away from unwantedhomosexuality” — of engaging in fraud.

According to the complaint, “PeopleCan Change” offers the services “basedon the false premise” that being gay is amental illness cause by a developmentaldisorder — an assertion debunked bymajor psychological and medical groups,

which have rejected “conversion therapy.”“There is substantial competent and

reliable scientific evidence that conversiontherapy, including the methods employed by PCC, is ineffective and can and often does result in significanthealth and safety risks to consumers of those services, as well as economic losses – exactly the types ofinjuries that are at the heart of the FTC’s mission to protect consumers from harm,” the complaint says.

The complaint asks the Federal Trade Commission to stop “People Can Change” from advertising, marketingand all forms of business and calls on the agency to investigate other practitioners making similar claims.

The practice of “ex-gay” conversion therapy is rejected by major medical and psychological institutions,including American Psychological Association, the World Health Organization, the American MedicalAssociation and the American Academy of Pediatrics.

The organizations that are set to file the complaint are the Human Rights Campaign, the Southern PovertyLaw Center, the National Center for Lesbian Rights and the D.C. offi ce of the law firm Cooley LLP.

Samantha Ames, #BornPerfect Campaign Coordinator for the National Center for Lesbian Rights, said ina statement the complaint is “the first clear opportunity for the Obama administration” to end “conversiontherapy” throughout the country.

“We sincerely look forward to working with the Federal Trade Commission to investigate this fraudulentand unethical organization – along with every trusted professional who profits from the anguish of LGBTQyouth and their families,” Ames said. “But, even more so, we look forward to the day when every humanbeing, no matter their sexual orientation or gender identity, knows they were born perfect.”

The complaint is similar to a lawsuit filed in 2012 against the now defunct New Jersey “conversion therapy”provider JONAH, or Jews Offering New Alternatives for Healing, to compel the group to stop its program.

Following a trial revealing the organization’s bizarre practices, in June of last year a New Jersey jury found JONAH guilty of consumer fraud. As a result of a subsequent suit, JONAH agreed to pay $3.5 million in legalfees, shut down entirely, and pay $72,400 in damages to compensate the plaintiffs who underwent therapywith the organization.

Scott McCoy, senior staff attorney for the Southern Poverty Law Center, said in a statement the rulingagainst JONAH served as the basis for the complaint before the Federal Trade Commission.“Our case shut JONAH down, shed light on PCC’s harmful practices, and helped develop this important

action to stop PCC and others in this industry from misleading and harming more people,” McCoy said.According to the “People Can Change” website, among the programs afforded by the organization is a 48-

hour “Journey Into Manhood,” which offers group exercises for gay and bisexual men to “experience healing”from their sexual orientation. Programs this year are set to take place in Florida, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Utah,Poland, Texas and California. The cost for the U.S. workshops is $650.

The Washington Blade has placed a call to “People Can Change” to request a comment on the complaintfiled against the organization.

California, Illinois, New Jersey, Oregon and D.C. have passed laws prohibiting “ex-gay” therapy for minors.In New York, Gov. Andrew Cuomo this month took executive action to protect youth from the practice andbar insurers from covering it.

President Obama last year came out against the practice of conversion therapy. Although the Obamaadministration has advocated a state-by-state approach to end the practice, the White House has said itwelcomes congressional action on the issue.

CHRIS JOHNSON

Miss., Ga., lawmakers approvereligious freedom bills

Lawmakers in Mississippi and Georgia last weekapproved religious freedom bills that critics say wouldallow anti-LGBT discrimination.

The Mississippi House of Representatives approvedHouse Bill 1523, which is known as the Religious LibertyAccommodations Act, by a 80-39 vote margin.

The measure would allow offi cials to decline to issuemarriage licenses to same-sex couples because of theirreligious beliefs. HB 1523 also applies to those whodecline to “participate in the provision of treatments,counseling or surgeries related to sex reassignment orgender identity transitioning...based upon a sincerely heldreligious belief or moral conviction.”

HB 1523 would also apply to businesses, foster careagencies, employers and landlords.

“Laws and government actions that protect the freeexercise of religious beliefs and moral convictions aboutmarriage and human sexuality will encourage privatecitizens and institutions to demonstrate tolerance forthose beliefs and convictions and therefore contribute toa more respectful, diverse and peaceful society,” reads themeasure. “In a pluralistic society, in which people of good

faith hold more than one view of marriage, it is possible forthe government to recognize same-sex marriage withoutforcing persons with sincerely held religious beliefs ormoral convictions to conform.”

HB 1523 defines the “sincerely held religious beliefs ormoral convictions” that it would protect as “marriage is orshould be recognized as the union of one man and onewoman” and “sexual relations are properly reserved tosuch a marriage.”

“Male (man) or female (woman) refer to an individual’simmutable biological sex as objectively determined byanatomy and genetics at time of birth,” reads the measure.

Critics of HB 1523 also contend it would allow

government agencies to sponsor so-called conversiontherapy.

“Once again, legislators are modernizing the Jim CrowEra with the passage of HB 1523,” said the American CivilLiberties Union of Mississippi in a statement.

“When we seek to codify legislation that discriminatesagainst any class of people — no matter our diversetheological beliefs about marriage — we tarnish thetreasure of religious freedom and the highest ideals ofour democracy,” it adds.

HB 1523 will now go before the Mississippi Senate.The Georgia Senate last week approved House Bill 757

by a 38-14 vote margin.

The measure would allow publicly funded organizationsand individuals to deny service to anyone based on theirreligious beliefs.

“Georgia lawmakers supporting this legislation aremaking a grave error that damages their state’s brand,”said Freedom for All Americans Executive Director MattMcTighe in a statement. “Today’s Senate vote is noticeablyout of step with the overwhelming majority of Georgianswho disagree with this type of discriminatory legislation.”

Lambda Legal Senior Attorney Beth Littrell in astatement urged the Georgia House of Representatives tooppose HB 757.

“Freedom of religion does not give any of us the right toharm others,” she said.

The Virginia House of Delegates last week approved a“Kim Davis” religious freedom bill. A bill that would protectpastors who refuse to offi ciate same-sex marriages iscurrently before the Florida Senate.

MICHAEL K. LAVERS

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

08 • FEBRUARY 26, 2016 NATIONAL NEWS

A complaint has been filed against the ‘ex-gay’ group People CanChange.


9/40



10/40

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM


Jeb Bush ends presidential campaign

Following his abysmal showing in each of the first three presidential primary contests,former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush announced late Saturday he is ending his bid for thepresidency.

“The people of Iowa and New Hampshire and South Carolina have spoken, and I reallyrespect their decision, and so tonight, I am suspending my campaign,” Bush said as hechoked back tears.

Despite his withdrawal and poor showing in each of the first primary states, Bush saidhe was proud of his campaign and the agenda he proposed for the country - taking aveiled jab at Republican front-runner Donald Trump.

“In this campaign, I have stood my ground, refusing to bend to the political winds,”Bush said. “We put forward detailed, innovative conservative plans to address themounting challenges because, despite what you might have heard, ideas matter, policymatters — and I truly hope that these ideas that we’ve laid out will serve as a blueprintfor a generation of conservative leaders at every level of government so that we cantake back our country.”

Bush made no mention of whom he’d endorse now that he’s left the race. Trumpwalloped him in South Carolina, a state that was seen as make or break for Bush’spresidential ambitions.

Upon the start of his presidential campaign, Bush was considered the “establishment”choice and became the best-funded Republican candidate in the race.

Compared to other Republicans in the race who indicated they would appointSupreme Court justices who would overturn the decision on same-sex marriage or

push for a U.S. constitutional amendment to reverse it, Bush was a relative moderatein terms of LGBT issues.

After the Supreme Court ruling on marriage equality, Bush said he disagreed with theruling, but “good people who have opposing views should be able to live side by side.”The candidate also said he would accept LGBT non-discrimination laws on the statelevel and openly transgender service in the U.S. military.

CHRIS JOHNSON

DNC makes LGBT case for Obama court pick

As Republicans, including presidential candidates Sens. Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio,prepare to block confirmation of President Obama’s upcoming nominee to the U.S.

Supreme Court, the Democratic National Committee made the case on Monday forLGBT people to support his pick.

In a 57-second video produced by the Democratic National Committee, DemocraticLGBT advocates argue even after the Supreme Court ruling on same-sex marriage, themakeup of the court is still important for LGBT rights.

Under the banner of the media campaign #FillTheSeat, the video is slated to be thefirst in a series of others each day this week aimed at encouraging support for Senateconfirmation of Obama’s nominee. According to the DNC, the next video will seek toengage the immigrant community.

Among those featured in the video is Earl Fowlkes, chair of the DNC LGBT caucus,who says “there’s still plenty at stake for the LGBT community that could be decided bythe court.”

Other speakers in the video reference the possibility the Supreme Court may

determine if LGBT people are covered under prohibitions on gender discrimination inexisting civil rights law.One speaker says a federal judge ruled a transgender student wasn’t protected under

Title IX from discrimination at his school. That’s apparently a reference to U.S. District Judge Robert Doumer’s ruling in favor of Gloucester High School in Virginia, whichsought to bar student Gavin Grimm from using the restroom consistent with his genderidentity.

Another speaker cites a federal judge who determined sexual orientation isn’t coveredunder Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. That’s likely a reference to U.S. District JudgeAndrea Wood, who in January found the law doesn’t prohibit anti-gay discrimination inthe workplace. (Wood was bound under existing precedent in the Seventh Circuit andallowed the plaintiff to refile his case to more specifically allege discrimination on thebasis of gender in the workforce.)

It remains to be seen whether the interpretation of federal civil rights law to includeLGBT people will come to the Supreme Court. At the v ideo’s end, Julia Fahl, a DNC staffer,says Obama’s nominee is important in case LGBT rights return to the justices.

“Whoever President Obama appoints could provide the critical vote on legislationimpacting our lives,” Fahl said.

CHRIS JOHNSON

Trump scores big wins in S.C., NevadaThe Republican caucuses in Nevada on Tuesday resulted in another win for

Donald Trump by a significant margin, contributing to the sense the real estatemagnate will become the party’s nominee in the general election.

With 100 percent of precincts reporting, Trump had 45.9 percent of the vote,followed by Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) with 23.9 percent and Sen. Ted Cruz

(R-Texas) with 21.4 percent. Ohio Gov. John Kasich and retired neurosurgeonBen Carson each took less than five percent of the vote.

At his victory speech in Treasure Island Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Trumppredicted his supporters would “be celebrating for a long time” that night.

“We weren’t expected, a couple of months ago, we weren’t expected to winthis one,” Trump said. “You know that, right? We weren’t. Of course, if you listento the pundits, we weren’t expected to win too much, and now we’re winning,winning, winning the country. And soon, the country is going to start winning,winning, winning.”

Trump has a reputation for staying away from LGBT attacks as part of hiscampaign, but last week on the Christian Broadcasting Network, he told hostDavid Brody voters can trust him to oppose same-sex marriage.

“They can trust me on traditional marriage,” Trump said. “I was very much in

favor of having the court rule that it goes to states and let the states decide. Andthat was a shocking decision for you and for me and for a lot of other people. ButI was very much in favor of letting the states decide. And that’s the way it lookedlike it was going and then all the sudden out of nowhere came this very massivedecision and they took it away.”

Trump on Saturday won the South Carolina primary.With 100 percent ofprecincts reporting, Trump took 32.5 percent of the vote.

In his victory speech in Spartanburg, S.C., Trump hit on his familiar themes ofrebuilding the military, ending Common Core and making America great againas he bragged about his support and looked to upcoming contests.

“Let’s go,” Trump said. “Let’s have a big win in Nevada. Let’s have a big win inthe SEC. Let’s put this thing away and let’s make America great again.”

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) narrowly beat Ted Cruz (R-Texas) for a second placefinish. Rubio claimed 22.5 percent of the vote compared to the 22.3 percent wonby Cruz. The three remaining Republican candidates — retired neurosurgeonBen Carson, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and Ohio Gov. John Kasich — eachtook less than 10 percent of the vote.

CHRIS JOHNSON

Many pundits now say DONALD TRUMP is the inevitable GOP nominee for president.

PHOTO BY ANDY KATZ; COURTESY OF BIGSTOCK.COM


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by Mississippi on March 8, then NorthCarolina and Missouri on March 15.

McEwen said he shares the sense blackAmericans overwhelmingly favor Clintonand thinks she enjoys support in the blackcommunity because of her background.

“She did work in the Obamaadministration,” McEwen said. “And evenif Obama doesn’t say anything, that doesrub off on her positively in the eyes of alot of Americans, particularly black SouthCarolinians.”

Darius Jones, a 26-year-old gay residentof Columbia, S.C., and vice president ofSouth Carolina Black Pride, cited Clinton’ssupport for LGBT rights as the reasonwhy he’s supporting her candidacy.

“One of the main reasons I’msupporting Secretary Clinton in theprimary is because of her stance when itcomes to LGBT rights here in the South— not just in the South but in the nation,

period,” Jones said. “She has a longhistory of fighting for our rights and justfor equality.”

Jones said he’s volunteered with theClinton campaign by participating inphone banks and voter registrationdrives. On the day of the South Carolinaprimary on Tuesday, he plans to canvassvoters to get other Clinton supporters tothe polls.

E. Taylor Doctor, a gay 27-year-oldresident of Richmond, Va., who works forthe state’s department of public health,

said Clinton’s work with minorities is areason he’s casting his vote for her onTuesday.

“From the beginnings of the marriageequality bills that the United Statesbacked in the early 2000s, to speaking forwomen’s rights in Uganda and speakingup for Black Lives Matter across theUnited States... she’s always been a voicefor the voiceless and a prime example ofwhat I want to see the president of theUnited States...look like and model forother countries as well,” Doctor said.

Tiffany Adams, a 39-year-old resident ofColumbia, S.C., and pastor at the KingdomOutreach Fellowship, said he has been along-time supporter of Clinton becausethe candidate has “always supportedLGBT rights, always supported the lift ofeconomic disparity with people of color,she’s always been an advocate for groupsI’m a part of.”

A lesbian who said her child hasendured bullying in school, Adamscited Clinton’s support for federal anti-bullying legislation known as the SafeSchools Improvement Act and theStudent Non-Discrimination Act as wellas the candidate’s backing of federalcomprehensive LGBT non-discriminationlegislation known as the Equality Act.

“I know that she is in support of the

Equality Act and I’m excited,” Adams said.“Obviously people of color have benefitedfrom the Civil Rights Act, and so to beable to add gender identity and sexualorientation to the protected classes,that’s good. That’d be awesome.”

Patricia Lassiter, a 52-year-old blacklesbian in Columbus, Ga., said she’scasting her vote for Clinton on SuperTuesday because the candidate “going

to hit the ground running” once sheoccupies the White House.

“We need a strong, unified party, andwith Hillary, we’ll have a unified party,we’ll have a person who has so muchexperience — not just domestically, butforeign policy — and she thinks on herfeet, and she’s not afraid of anything,”Lassiter said.

A member of the Georgia DemocraticParty LGBT caucus as well as GeorgiaEquality and Georgia Unites, Lassiter saidshe’s making phone calls into all caucus

states, walking neighborhoods andattending rallies for Clinton.In comparison to Clinton, black

LGBT voters in the South who spoketo the Blade were less supportive ofSanders despite his outreach efforts tothe black community.

Doctor said he wants his president “tobe a little more polished,” saying he hasn’theard much about Sanders as a politicianor activist in politics until this point.

“I do think he’s popular with youngergenerations, but I want someone who’snot so much popular, but rather someone

who’s not afraid of being unpopularso long as the job is getting done,”Doctor said.

Lassiter said she and Sanders “agreeon a lot of things,” but took issue with his

lack of foreign policy experience and saidhe’s “only been a Democrat for less thana year.”

“What we need besides just a president,which is huge, is we need coattails,”Lassiter said. “And so, with Hillary, wehave people that will follow her into offi ceand will help her get things done. You canhave the best president on Earth, but ifthat president, he or she, does not bring

in people that will help with the agenda,you may as well not have that president.”

The Sanders campaign didn’t respondto requests to comment for this story.Although Sanders is considered to enjoysignificant support among millennials,Lassiter said she doesn’t think thecandidate has the same level of supportamong that generation’s black population.

“People are talking a whole lot aboutmillennials and Bernie Sanders,” Lassitersaid. “From what I’m seeing with mywalking and talking on the phone, the

millennials who are following Sanders aremostly white.” Jones said “it’s hard to say” Sanders isn’t

a good candidate because he shares a lotof the same views as Clinton, but said he’stoo one-note about the economy anddoesn’t offer the same level of inclusion.

“He really has said too little about theLGBT community in the United States,”

Jones said. “He may have said some thingsand he may have briefly touched on tosomething, but he doesn’t go in depth.He doesn’t state that he has a plan. Hedoesn’t even state that he wants to include

everyone, so I just can’t vote for him.”But for all the dissatisfaction with

Sanders, the Republican candidatesearned far worse reviews among theblack LGBT voters who spoke to the

Blade.McEwen said a Republican should not

be able to win the White House because“all their candidates are dastards,”especially in terms of their anti-LGBTpolicies.

“Trump’s a disaster,” McEwen said.“Cruz is psycho. Rubio is the mostdangerous because Rubio wants to twisteverything. He wants to disenfranchise

gay families and then turn around andbasically make them feel guilty becausethey’re complaining that he’s doing it.”

For Doctor, the Republican presidentialprimary has devolved into “personaldisputes” among the candidates, whichhe said has “disheartened” him.

“It never ceases to amaze me thatit seems like the right wing and theconservative movement always seemsto find, for a lack of a better word, pawnsto push an agenda that is exclusive andconservative and cantankerous — and at

the end of the day only benefits a certainpercentage of the population and not thewhole,” Doctor said.

It’s that trepidation over Republicancandidates that prompts black LGBTvoters to say they’ll vote for Sanders inthe general election if he should prevail inthe Democratic contest.

Jones, despite his misgivings aboutSanders, said he’d vote for the candidatein the general election and believes hewould open up on LGBT issues if he werethe Democratic nominee.

“I fully believe that although Bernie

Sanders has not said anything right now,I’m sure he would have no choice but tohear the LGBT community,” Jones said.“I’m quite sure he would have no choicebut to open up knowing he has to be

Black LGBT voters on why they support Clinton

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM


CONTINUED FROM PAGE 01

PATRICIA LASSITER of Georgia supportsHillary Clinton.

PHOTO COURTESY OF LASSITER


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The Washington Blade obtained copiesof the documents from the MattachineSociety of Washington, which spentmonths working with LBJ Library offi cialsto identify and discover the documentsfrom the library’s voluminous collections.

The group, which is headed by veterangay rights advocate Charles Francis, hastaken the name of the organization co-

founded in the early 1960s by gay rightspioneer Frank Kameny as D.C.’s first gayrights group.

The recently revived version ofthe group specializes in obtaininggovernment documents, long withheldfrom the public, that tell how thousandsof gays were fired from federal jobsduring the post-World War II era of anti-gay witch hunts.

Francis said he and Mattachine boardmember Pate Felts, with the help of thelaw firm McDermott, Will & Emery, which

serves as pro bono counsel for the group,traveled to the LBJ Library to retrieve thedocuments with the full cooperation oflibrary offi cials.

The Johnson White House at the timedisclosed that Jenkins resigned from his

job at Johnson’s request shortly afterhis 1964 arrest for allegedly having sexwith a man in the men’s room at a YMCAfacility located near the White House.An FBI report released as part of the LBJdocuments, but that had been reported inthe media earlier, says Jenkins had been

arrested in 1959 on a similar “morals”charge at the same YMCA bathroom asthe 1964 arrest.

A source who knew Waldron told theWashington Blade that Johnson alsoterminated Waldron from his WhiteHouse position after Jenkins’ 1964 arrest,even though Waldron was never accusedof wrongdoing and was never publiclyidentified as gay at the time he workedfor Johnson. In addition to working at theWhite House as a presidential secretaryhe had been retained to perform similar

duties for Johnson during Johnson’stenure as Senate Majority Leader andU.S. vice president during the Kennedyadministration.

Waldron states in an oral historyreleased as part of the LBJ Librarydocuments that he told friends andassociates in 1964 that he decided tochange careers and left his White House

job voluntarily to enroll in an interiordesign school in New York. He becamea nationally acclaimed interior decoratorbased in Washington, doing decoratingwork for prominent political figures for

26 years, and remained friends with the Johnson family.

He died in December 1995 ofcomplications associated with AIDS at theage of 68.

“Every decorator in D.C. knew thatWaldron was gay as did most of hisclients,” said the source who knew himand who spoke to the Blade on conditionof not being identified. “He most definitelywas not a closeted gay man, nor did hemake any attempt to hide his orientation.”

According to the source, unlike Jenkins,who was married with six children,Waldron was a lifelong bachelor. Heregularly took on the role as escortat White House functions and onpresidential trips abroad for anotherlongtime Johnson administrative aide,Mary Margaret Wiley. But it was widelyknown that the relationship between thetwo was strictly platonic, the source andothers who knew them have said.

Waldron, a native of Texas, saysin his oral history that he attendedNorthwestern University to study courtreporting and later attended “businessschool” in Texas. He says in his oral

history that “nearing finishing a degreeand no job I went to law school.” Whilefinishing his second year at law schoolhe says he accepted an offer in 1955by Congressman Homer Thornberry(R-Texas) to take a job as administrativeassistant in Thornberry’s congressionaloffi ce in Washington. That job broughthim to Washington, where he remainedfor the rest of his life.

It couldn’t be confirmed whetherWaldron completed and graduated fromany of the colleges or law school heattended. He states in his oral history thathe had “no intensions of practicing” law.

Waldron stated in his oral history thathe took notes at Johnson’s request as

Johnson conferred with his inner circle

advisers at the 1960 Democratic NationalConvention in Los Angeles when John F.Kennedy sent word that he would like

Johnson to become his vice presidentialrunning mate.

After Johnson accepted Kennedy’s offer, Johnson and his wife, Lady Bird Johnson,who became good friends with Waldron,invited Waldron and Wiley to join them onthe convention stage along with Johnsonand Kennedy’s family members and closefriends as the Kennedy-Johnson ticketwas introduced to tumultuous applausein the packed convention hall.

Waldron points out in his oral historythat during nearly all of the years he

worked for Johnson he remained on thepayroll of Texas Congressman HomerThornberry, who was a close Johnsonfriend and political associate.

“Homer I know called numerous timesand said Bob is spending all of his timewith you, why don’t you transfer himto your payroll?” the source that knewWaldron as well as Thornberry said.“And for whatever reason they just keptcajoling Thornberry to keep him on hispayroll.”

The source speculated that one

possible reason Johnson didn’t want tooffi cially appoint Waldron to his staff wasbecause he or Jenkins, who was in chargeof hiring Johnson’s staff, were reluctantto directly hire someone who might beidentified as gay.

Jenkins, meanwhile, had served on Johnson’s payroll beginning in 1939,shortly after Johnson won election as acongressman from Texas. Jenkins left thestaff to serve in the Army during WorldWar II before leaving the military as amajor. At Johnson’s urging, he ran for a

seat in the U.S. House in 1951, but lost hisrace. He later joined Johnson’s U.S. Senatestaff and remained with Johnson during

Johnson’s tenure as Senate MajorityLeader, vice president and president.

Arrested at the YMCA

Among the newly released documentsfrom the LBJ Library is a personalremembrance of Johnson from yetanother longtime Johnson administrative

staffer, Mildred Stegall, who worked for Johnson nearly as long as Jenkins had andworked closely with Jenkins.

“One of the saddest days of thepresident and my lives was the dayPresident Johnson asked for Walter’sresignation due to reported misconduct,”Stegall wrote. “It was a tremendous lossbecause Walter was like the president’sright arm and the most valuable memberof the staff and I think the most capable.”

Added Stegall, “I can’t begin to countthe times the president asked me, ‘Whatdo you think happened?’ My answer was

always the same. ‘I simply do not know.’”Stegall noted that Jenkins checked

himself into George WashingtonUniversity Hospital after his arrest,


WASHINGTONBLADE.COM


JOHN MACY, head of the U.S. Civil Service Commission in the 1960s, referred to homosexualsas perverts and led efforts to fire gays from the federal workforce.


Longtime Johnson aides linked to ‘homosexual conduct’


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where doctors said he was suffering fromexhaustion and emotional distress.

“I have always thought that Walter’sresignation was asked for too quickly,”she wrote. “Had he stayed in the hospitalfor several weeks with a reported nervousbreakdown the matter might have blownover, but there was no way to know andthe president took the only course he

thought he could take.”An FBI report on the Jenkins arrest,

dated Oct. 22, 1964, says Johnson askedFBI Director J. Edgar Hoover to arrangefor a “full and complete investigation”when he learned of Jenkins’ arrest oneweek after it took place on Oct. 7 of thatyear.

The report says Jenkins, then 46,attended a party with his wife that day atthe new offi ces of Newsweek magazinebefore the two left the party about 8 p.m.It says Jenkins planned to return to his

White House offi ce to work in the eveningas he often did. But the report sayshe apparently decided to make a stopsomeplace else before returning to work.

“At 8:15 p.m. Mr. Jenkins was arrestedin the basement men’s room of the YMCABuilding, 1736 G Street, N.W., Washington,D.C., by offi cers of the MetropolitanPolice Department,” the FBI report says.“Arrested at the same time for engagingin an indecent act with Mr. Jenkins wasAndy Choka, a 60-year-old retired Armyenlisted man.”

The report adds, “Mr. Jenkins madeno attempt to hide his identity from theoffi cers, willingly accompanied them andadmitted to having been arrested oneprevious time on a morals charge. Theprevious arrest occurred shortly before10:30 p.m. January 15, 1959, in the samebasement men’s room of the YMCA. Hewas charged with loitering for indecentpurposes.”

It says Jenkins was released followingthe 1959 arrest after posting and forfeiting$25 collateral. Following his 1964 arrest,he and Choka were released after eachposted $50 collateral, the report says.

The report says an apparentmiscommunication between D.C. police,the FBI and the U.S. Secret Serviceresulted in the White House not beinginformed of Jenkins’ 1959 arrest at thetime Jenkins received his White Housesecurity clearance in 1961 when he beganwork for then-Vice President Johnson.

“Mr. Jenkins was interviewed by the FBIon Oct. 18, 1964, and admitted havingengaged in the indecent acts for whichhe was arrested in 1959 and 1964, the

report says. “He claimed that he had been‘enticed’ by the arresting offi cer on theformer occasion and that his mind wasbefuddled by fatigue, alcohol, physicalillness and lack of food the latter time.”

The report says an extensivebackground investigation turned upno evidence that Jenkins compromisedgovernment secrets or acted in any wayagainst the interests of the country or thegovernment.

“A favorable appraisal of Mr. Jenkins’loyalty and dedication to the UnitedStates was given the FBI by more than300 of his associates, both business andsocial, representing divergent politicalbackgrounds, who were interviewed inthis investigation,” the report says.

Waldron ‘outed’ by Jenkins?

The FBI report had been released shortly

after the investigation into Jenkins’ 1964arrest. But the LBJ Library documentsreleased to the Mattachine Society ofWashington last month included for thefirst time several drafts of an internalmemo that Jenkins reportedly prepared

to “clarify” and take strong exception tosome of the statements attributed to himin the FBI report.

Among other things, Jenkins said in allof the drafts of the memo that the FBI

report could give the impression to somethat he might have associated with peoplewho may have engaged in homosexualconduct, even though the report didn’tsay this directly.

“Never in my years of governmentemploy, with one single and limitedexception, did I associate with anyperson employed by any branch ofthe government, or any other offi ce,whether employed by the governmentor otherwise – known to me to be ahomosexual,” he stated in one of thedrafts.

“The one exception,” Jenkins wrote,“is Mr. Bob Waldron. The relevant factsin his case are as follows: Mr. Waldronwas employed by Congressman HomerThornberry over a period of some years.From time to time he was loaned to thestaff on which I was working because ofhis exceptional skill as a stenographerand typist,” Jenkins says in the draftmemo.

He says at the time when Thornberryleft Congress to become a federal judge,Waldron applied for a job with theNational Aeronautics and Space Counciland underwent a background check for

that position.“The field investigation of Mr. Waldron

came to my attention, and it containedinformation alleging that Mr. Waldronhad engaged in homosexual acts,” Jenkinswrote. “I did not know, and I do not knowat this time, whether Mr. Waldron was oris in fact a homosexual, but I thought thatthe allegations were suffi cient to warrantmy recommending that Mr. Waldron’sapplication should be rejected. It wasrejected.”

He states in his draft memo that therejection of the application took place in

January 1964.“Thereafter, on a few occasions, I was

present at large social gatherings whereMr. Waldron was also present,” the memosays. “This was the limit of my associationwith him after receiving the allegationsdescribed above. I reiterate that thisis the sole exception to the categoricalstatement made above.”

What appears to be the final version

of the Jenkins memo, dated Oct. 27, 1965and which bears Jenkins’ name but not hissignature, Waldron’s name is omitted. Heis described only as a “person employed

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM




CHARLES FRANCIS (left) and PATE FELTS reviewing documents in the LBJ Library document reading room in Austin.

PHOTO COURTESY OF FRANCIS

LBJ documents shed light on White House gay scandal


15/40

by a member of Congress” who from timeto time was loaned to the staff where

Jenkins worked – meaning Johnson’s staff.The source who knew both Waldron

and Jenkins believes Johnson andhis White House legal advisers wereclearly informed of the earlier draft thatnamed Waldron as having been linkedto “homosexual acts.” The source also

thinks White House legal advisers mayhave played a role in drafting the memofor Jenkins.

Coming at the time of the Jenkins arrest,the source said Johnson and his advisersmost likely decided to let Waldron go outof concern that he could have triggeredyet another “homosexual” scandal at theWhite House.

Francis agrees with that assessment,saying Waldron, like Jenkins, becameexpendable despite his years of loyalservice to Johnson.

Creating ‘revulsion’among co-workers

Jenkins and Waldron’s departure fromthe White House came at a time whenKameny and his gay rights associatesorganized protests outside the WhiteHouse calling for an end to the U.S. CivilService Commission ban on gay civilianworkers at all federal governmentagencies and departments.

Kameny’s correspondence to then-CivilService Commission director John Macyprompted Macy to send Kameny his nowinfamous “revulsion” letter in which Macysaid the Commission would not lift itsban on homosexual employees becausesuch employees were sexual “deviates”and would create revulsion among theirco-workers.

President Kennedy appointed Macy ashead of the Civil Service Commission and

Johnson retained him after assuming thepresidency.

“The confidential Jenkins filesafeguarded by Mildred Stegall showshow quickly a ‘bachelor’ family friend,who was as close as one could get toLBJ, could be transformed into a ‘sexualdeviate’ and thrown overboard,” Francissaid in discussing Waldron’s fate.

“Mainstream Johnson historianslike Doris Kearns Goodwin and RobertCaro need to address the tumultuousinvestigations and destruction of gay andlesbian Americans beginning in the late1940s and early 1950s and continuing andeven intensifying through the Johnson

years,” Francis said.Others familiar with the Johnson

administration have said the politicalrealities of the time, especially the 1964presidential election in which Johnson

was running against Republican BarryGoldwater, made it impossible for

Johnson to do anything other than jettison Jenkins and Waldron.

After Johnson left the White House in

1969 he and Lady Bird welcomed both Jenkins and Waldron to the LBJ Ranch inTexas and resumed his friendship withthe two men.

Jenkins died in November 1985 at the

age of 67 from a stroke.Bill Moyers, one of Johnson’s

presidential press secretaries and alongtime Johnson staffer, appeared tosum up the views of those who knew andworked closely with Jenkins during the

Johnson years in a 1999 interview withOut magazine.

“When they come to canonize politicalaides [Jenkins] will be the first summoned,for no man ever negotiated the shark-

infested waters of the Potomac with moredecency or charity or came out on theother side with his integrity less shaken,”Moyers said. “If Lyndon Johnson owedeverything to one human being other thanLady Bird, he owed it to Walter Jenkins.”

Moyers questionedin Jenkins case

Another of the LBJ Library documentsreleased last month to the Mattachine

Society of Washington is a Jan. 15, 1965letter from J. Edgar Hoover to President

Johnson informing Johnson that an FBIagent one week earlier heard a “rumor”that [presidential advisor Bill] Moyersposted the $25 bond for Jenkins’ releasein connection with Jenkins’ 1959 arrest atthe YMCA.

The rumor was that an unidentifiedD.C. police sergeant “knew” that Moyersposted the bond, Hoover said.

“Without making any open inquiryinto the matter, it has been discreetly

determined that copies of collateralreceipts maintained by the MetropolitanPolice Department have been destroyedand there is no way to determine bydocumentary evidence who, if anyoneother than Mr. Jenkins, posted collateralfor him in connection with his arrest on

Jan. 15, 1959,” Hoover told Johnson.“The above is being furnished for

your information and no investigationto identify and interview the unnamedsergeant will be conducted in the absenceof a specific request from you,” Hooverwrote in his letter.

The documents released by the LBJLibrary to Mattachine Society do notinclude a reply by Johnson to Hoover’sletter.

“[T]his is a rumor and totally unfoundedin fact,” Moyers replied in a Jan. 18,1965 letter to Hoover. “I was attendingSouthwestern Baptist TheologicalSeminary in Fort Worth, Texas, at thetime,” Moyers states in his letter. “I wasnot in Washington on any date between1954 and January, 1960,” Moyer said,adding, “I have never posted bond for Mr.

Jenkins or, for that matter, anyone else.”Moyers, who later became a nationally

known journalist, couldn’t immediatelybe reached by the Blade for comment onthe Hoover letter.

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 14Hoover accused Moyers of posting bail for gay staer

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM


President LYNDON B. JOHNSON (center) rekindled his friendship with two for mer aides whowere ousted in gay scandals, but only after he left offi ce.


16/40

Chase Brexton, MICA to hosttrans multimedia project

Chase Brexton Health Care’s LGBT Health Resource Center and the MarylandInstitute College of Art (MICA) are sponsoring “To Survive on This Shore” — apresentation of photographs and interviews documenting more than 40 people’slife experiences and issues with gender, identity, age and sexuality.

The lives and challenges of transgender and gender-variant adults over the age of50 are documented in words and images in a multimedia project opening on March3 at Chase Brexton Health Care, 1111 N. Charles St. in Baltimore.

A reception and discussion with project co-creator Jess T. Dugan will take place

March 3 at 5 p.m. The project will remain open at the Chase Brexton locationthrough June 24.

“We intentionally seek out subjects whose experiences exist within the complexintersections of gender identity, age, race, ethnicity, sexuality, socioeconomic classand geographic location,” said Dugan, the collaborative project’s photographerin a statement. “Though everyone in our project identifies somewhere along thetransgender spectrum, there is no single narrative that captures the varied pathsthat lead to gender discovery or transition.”

In addition to the original exhibit, the project will pay homage to the first-everNational Honor Our LGBT Elders Day by adding Baltimore stories to the showon May 17. That endeavor, which is a result of a partnership between the LGBTHealth Resources Center and the University of Maryland Baltimore County, seeksto record the life stories of older LGBT adults. The entire process is collaborative

and requires participants to be involved for a total of four one-hour sessions onTuesdays or Thursdays from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. during the months of March and April.Transportation can be provided, if needed.

“‘To Survive on this Shore’ shines a light on a group of individuals who so oftenare left invisible by our society,” said Nate Sweeney, executive director of the LGBTHealth Resource Center. “It means so much to us to help share the images andstories of transgender and gender diverse older adults with the community at large,but especially with younger people. For many LGBT identified people, seeing ourelders gives us a chance to see our own futures, and that can be crucially importantfor someone who is struggling with accepting and loving themselves today.”

Besides the exhibit, Dugan will be a guest lecturer at MICA on March 1 from 1-2:30p.m. in the Main Building, Room M110, at 1300 W. Mt. Royal Ave.

Queer Queens of Qomedy return to Baltimore

Poppy Champlin is bringing back her comedy troupe The Queer Queens ofQomedy show to Magooby’s Joke House in Timonium on March 6. The show beginsat 5 p.m.

The Q3 show has been touring for 11 years and comic producer Poppy Champlinhad a reception in Baltimore last year. Champlin is bringing two of her lesbian palsand nationally known comics Karen Williams and Mimi Gonzalez to share the bill.

Champlin’s television credits including LOGO, Showtime, HBO, VH-1 and ComedyCentral.

“I am proud of this all-star lineup,” Champlin told the Blade. “I know this show willbe one of the best for the year.”

Tickets are $25 for general admission and $40 for VIP, which includes a meetand greet with the comedians before the show with wine and cheese and preferred

seating. Magooby’s is located at 9603 Deereco Rd. in Timonium. For moreinformation, call 410-252-2727.

STEVE CHARING

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

16 • FEBRUARY 26, 2016 BALTIMORE NEWS

Veteran dance critic George Jackson writes,“...Forget-me-nots are small but persistent flowers.Daniel Phoenix Singh planted a field of them inhis new “Mortal Tongues, Immortal Stories…”

A dance poetry work remembering the lives of the artists lost to AIDS. This work wasdeeply influenced by the anthology “Persistent Voices: Poetry by Writers Lost to AIDS.”

Photo by Stephen Baranovics


17/40

HIV rates remain high for black, Latino gay men

BOSTON — Half of black men who are gay and a quarter of Latino gay men willbe diagnosed with HIV in their lifetimes if current trends continue, according toa first-of-its-kind federal analysis released Tuesday, the Boston Globe and othermedia outlets report.

The report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is the first toproject the lifetime risk of HIV infection state by state and among certain groups

of people. Based on death data from 2009-2013, the CDC concluded that gayand bisexual men, African-Americans and people who live in the South have thehighest risk of infection, the Globe reports.

It is well-known that blacks and Latinos have been hit disproportionately bythe HIV epidemic and that gay men are most at risk. But the new data presentthe disparities in striking terms, intended to drive public policy discussions, thearticle said.

Overall, the lifetime risk of an HIV infection has dropped among all Americans.Today, it is 1 in 99. About a decade ago, the risk was 1 in 78. Yet disparitiescontinue.

Among other key findings in the CDC report:• Among men who have sex with men, the lifetime risk of HIV infection is one

in six. But the risk varies by race. For black men who have sex with men, the

lifetime risk is one in two, for Latinos one in four, and for whites one in 11.• All African-American men have a lifetime risk of one in 20, compared with

one in 132 for white men.• Among people who inject drugs, the risk is one in 23 for women and one in

36 for men. Women are more vulnerable because they may also be exposedthrough sex.

• People in Washington, D.C., have the highest risk in the country, while peoplein North Dakota have the lowest. States with the highest risk are Maryland,Georgia, Florida, and Louisiana. Massachusetts ranks near the middle, withresidents facing a lifetime risk of one in 121.

The geographic disparities reflect, with few exceptions, which states haveexpanded Medicaid, Sciortino told the Globe. Where Medicaid provides servicesto the needy, the risk of infection goes down, he said.

From 2008-2011, the difference in life expectancy between those with HIV andthose who were not infected was 13 years. But for those who started treatmentearly, the gap was only eight years, and among infected people who don’t havehepatitis, don’t use drugs or alcohol, and don’t smoke, the life-expectancy gapwas five to seven years, the Globe reports.

Active-duty trans soldiersfare better than vets: study

OLYMPIA, Wash. — A new study finds that mental and physical healthproblems are more prevalent among transgender veterans than active-dutytrans soldiers, Good Therapy reports citing a study published in the journalTransgender Health.

Researchers developed an anonymous online questionnaire designed tomeasure physical and mental health to explore differences between current andformer soldiers.

Fifty-five trans-identified active-duty soldiers, as well as 51 transgenderveterans, completed the survey. The active-duty group had an average age of29.5, compared to an older average age of 44 among veterans.

Transgender veterans were more likely to experience depression than active-duty soldiers with 64.6 percent of transgender vets experiencing it. Of currenttrans soldiers, 30.9 percent reported symptoms of depression and 15.9 percentof vets and 1.8 percent of active-duty trans soldiers had been diagnosed withsubstance abuse problems, the report discovered.

No significant differences in health existed between the two groups, thoughveterans had a higher average body mass index. Age and longer periods of

service led to more physical and mental health issues, researchers found.Researchers said more study is needed to determine if these problems are

more prevalent for trans than cisgender service members, a component thisstudy did not explore, Good Therapy reports.

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

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18/40

GOP race turns scary as Trumpcloses in on nomination

What began as an entertaining summerwatching the Republican Party eat its own

turned scary last weekend as Donald Trumpwon a landslide victory in South Carolina. Itwould take an unprecedented break withelectoral history for Trump to lose the nomi-nation, having also won in New Hampshire.

Trump embarrasses himself, the Repub-lican Party and our country each time heopens his mouth. The mainstream mediadeserve considerable blame for his domi-nating the polls, granting endless softballinterviews since last summer at the ex-pense of airtime for other candidates who,unlike Trump, are required to put on a suit

and actually show up in a studio to be in-terviewed. He lies about everything and is

rarely challenged. It took Fox News’s MegynKelly to stand up to the bully and his mi-sogyny. Otherwise, the softies of morning

news allow Trump to say any outrageousthing out of fear he won’t come back totheir shows and goose ratings again.

Trump’s rise is the predictable and un-avoidable consequence of glorifying stu-pidity and anti-intellectualism. In a beau-tiful display of karma, Sen. John McCainwas attacked by Trump for being cap-tured during the Vietnam War. It was Mc-Cain who gave us Sarah Palin in a cynicalploy to appeal to uneducated, racist TeaPartiers. You reap what you sow.

The only positive contribution Trump

has made: repeatedly assailing presumedfront-runner Jeb Bush as “low-energy,” afatal and apt description that Bush couldn’tshake, no matter how hard he tried to re-animate. Thank you, Donald, for sparingus another Bush in the White House.

As bad as Trump is, the alternativescould be worse for LGBT Americans, withSens. Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio alreadyspelling out plans for how to undo mar-riage equality and advance so-called “re-ligious freedom” measures. Rubio, at age44, is supposed to represent the future of

the party. Yet his positions on a range ofissues, including LGBT concerns, smack of

the 1950s, not a “new American century”(which, by the way, started 16 years ago).

It is simply unimaginable that an LGBT

voter could support any of these candi-dates. The Log Cabin Republicans should sitout this election and hope for a Democraticlandslide so the GOP can finally get seriousabout retooling for a new era. Maybe thenLog Cabin will carry more meaningful influ-ence with party leaders and convince themto renounce homophobia in the platformand to oppose laws that dissuade or pre-vent African Americans from voting. AfterMitt Romney’s 2012 thumping, RNC leaderReince Priebus announced plans for an“autopsy” to right the ship and appeal to

a broader base of voters. The report con-cluded that, “among the steps Republicanstake in the Hispanic community and be-yond, must be to embrace and championcomprehensive immigration reform.”

On gay voters, the report noted, “Already,there is a generational difference withinthe conservative movement about issuesinvolving the treatment and the rights ofgays — and for many younger voters, theseissues are a gateway into whether the Partyis a place they want to be.”

So what happened? Instead of immigra-

tion reform, we got Trump promising to bul-ly Mexico into building a nearly 2,000-mileborder fence, a laughable goal embracedby legions of his deluded supporters. In-stead of moderating on gay rights, we gotRubio and Cruz vowing to attack us in new,creative ways and even contending that theU.S. Supreme Court ruling on marriage isnot “settled law.” Trump, meanwhile, flip-flopped on previous pro-gay statementsand pledged to reverse nationwide mar-riage equality, apparently unaware of howthe three branches of government operate.

In short, the Republican Party is a non-starter for any serious minded LGBT vot-er who cares at all about his or her basicrights under the law. Make no mistake:If any of the Republicans manages to getelected, the LGBT community will be backon defense, fending off attacks on marriageequality, transgender rights and more. Thenext president will likely get multiple Su-preme Court picks, raising concerns aboutfresh lawsuits seeking to undermine mar-riage equality. In addition, we can be surethat a Republican president would undomany of the various pro-LGBT administra-

tive changes enacted by President Obama.Priebus

washingtonblade.com, volume 47, issue 9, february 26, 2016

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