Tag: Washington DC

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Two Gay Men Attacked In Washington DC

William Southern in the ER after alleged gay bashing

William Southern, who recently moved to Washington, D.C., says he and a friend were the target of a violent hate crime this past Sunday.

In a post on his Instagram, Southern wrote that he and his friend, Robbie Barletta, were at the corner of 16th and U Street when the incident occurred.

According to Southern, they were attacked and beaten by mob of 4 men and a woman simply because they were gay.

Both men suffered several cuts and bruises, and Southern was sent to the emergency room for stitches to treat a split lip.

Southern posted photos of his injuries as well as their bloodied t-shirts.

But the social media post was not a ‘woe-is-me’ story. Southern makes it clear the incident only underscores his self-confidence in knowing who he is and living his life out loud.

“I will never stop being gay, I will never feel ashamed of who I am,” writes Southern. “Most importantly, I will never let anyone around me feel like less of a person simply because of who they are!”

He also thanked members of his Stonewall kickball league family for being there for him even though he’s a fairly new transplant to the DC area.

Southern closed his post with an upbeat message of community unity, writing, “May we stand strong and move forward.”

So, this is extremely hard for me and I have not 100% settled on how I feel it. But, Sunday a friend of mine @robertandre and I were the target and the victims of a hate crime. We were attacked by 4 men and a women on the corner of 16th and U in Washington DC, simply because we were gay. The four men and the lady brutally attacked myself and my friend, I was sent to the ER where I received stitches to pull my lip back together. But, the moral of this story is not that it happened or for people to feel sorry for me. This is a statement, I will never stop being gay, I will never feel ashamed of who I am. Most importantly, I will never let anyone around me feel like less of a person simply because of who they are! I am fortunate enough to have an amazing support system even though I have only lived in DC for a few months. I am proud and honoured to be apart of @stonewallkickball, my kickball family came together and has given me amazing support and I never would have met them without the lady’s and gentlemen who were courageous enough to put together these teams to support LGBTQ rights and give them a safe haven to be themselves. May we stand strong and move forward.
A post shared by William Southern (@wsouthernxd) on Sep 18, 2018 at 1:54pm PDT

(h/t Towleroad)

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John Oliver Contemplates Statehood For Washington, D.C.

Have you ever wondered why Washington, D.C. isn’t a state? In fact, the city doesn’t even get a vote in the House of Representatives even though the residents pay federal taxes, the population is larger than Vermont and Wyoming, and has a Gross Domestic Product higher than that of 16 states. John Oliver of HBO’s Last Week Now wondered too. Make sure you stick around for the nifty little song at the end.

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Department of Defense authorizes color guard to march in Capital Pride parade

There will be more than the rainbow flag flying at this year’s Capital Pride parade in Washington, DC, this Saturday.

The Department of Defense has approved, for the first time, a color guard presenting the American flag as well as each flag of the military, to march in the Capital Pride parade.

From the Washington Post:

The eight-member team is scheduled to help lead off the 11 / 2-mile parade, immediately preceding the Capital Pride lead banner and grand marshal Chris Kluwe, a former National Football League punter and the author of the book “Beautifully Unique Sparkleponies.”

While no policy has precluded a U.S. Armed Forces color guard from participating in gay rights events since the 2011 repeal of the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy, gay rights organizations from D.C. to Hawaii say they have routinely faced rejection from local military offices, saying the color guards were otherwise occupied on the days of pride parades.

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Man sets himself on fire on National Mall in Washington DC

Friday afternoon on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., a man doused himself in gasoline and lit himself on fire. People passing by rushed to put out the flames.

NPR is reporting the man has died in the hospital due to the severity of the burns. Authorities are searching for clues to his motivation to kill himself.

“Officer Araz Alali, a police spokesman, said the man died Friday night at a Washington hospital,” . “The man’s name and age were not immediately known, and his burns were so severe that authorities will need to use DNA and dental records to identify him, Alali said.”

Joggers and others tried to use parts of their own clothing to save the man, as Friday. The incident occurred around 4:20 p.m. ET, apparently without warning and without a hint of the man’s motivations. He was taken by helicopter to a local hospital for treatment. But officials said Friday that his injuries were severe.