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Gay activists missing at Fenty campaign kick-off & more

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A rally marking the opening of D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty’s re-election campaign headquarters had few gay Democratic activists in the crowd. (DC Agenda photo by Michael Key)

Gay activists missing at Fenty campaign kick-off

Few gay Democratic activists attended a rally last week that marked the opening of D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty’s re-election campaign headquarters on Georgia Avenue, N.W.

About 300 supporters and volunteers cheered April 10 as Fenty opened his campaign with a speech highlighting his administration’s accomplishments, including reforms in education and crime fighting that he acknowledged weren’t always popular.

“We did it because it was the right thing to do,” he said, reciting a litany of policy changes and actions that would make D.C. a “world-class city.”

Among the gays seen at the event were Christopher Dyer, director of the mayor’s Office of GLBT Affairs, and Joe Martin, director of the mayor’s office of constituent services for Ward 4. Also present were gay civic activists John Fanning of Logan Circle and Martin Moulton, the gay president of the Convention Center Community Association.

Fanning, who works for the city’s Department of Parks & Recreation and is a former Advisory Neighborhood Commission member, said he believes Fenty will receive “solid” support from the LGBT community.

“I think the mayor has made some very tough decisions and has significantly improved city services and the delivery of them in many areas,” he said. “The mayor has always been a longtime supporter of the LGBT community and I believe that he remains very sensitive to our causes and issues.”

Don Colodny, a member of the Gertrude Stein Democratic Club, the city’s largest LGBT political group, was one of the few club members present. He said the lack of a large gay presence at the event was not a sign that gays won’t vote for Fenty.

“It was held at 10 in the morning on a Saturday in the far side of the city,” he said, noting that the location and early hour most likely discouraged gays from attending the event. Other people noted that the event wasn’t widely publicized in the LGBT community.

In his speech at the rally, Fenty did not mention LGBT issues or the city’s same-sex marriage bill, which he signed into law in December. He also did not reference two recent city studies that show record high numbers of HIV infections among city residents, including African Americans and men who have sex with men.

He instead pointed to the more positive findings of the AIDS studies showing that the city’s aggressive programs to administer HIV testing over the past several years — and placing people who test positive into city-funded treatment — has reduced the number of AIDS cases.

“We knew we had to fight the spread of AIDS,” Fenty said. “The number of new AIDS cases, ladies and gentlemen, declined 33 percent between 2004 and 2008. We have doubled the amount of testing, distributed three-and-a-half million free condoms, [and] removed 350,000 needles from our streets.”

DC Agenda boxes stolen in Georgetown

Boxes used to distribute the DC Agenda at the corner of Wisconsin Avenue and M Street, N.W., in Georgetown were discovered to be missing on three occasions in March, prompting the paper’s publisher to file a stolen property report with D.C. police.

The boxes were positioned on the sidewalk on Wisconsin Avenue in front of the United Colors of Benetton clothing store, next to distribution boxes for Politico, The Hill and Washington City Paper.

Publisher Lynne Brown said that when the first DC Agenda box disappeared at the Georgetown location, the newspaper’s distribution company quickly replaced it with another box. When that replacement box disappeared a short time later, a heavier metal box was installed, Brown said.

She noted that that box disappeared sometime before DC Agenda’s delivery person arrived to deliver the subsequent issue. Because the DC Agenda is distributed free of charge, Brown said she concluded someone appears to be taking the boxes and the newspapers inside with the intent of stopping their distribution at that location.

Brown is asking that anyone with information that might lead to the identification of the person or people responsible for stealing the boxes contact the DC Agenda’s distribution department at 202-747-2077, ext. 8080.

Virginia man sentenced for hate crime

A 27-year-old Virginia man has been sentenced to 120 days in jail after pleading guilty to assaulting a group of lesbians on a sidewalk in Adams Morgan in September, a crime that police listed as a hate crime.

D.C. Superior Court Judge Craig Iscoe handed down the sentence April 5 against Christopher McDonald, who pleaded guilty to charges of simple assault and bias-related threats to do bodily harm.

The United States Attorney’s office, which prosecuted the case, dropped separate charges of possession of a prohibited weapon — a knife — and a second count of bias-related threats to do bodily harm in exchange for McDonald’s agreeing to plead guilty in February.

According to prosecutors, McDonald admitted to “confronting the women about their sexual orientation and made derogatory, profanity-laced remarks about their appearance and sexual orientation.”

In an unprovoked action, McDonald, who was born in Jamaica, “pulled out a knife and began advancing toward one of the women, saying ‘if we were in Jamaica I’d shoot you in the face for being gay,’” says a statement released by prosecutors.

Police said the incident took place on the 2400 block of 18th Street, N.W., on Sept. 7.

Under the terms of his sentencing, McDonald’s incarceration will be followed by a two-year period of supervised probation. He must also complete 50 hours of community service, obtain substance abuse treatment, and “complete courses in anger management and sensitivity to issues of sexual orientation,” according to the prosecutors’ statement.

Attorneys spar over evidence rules in Wone murder case

Attorneys are still arguing over procedures and rules for the submission of evidence at the upcoming trial of three gay men charged in connection with the August 2006 murder of Washington attorney Robert Wone.

At a status hearing in D.C. Superior Court on April 5, Judge Lynn Leibovitz acted as a taskmaster to facilitate agreement between the two sides on how to deal with a mountain of evidence. Among the items of evidence is a knife that the three defendants claim an unidentified intruder used to stab Wone to death while he was asleep in a guest bedroom at their Dupont Circle home.

The defendants, Joseph Price, Victor Zaborsky and Dylan Ward, have pleaded not guilty to charges of conspiracy to obstruct justice and evidence tampering. No one has been charged with Wone’s murder.

Prosecutors have alleged in a detailed arrest affidavit that the three men, among other things, cleaned Wone’s blood off a kitchen knife they say they found beside Wone’s body as part of a conspiracy to prevent investigators from determining who killed the prominent Asian-American attorney.

Prosecutors have said they believe the actual knife used to stab Wone may have been part of a three-knife cutlery set found in Ward’s bedroom. One of the knives was missing upon police inspection.

Leibovitz scheduled another status hearing for April 23. The trial in the case is scheduled to begin May 10.

Richmond’s gay center hosts musical, comedy shows

The Gay Community Center of Richmond in Virginia is hosting three musical and comedy shows in coming weeks.

Musicians Gaye Adegbalola and Roddy Barnes will be in concert together at the Center’s event hall at 8 p.m. April 24. Gregg Johnson, a Center director, said the joint performance is expected to be “one hell of a show.”

“Gaye Adegbalola embraces and redefines the classic style of the great blues divas of the 1920s and 1930s, those of 10 fiercely independent wild women who were unashamed to lay their souls bare and unafraid to give advice,” he said. “She invokes the spirit and addresses the lyrics and improvisational techniques of the classic blues women and brings history to life.”

Johnson said Adegbalola was a founding member of Saffire the Uppity Blues Women, and is “truly the epitome of uppity.”

“Roddy Barnes is a classically trained pianist and can play any genre, but excels in the old-timey sound that works best with this music,” he said. “Experience the dynamic and compelling performance of Adegbalola and Barnes as they conjure up another era and put on one hell of a show.”

Tickets for the event are $10 and can be purchased at the Center or online by following a link at GayRichmond.com.

On April 25, students from Virginia Commonwealth University will stage a comedy and improvisation show at the Center’s event hall. Tickets to the three-hour event that begins at 7 p.m. are $3 and available at the door.

And early next month, Johnny Blazes will stage his “wo(n)man show” at the Center. Johnson described the performance as blending “cabaret arts with theater to create a series of vignettes that are a humorous look at gender stereotypes that pervade our world.”

Blazes has a background in theater, clowning and drag. Tickets to the 8 p.m. show May 5 are $10 and available at the door.

The Gay Community Center of Richmond is located at 1407 Sherwood Ave. in Richmond.

LGBT elder group opens D.C. office

The New York-based Services & Advocacy for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual & Transgender Elders, also known as SAGE, has opened an office in Washington, D.C., to strengthen its advocacy for LGBT elders with the federal government, the group said in a statement.

With the Washington office in place this month, SAGE “will ensure that the needs of LGBT older people are addressed in public policy and public discussion across the country,” said Michael Adams the group’s executive director.

John Johnson, the group’s director of federal government relations and currently the sole staff person in the Washington office, said the office is operating out of space rented from the National Caucus & Center on Black Aged at 1220 L St., N.W., Suite 800.

The opening of the Washington office comes after the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services awarded SAGE a contract to create and help operate an LGBT Elder National Technical Assistance Resource Center. SAGE will manage the center with a network of partners, including the American Society on Aging and the National Council on Aging.

Johnson, however, said the SAGE Washington office will be involved solely in advocacy work and won’t take part in operating the new elder center.

Since its founding in 1978, SAGE and its affiliate member groups have expanded significantly their support services for older LGBT people across the country, according to the group’s statement.

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Looking back at 50 years of Pride in D.C

Washington Blade’s unique archives chronicle highs, lows of our movement

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Gay Pride Day 1976 (Washington Blade archive photo)

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of LGBTQ Pride in Washington, D.C., the Washington Blade team combed our archives and put together a glossy magazine showcasing five decades of celebrations in the city. Below is a sampling of images from the magazine but be sure to find a print copy starting this week.

D.C.’s Different Drummers march in the 2006 Capital Pride Parade. (Washington Blade archive photo by Adam Cuthbert)

The magazine is being distributed now and is complimentary. You can find copies at LGBTQ bars and restaurants across the city. Or visit the Blade booth at the Pride festival on June 7 and 8 where we will distribute copies. 

Thank you to our advertisers and sponsors, whose support has enabled us to distribute the magazine free of charge. And thanks to our dedicated team at the Blade, especially Photo Editor Michael Key, who spent many hours searching the archives for the best images, many of which are unique to the Blade and cannot be found elsewhere. And thanks to our dynamic production team of Meaghan Juba, who designed the magazine, and Phil Rockstroh who managed the process. Stephen Rutgers and Brian Pitts handled sales and marketing and staff writers Lou Chibbaro Jr., Christopher Kane, Michael K. Lavers, Joe Reberkenny along with freelancer and former Blade staffer Joey DiGuglielmo wrote the essays. 

The 1995 Lesbian and Gay Freedom Festival was held on Freedom Plaza on June 18. (Washington Blade archive photo by Clint Steib)

The magazine represents more than 50 years of hard work by countless reporters, editors, advertising sales reps, photographers, and other media professionals who have brought you the Washington Blade since 1969.

We hope you enjoy the magazine and keep it as a reminder of all the many ups and downs our local LGBTQ community has experienced over the past 50 years.

I hope you will consider supporting our vital mission by becoming a Blade member today. At a time when reliable, accurate LGBTQ news is more essential than ever, your contribution helps make it possible. With a monthly gift starting at just $7, you’ll ensure that the Blade remains a trusted, free resource for the community — now and for years to come. Click here to help fund LGBTQ journalism.

The D.C. Black Gay Men & Women’s Community Conference table at Gay Pride Day in 1978. (Washington Blade archive photo by Jim Marks)
A scene from 1985 Gay and Lesbian Pride Day. (Washington Blade archive photo by Doug Hinckle)
A scene from the 1988 Gay and Lesbian Pride Day. (Washington Blade archive photo by Doug Hinckle)
A scene from the Capital Pride Block Party in 2018. (Washington Blade photo by Daniel Truitt)
Keke Palmer performs at the 2024 Capital Pride Festival. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
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District of Columbia

LGBTQ leaders celebrate Frank Kameny’s 100th birthday at Supreme Court

Advocates march, deliver speeches to remember activist’s many contributions

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Jim Obergefell speaks outside of the United States Supreme Court on Wednesday, May 21. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

More than 100 people joined the leaders of a dozen prominent national LGBTQ rights organizations on May 21 to celebrate the 100th birthday of iconic gay rights pioneer Frank Kameny on the steps of the U.S. Supreme Court building in the nation’s capital.

Kameny, who passed away on Oct. 11, 2011, on National Coming Out Day, has been hailed as one of the founding leaders of the modern LGBTQ rights movement.

Among other things, he became the first openly gay man to file an appeal about gay rights to the U.S. Supreme Court, which was among the reasons organizers of his birthday celebration chose to hold it at the Supreme Court.  

“Today is the 100th birthday of Frank Kameny, the founder of the LGBTQ civil rights movement,” said Malcolm Lazin, who served as national chair of the committee that organized the Kameny 100th birthday event. Frank is one of the nation’s most consequential civil rights leaders,” Lazin told the gathering in opening remarks.

“We are in front of the Supreme Court because Frank believed in the Constitution’s promise of equality for all Americans,” he said. “He based his liberation strategy against systemic homophobia on that promise.”

More than 100 people turned out for a celebration of Frank Kameny’s 100th birthday on Wednesday. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

Participants in the event, many of whom were young LGBTQ activists from New York City, carried 100 candles to commemorate Kameny’s birthday.

They were joined by the national LGBTQ organization leaders who formed a ceremonial picket line carrying replicas of the  “homosexual rights” signs used in the 1965 historic first gay protest outside the White House organized by Kameny and his supporters from the Mattachine Society of Washington, a gay rights group that Kameny helped to form.

Among speakers at the event was Jim Obergefell, the lead plaintiff in the same-sex marriage lawsuit that resulted in the 2015 U.S. Supreme Court decision legalizing same-sex marriage nationwide. Obergefell noted that the Kameny birthday celebration marks the 10th anniversary of the high court’s marriage decision and recalls for him Kameny’s role as a strong supporter of legalizing same-sex marriage.

Obergefell and U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisc.), the Senate’s first openly lesbian member, served as national honorary co-chairs of the Kameny 100th birthday celebration.  

Ross Murray, a vice president of GLAAD, told how Kameny used an effective strategy to fight homophobia both for the public and to many in the LGBTQ community who experienced internalized homophobia due to societal pressure.

“So, using the model of ‘Black is Beautiful,’ Frank turned perceptions upside down when he coined ‘Gay is Good,’” Murray said. “And he carried that on a picket sign in 1970 at the first New York Pride Parade.”

Washington Blade editor Kevin Naff told the gathering that the early 1960s era newsletter of the Mattachine Society of Washington, that Kameny helped to start, evolved into the early version of the Washington Blade in 1969.

“Frank recognized the importance of community building and engagement by having a reliable community news source,” Naff said. “We are honored to join in the 100th birthday tribute to one of our founders, Frank Kameny.”

Kevin Naff, editor of the Washington Blade, speaks outside of the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday, May 21. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

Japer Bowles, director of D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser’s Office of LGBTQ Affairs, said the mayor’s office is proud that the city hosted Kameny’s 100th birthday celebration. Bowles announced that Bowser issued an official mayoral proclamation declaring May 21, 2025, Frank Kameny Centennial Day.

In her proclamation Bowser recites many of Kameny’s accomplishments in advancing LGBTQ rights in D.C. and across the nation and concludes by stating she  commends “this observance to all Washingtonians with a reminder to always remember, as Frank Kameny often said, ‘Gay is Good.’”

Others who spoke included Keith Joseph of the LGBTQ group Equality Forum, Ben Garcia of the American LGBTQ+ Museum, Saul Levin of the American Psychiatric Association, Kevin Jennings of LGBTQ attorneys’ group Lambda Legal, Elliot Imse of the LGBTQ Victory Institute, Jay Brown of the Human Rights Campaign, Philadelphia City Council member Rue Landau, D.C. Capital Pride Alliance and WorldPride organizer June Crenshaw, Anya Marino of Advocates for Transgender Rights, Sultan Shakir of PFLAG, and Aaron Tax of SAGE. 

(Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

U.S. Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-N.Y.), who is gay, was scheduled to speak at the event but had to cancel due to a House committee vote scheduled around the same time, Lazin told the Blade. Rep. Mark Takano, who’s gay, spoke at a lunch after the event to the LGBTQ leaders and praised Kameny’s many contributions to the LGBTQ movement.

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District of Columbia

Blade’s Lou Chibbaro subject of new film premiering May 29

‘Lou’s Legacy’ looks back at 50-year career

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‘Lou’s Legacy’ premieres next week in D.C.

Longtime Washington Blade reporter Lou Chibbaro Jr. is the subject of a new documentary film premiering on May 29 in D.C.

The world premiere of the film by Emmy-nominated director Patrick Sammon will take place at the Martin Luther King Jr. Library auditorium in D.C. on May 29 at 6:30 p.m.  

“Lou’s Legacy: A Reporter’s Life at the Washington Blade”(29 minutes) tells the story of D.C.’s tumultuous and inspiring LGBTQ history through the lens of veteran reporter Lou Chibbaro’s reporting during nearly five decades at the Blade. The film features renowned D.C. drag performer Donnell Robinson who has been entertaining Washington’s LGBTQ community since 1975 as “Ella Fitzgerald.” Chibbaro and Robinson reflect on their careers and discuss the rising backlash against the LGBTQ community, including laws targeting drag performers.

As a reporter, Chibbaro made a point of focusing on the people and issues that were regularly ignored or distorted by mainstream outlets: the HIV/AIDS epidemic, hate crimes, and the fight for LGBTQ civil rights.

“Lou and Donnell are cornerstones of D.C.’s LGBTQ community,” said Sammon, the film’s director and producer. “I have great respect for both of them and hope this film celebrates in some small way their contribution to our city. It’s especially appropriate to premiere this documentary during WorldPride as people from all over the world gather in D.C. to celebrate our community and find inspiration to continue fighting for LGBTQ equality.” 

Sammon and his production team were given unprecedented access to more than 300 archival boxes of meticulously kept reporter’s files, documents, and audio tapes that Chibbaro saved and donated to George Washington University’s Gelman Special Collections Library. In addition, the Washington Blade granted Sammon access to its photo archive of compelling and emotional images, most of which have not been seen for decades.

Charles Francis, president of Mattachine Society said, “The Mattachine Society is so proud to have played a role in making this film happen, especially in this time of total erasure and efforts across the country to rewrite our history. With our work and support, Lou was able to preserve, donate, and help curate his thousands of pages of papers at George Washington University. That history cannot be erased. This film tells the story.”

Pate Felts, co-founder of the Mattachine Society, said, ”Lou’s archive, including more than 300 cartons of reporter’s files, holds thousands of stories of the men and women who suffered and fought for LGBTQ dignity and equality, at great professional and personal cost. Patrick’s film focuses on some of the most powerful ones to help educate all of us, especially younger generations, about the dues paid, the courage displayed and the hope that we all carry forward today.” 

A panel discussion will follow the premiere screening of “Lou’s Legacy.” Aside from Chibbaro, Robinson, and Sammon, the conversation will feature Bladepublisher and co-owner Lynne Brown. D.C. journalist Rebekah Robinson will moderate the conversation.

“Lou’s Legacy: A Reporter’s Life at the Washington Blade” will broadcast in late June on MPT and WETA, the region’s leading PBS stations. The WETA broadcasts are set for Saturday, June 21 at 8 p.m. and Monday, June 23 at 9:30 p.m. The film will also stream on PBS.org starting June 21. 

“Lou has had a front-row seat to 50 years of historic events; from covering the trial of Matthew Shepard’s murderers to observing the inauguration of President Obama from the Capitol Steps, Lou has seen it all,” said Blade editor Kevin Naff who has worked with Chibbaro for more than 20 years. “The film captures Lou’s dedication and tenacity and reminds us how far we’ve come as a community.”

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