Capital Pride Alliance board member Zion Peters, who identifies as transgender, told the Washington Blade that he is resigning from the board “due to the lack of concern for the trans community, especially the Black trans community.”
Peters continued, “No one has checked on me for the past two months. This shows their level of unprofessionalism towards the board members and the community at large.”
If she resigns, Peters would be the second known transgender person to resign from the Capital Pride board since February, when longtime trans activist Taylor LeAnn Chandler notified the board of her resignation in a detailed letter sent to the Blade by anonymous sources.
Chandler, who served as chair of Capital Pride’s Transgender, Gender Nonconforming, and Intersex Committee, said in a Feb. 24 letter that he resigned from the board out of frustration with the board’s failure to address instances of “sexual misconduct” within Capital Pride. The organization’s and board’s transgender policies were not mentioned in her letter as a reason for her resignation.
The Blade learned of Mr. Peters’ plans to resign from an anonymous source and believed that Mr. Peters had already resigned, along with four other directors identified by the anonymous source. Other members Capital Pride confirmed their resignations this week include Anthony Musa, Bob Gilchrist, Kaniya Walker and Dai Nguyen.
Moussa and Gilchrist told the Blade that they resigned for personal reasons related to their work and that they fully support Capital Pride’s efforts as the organization that coordinates the city’s annual LGBTQ Pride event.
Blade has not been able to contact Walker and Nguyen to confirm the reason for their resignations.
Capital Pride Chief Executive Ryan Vos and Chairman of the Board Anna Jinkerson did not respond to questions from the Blade about whether they knew why Walker or Nguyen resigned.
In response to the Blade’s request for comment on the resignation and concerns raised by Zion Peters about trans-related issues, Voss and Jinkerson sent separate statements detailing the organization and the board’s positions on various issues.
“With the exception of Mr. Zion, I can confirm that the individuals you mention are no longer members of Capital Pride Alliance’s board of directors,” Mr. Jinkerson said in a statement.
He added that the group was expecting “significant board turnover” as many board members reached the end of their terms following DC’s World Pride Festival hosted by the Capital Pride Alliance in May and June last year. But she said many board members have chosen to extend their terms or apply for additional terms, which is a “strong reflection of commitment.”
Although he did not comment on the specific reasons for Peterson, Walker and Negan’s departures, Jinkerson said, “As with any volunteer leadership role, transfers occur for a variety of personal and professional reasons, and we both understand and appreciate them.”
In his statement, Vos cited Capital Pride’s record on transgender issues.
“Capital Pride Alliance is committed to supporting and uplifting the trans community through our work with trans coalitions under the Diversity of Pride initiative, our partnership with Arline Budd on an LGBTQ+ burial fund focused on our trans siblings, our collaboration with the National Trans Visibility March, and our continued investment in Transgender Day of Visibility and Transgender Day of Remembrance programs,” Boss said in a statement.
“We also recognize that there is always ongoing work to do, and we always welcome feedback from the community to ensure our commitment remains steadfast,” he said.
At the time of his resignation in February, Mr. Chandler said he could not disclose the instances of sexual misconduct he cited in his resignation letter or the specific details of the individuals allegedly involved, and said he and all other board members had signed nondisclosure agreements preventing them from disclosing any further details.
Board President Jinkerson said in a statement at the time that she and the board were aware of Chandler’s concerns, but did not specifically address the allegations of sexual misconduct.
“If a concern is brought to the CPA, we will act and address it quickly and appropriately,” she said. “As we continue to grow as an organization, we are proactively strengthening the policies and procedures that shape our systems, infrastructure, and the support we provide to our teams and partners,” she said.
Source: Washington Blade: LGBTQ News, Politics, LGBTQ Rights, Gay News – www.washingtonblade.com
