Dogwood Weekly: What happened this week

Happy Sunday, Virginia. We hope you’re enjoying your long weekend. If you’re feeling lost because this is the first Sunday in our post-Game of Thrones world, you should fill that void by checking out Fleabag and Chernobyl, two very different shows that are both really, really good. We swear. Seriously. Watch them.

But First…

Make sure to check out our list of upcoming political events. They span the state, from Norfolk to Arlington, so if you want to get involved, you really have no excuse anymore.

ICYMI: 5 Things that happened this week…

1. We put together a list of Memorial Day activities – We trust there are enough last minute planners out there who will google ‘things to do tomorrow’ and we want to save you from that struggle. So if you need something to do tomorrow, this is for you! 
   
   
2. Virginia’s LGBTQ residents still lack housing protections – Under Virginia law it’s illegal for residential housing agents and public employers to discriminate against applicants, tenants and employees based on race, sex, national origin, familial status, disability or age. But those protections do not extend to gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and queer people and their families. We wanted to hear how this affects LGBTQ Virginians, so we spoke to Alexandria resident Ashley Broadway-Mack about how it feels to be left vulnerable to discrimination. What she told us was heartbreaking.
   
   
3. Rep. Don Beyer calls for impeachment proceedings against Trump – As D.C. descended into pure chaos this week, Democratic Rep. Don Beyer became the first member of Virginia’s congressional delegation to call for an impeachment inquiry to begin against President Trump. Beyer cited Trump’s “obstruction of justice” and potential tax fraud as reason enough for an impeachment inquiry.
   
   
4. Metro Shutdown begins – The dreaded Metro shutdown of portions of the blue and yellow lines began yesterday. The shutdown will affect six stations and is expected to impact the commutes of an estimated 17,000 daily riders. For more details on which stations are closed and what alternatives are being provided, check out our story from Thursday.
   
   
5. Danica Roem faces off against another transphobic opponent – Two years after defeating transphobic incumbent Bob Marshall and becoming the nation’s first openly transgender state legislator, Danica Roem is preparing for another battle against a similarly transphobic figure in Kelly McGinn. McGinn is a lawyer and conservative activist who has called marriage equality “morally repugnant,” and labeled LGBTQ+ adoption “absurd,” “irrational,” and “a social experiment on our children.” She also once signed a letter that compared marriage equality to slavery, in case you were worried that she wasn’t extreme enough.