Local
Catania says LGBT voters face ‘a very tough call’
D.C. City Council member David Catania spoke with DC Agenda on Monday regarding the evolving mayor’s race. Following is an abbreviated transcript of the conversation.
DC Agenda: It now appears as if Council Chair Vincent Gray will enter the mayoral race this week. Many in the LGBT community will likely be faced with a tough choice, choosing between two candidates who have been supportive on LGBT issues. Where do you stand on this?
David Catania: That’s a predicament I’m facing as a person and as a voter myself because I happen to like both of them as individuals and as public officials. So it’s going to be a very tough call, I think, for members of the LGBT community. On what basis do they go with? Both have excellent scores as far as I’m concerned on LGBT issues. Both were very early and strong supporters of marriage equality. Both support me in the work we’re trying to do to overhaul the HIV/AIDS Administration. We have an excellent senior deputy [Shannon Hader of the Department of Health, who serves as director of the HIV/AIDS Administration] here. The mayor has done quite a lot to support her. It hasn’t always gotten the attention I think it might. Similarly, the chairman has been a great advocate for the Effy Barry Initiative [on AIDS] to strengthen the infrastructure of communities that are now affected and infected in greater numbers. So these are going to come down to issues of personality and of policy. So I look forward to a rigorous debate. This is what campaigns are for. Both candidates are going to come out with their agendas and how they intend to accomplish it and then people will make choices based on each of those agendas they agree with more.
DC Agenda: Some in the community are saying the mayor appears to be strong on LGBT issues from a policy standpoint but they are put off by his personality and even say he comes across as arrogant. How do you see him on the substantive issues you care about?
Catania: On marriage equality, I had an early discussion with the mayor last year. He was just absolutely — it wasn’t even something he needed to consider. There was no reflection or no need to waiver — absolutely supportive. So the mayor has, I think, injured himself in how he’s perceived. He’s picked some fights that people don’t understand and they’re hard to explain at times. I think that’s hurt him in the eyes of some voters, who want in a chief executive, who want in a mayor a different demeanor at times than what we’ve seen demonstrated by Adrian. On the other hand, I can tell you that these are very demanding jobs. At times, shortness of temper comes with the territory. It’s an illustration of his frustration in wanting to do things quicker, better and faster. On the substance, I have to tell you, I support the mayor in his efforts to overhaul the schools. This has not been something easy. It’s been very hard and long overdue. And he and the [D.C. public schools] Chancellor [Michelle Rhee] have very strong personalities that can rub people the wrong way. But there’s no debating his commitment to overhauling the system for the betterment of the children. He seems really committed to it. And so now we’re going to have a clash of ideas. Both men have very similar ideologies, so it’s about how do we get from here to there. And that’s what this campaign is going to be about. It’s going to be very tough for the LGBT community to pick between these two because both have considerable strengths and, similarly, both have weaknesses.
DC Agenda: Some are asking whether if two or more LGBT-supportive candidates run against each other, both in the mayor’s race and for Council chair, can they split the progressive vote — including the LGBT vote — and allow a homophobic candidate or a candidate far less supportive on LGBT issues to win?
Catania: I just don’t think there’s any stomach in this city for intolerance of that variety. You know, not widespread. You’re going to have — in any community you’re going to have a certain percentage of people who don’t like a particular community for whatever reason. But I don’t believe there’s anything approaching even a plurality in this city in support of bigotry, I just don’t. I’ve been really thrilled about how well received marriage equality has been around the city. … So as far as I’m concerned, if Vince runs, come November, either Adrian Fenty or Vince Gray will be elected mayor. It will be one or the other. And they’re going to have to sharpen their talking points and come up with concrete proposals on how to fulfill the agenda, which is a progressive agenda for both of them. So we’re in good shape. People are going to be looking at — I’m going to be looking at what plans they have to get us through these difficult times. How do we sustain the safety net we’ve constructed?
DC Agenda: What’s your thought on R. Donahue Peebles, who also may enter the mayor’s race? He has said he would have signed the same-sex marriage bill if he was mayor, but some say he also indicated he supports a voter initiative on the issue.
Catania: Well, I’ll tell you what he said to me. We didn’t talk about a referendum or initiative. That subject didn’t come up. But unprompted, he did tell me how delighted he was about marriage equality and how much he supported it, how he finds that all of our rights are interconnected. And he doesn’t feel it’s appropriate to deny one group of rights because that same strategy was used against the community that he belongs to. I was very impressed by his reaction to the issue. So, again, as soon as we can get past these issues, we can always come together on how we’re going to construct the best city and who’s the best person to do that. And that’s going to require issues of judgment and temperament but also concrete evidence of what you have done.
District of Columbia
Capital Stonewall Democrats set to celebrate 50th anniversary
Mayor Bowser expected to attend March 20 event
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, members of the D.C. Council, and local and national Democratic Party officials are expected to join more than 150 LGBTQ advocates and supporters on March 20 for the 50th anniversary celebration of the city’s Capital Stonewall Democrats.
A statement released by the organization says the event is scheduled to be held at the Pepco Edison Place Gallery building at 702 8th St., N.W. in D.C.
“The evening will honor the people who built Capital Stonewall Democrats across five decades – activists who fought for rights when the odds were against them, public servants who opened doors and refused to let them close, and a new generation of leaders ready to carry the work forward,” the statement says.
Founded in 1976 as the Gertrude Stein Democratic Club, the organization’s members voted in 2021 to change its name to the Capital Stonewall Democrats.
Among those planning to attend the anniversary event is longtime D.C. gay Democratic activist Paul Kuntzler, 84, who is one of the two co-founders of the then-Gertrude Stein Democratic Club. Kuntzler told the Washington Blade that he and co-founder Richard Maulsby were joined by about a dozen others in the living room of his Southwest D.C. home at the group’s founding meeting in January 1976.
He said that among the reasons for forming a local LGBTQ Democratic group at the time was to arrange for a then “gay” presence at the 1976 Democratic National Convention, at which Jimmy Carter won the Democratic nomination for U.S. president and later won election as president.
Maulsby, who served as the Stein Club president for its first three years and who now lives in Sarasota, Fla., said he would not be attending the March 20 anniversary event, but he fully supports the organization’s continuing work as an LGBTQ organization associated with the Democratic Party.
Steven McCarty, Capital Stonewall Democrats’ current president, said in the statement that the anniversary celebration will highlight the organization’s work since the time of its founding.
“Capital Stonewall Democrats has been fighting for LGBTQ+ political power in this city for 50 years, electing people, training organizers, holding this community together through some really hard moments,” he said. “And right now, with everything going on, that work has never mattered more. This gala is the first moment of our next chapter, and I want the community to be a part of it.”
The statement says among the special guests attending the event will be Democratic National Committee Vice Chair Malcolm Kenyatta, who became the first openly gay LGBTQ person of color to win election to the Pennsylvania General Assembly in 2018.
Other guests of honor, according to the statement, include Mayor Bowser; D.C. Council member Zachary Parker (D-Ward 5, the Council’s only gay member; D.C. Council member Anita Bonds (D-At-Large); Earl Fowlkes, founder of the International Federation of Black Prides; Vita Rangel, a transgender woman who serves as Deputy Director of the D.C. Mayor’s Office of Talent and Appointments; Heidi Ellis, director of the D.C. LGBTQ Budget Coalition; Rayceen Pendarvis, longtime D.C. LGBTQ civic activist; and Phillip Pannell, longtime D.C. LGBTQ Democratic activist and Ward 8 civic activist.
Information about ticket availability for the Capital Stonewall Democrats anniversary gala can be accessed here: capitalstonewalldemocrats.com/50th
Maryland
Md. Legislative LGBTQ+ Caucus outlines 2026 priorities
Expanded PrEP access among objectives
Maryland’s Legislative LGBTQ+ Caucus outlined legislative priorities for the remainder of the General Assembly’s 2026 term during a press conference on March 5.
State Del. Kris Fair (D-Fredrick County) led the press conference. State Del. Ashanti Martinez (D-Prince George’s County) and other caucus members also spoke.
Caucus members are sponsoring 12 bills and supporting four others.
Martinez is sponsoring House Bill 1114, which would expand PrEP access in Maryland.
“PrEP is 99 percent effective in preventing HIV transmission,” he explained, noting PrEP’s cost often turns away potential users.
The bill aims to extend insurance coverage and expand pharmacists’ ability to prescribe PrEP along with other HIV treatments and testing. Martinez is working with state Sen. Clarence Lam (D-Anne Arundel and Howard Counties) and FreeState Justice on the bill.
The House Health Committee had a hearing last week that included HB1114.
“Ending the HIV epidemic is about expanding access and providing these life-saving tools to all persons in Maryland,” Martinez said.
Several other pieces of legislation were highlighted during the press conferences. They included measures focused on youth and education, birth certificate markers, so-called conversion therapy, and hormone medications.
State Sen. Cheryl Kagan (D-Montgomery County) is cosponsoring Senate Bill 950, which would update and strengthen conversion therapy laws. State Del. Bonnie Cullison (D-Montgomery County) has introduced an identical bill that would extend the statute of limitations on individuals who facilitate conversion therapy.
Kagan explained the bill would allow conversion therapy victims to come to terms with their experience undergoing the widely discredited practice that “creates shame and it silences survivors.”
When questioned, Fair explained the press conference happened late into the legislative session because “we [the caucus] are constantly having to respond in real time to what’s happening in Washington” while drafting and considering pieces of legislation.
The Frederick County Democrat described this session’s bills as the “most ambitious list of priorities to date.” Fair also described the caucus’s goals.
“It’s decency, it’s dignity, and its humanity,” he said.
District of Columbia
Owner of D.C. gay bar Green Lantern John Colameco dies at 79
Beloved businessman preferred to stay ‘behind the scenes’
John Colameco, owner of the popular D.C. gay bar Green Lantern, has died, according to a March 7 announcement posted on the bar’s website and Instagram account. The announcement didn’t provide a date of his passing or a cause of death.
Green Lantern manager Howard Hicks said Colameco was 79 at the time of his passing.
“It is with great sadness that Green Lantern announces the death of our beloved owner, John Colameco,” the announcement says. “Most of our patrons might have heard John’s name, but might not have known his face,” it says.
“He was a ‘behind-the-scenes’ kind of guy who avoided the limelight,” the announcement continues. “He preferred to stay in the back of the house with staff and team ensuring everything was running smoothly so that everyone out front was having a good time.”
The announcement adds, “As a veteran and businessman, John wasn’t a member of the LGBTQ + community, but he was one of the best damn allies our community has ever had.”
It says he “long provided spaces for the queer community to come together” since the 1990s when he owned and operated a popular restaurant on 17th Street, N.W. called Peppers.
According to the announcement, Colameco and his then business partner Greg Zehnacker opened the Green Lantern in 2001 in an alley off of 14th Street, N.W., between Thomas Circle and L Street, N.W.
The announcement points out that the Green Lantern first opened in the same location in the early 1990s before it later closed when the original owners decided to purchase and open other bars, one of which was the gay bar Fireplace near Dupont Circle. Colameco and Zehnacker were able to reopen the bar with the Green Lantern name.
“When Greg died unexpectedly in February 2014, John remained steadfastly committed to carrying on their vision and ensuring that Green Lantern remained part of the fabric of D.C.’s queer community,” the announcement says.
“Over the years, through Green Lantern, John has provided support to many community organizations, most notably Stonewall Sports, the Gay Men’s chorus of Washington, and ONYX Mid-Atlantic with Green Lantern serving as a gathering hub for their activities,” it states.
The announcement adds that Colameco’s family was planning a memorial for him in his hometown of Philadelphia.
“His Green Lantern family will celebrate his life by operating the bar as usual and we encourage you to stop by and join us,” it says. “Community coming together and having a good time – it’s exactly what John would want.”
Malaysia blocks access to Grindr, other gay dating websites
Far-right Chilean President José Antonio Kast takes office
Capital Stonewall Democrats set to celebrate 50th anniversary
Housewives head to Capitol Hill to promote PrEP coverage
Fla. House passes ‘Anti-Diversity’ bill
In D.C. comedy, be sure to shop local
Comings & Goings
Too afraid to leave home: ICE’s toll on Latino HIV care
Intense doc offers transcendent treatment of queer fetish pioneer
