Muriel Elizabeth Bowser (born August 2, 1972) is an American politician serving as the eighth Mayor of the District of Columbia since 2015. A member of the Democratic Party, she previously represented Ward 4 as a member of the Council of the District of Columbia from 2007 to 2015. She is the second female Mayor of the District of Columbia after Sharon Pratt, and the first woman to be reelected to that position.
SMYAL faces threats after hostile article by conservative publication
The executive director and at least one staff member at the D.C.-based LGBTQ youth advocacy organization SMYAL reported the organization has received “threats to do bodily harm,” according to a D.C.
police report, following the publication of an article in a conservative online publication that accuses SMYAL of placing prepubescent children “on a pathway to medical mutilation” through SMYAL’s transgender youth support programs.
The highly critical article was published Aug. 5 in the online publication Townhall.com, which states on its website that it is part of the conservative Salem Web Network that reaches out to “audiences interested in Christian and family themed content and conservative values.” SMYAL spokesperson Hancie Stokes told the Washington Blade in a statement that SMYAL was not surprised to see “hateful rhetoric” in the publication’s comment section and posted on social media. “While there were no specific threats against our facility or personnel, out of an abundance of caution we alerted authorities to ensure safety of our staff and community,” the statement says.
The D.C. police report, which lists the incident as a hate crime, says that threats were reported on Aug. 7 by SMYAL Executive Director Erin Whelan, who is listed in the report as Respondent 1. “R-1 received threats that were directed toward her and her staff,” the report says. “R-1 felt threatened by these statements and was in fear for her and her staff’s safety,” it says.
