Local
Gay men targeted in 5 D.C. hate crimes
Police issue alert, seek information
D.C. police put out a call for help this week in their investigation into five separate attacks against male victims in the city between June 2 and July 30 that investigators believe were motivated by anti-gay bias.
“In an attempt to raise community awareness and solicit information from the public, the Metropolitan Police Department is releasing this information relative to our ongoing investigation into a number of crimes as possible bias-related crimes,” according to a police e-mail alert sent to LGBT activists.
“Moreover, MPD is examining the cases for possible similarities. However, at this time, it has not been determined that these incidents are related,” the e-mail message says.
The alert says the first of the string of incidents took place June 2 about 5:20 p.m. along the 1500 block of R Street, N.W., when three young male suspects approached a male victim as he was “bending over to tie his shoe.” It says one of the suspects used a “homophobic epithet” before he or the other one struck the victim with a wooden object. It describes the suspects only as young black men.
On July 6 at about 9:20 p.m. a male victim was approached by two male suspects along the 800 block of Emerson Street, N.W. and knocked to the ground and assaulted while one of the suspects called him an anti-gay name, the police alert says.
The alert doesn’t disclose the names of any of the victims in the five incidents. In this incident, the victim, 29-year-old D.C. resident Francisco Martin, contacted the Blade shortly after the assault occurred to tell what happened, saying one of the attackers struck him in the head with a strip of plywood.
Martin, a makeup artist, described the suspects as black males, with one appearing between 30 to 35 years old, about 5’ 11” to 6’ tall and weighing between 170 and 180 pounds with a short haircut and wearing a white tank top and blue shorts. He said the other suspect appeared between 25 and 30, was between 5’7” and 5’8” tall and weighed about 150 pounds, with short black hair, a goatee, and wearing a yellow Polo shirt and jeans.
The alert says the third incident took place shortly after midnight on July 24, when the victim says he was approached by several black males after walking outside a club on the 2000 block of P Street, N.W. near Dupont Circle. “It is alleged that the assailants approached the victim and asked if the victim called them a homophobic epithet,” the police alert says
“At this point, the victim was knocked to the ground, assaulted and kicked,” it says. “When the victim attempted to call police from his cell phone, two of the suspects returned, assaulted him more, grabbed his cell phone and fled.” It says the victim described one of the suspects as having a dark complexion, weighing about 170 pounds and wearing a red shirt.
The next incident took place July 27 when “approximately six black males approached a male victim as he entered the lobby of a building in the 1400 block of R Street, N.W.,” the alert says. It says one of the suspects made an anti-gay remark as he and the others “began punching and kicking the victim.” It says the victim was taken to a hospital for treatment of his injuries. It describes the suspects as black males in their teens.
The last of the five incidents occurred July 30 at about 1:45 a.m. as a male victim “was leaving an establishment at 22nd and P Streets, N.W. It says a “subject bumped into him and used a homophobic epithet.” It says the victim walked away but the subject and as many as 15 to 20 other “black males and black females” followed the victim. One or more of the people following him struck him from behind and knocked him to the ground, according to the police alert. It says the suspects fled in three vehicles, including a white Chevy Impala, a blue Toyota Corolla, and a Silver Dodge Charger with Virginia license plates.
The police alert says that anyone with information about the five incidents should call police at 202-727-9099 or 1-888-919-2746. It says people with information may also call the department’s Gay & Lesbian Liaison Unit at 202-727-5427.
District of Columbia
D.C. Latinx Pride celebrates culture and heritage
Your guide to events throughout June
Organizers with the Latinx History Project have planned a host of events this Pride season with parties, poetry, drag and more.
The festivities begin with the DC Latinx Pride 2026 Kickoff at Crush Dance Bar (2007 14th Street, N.W.) on Friday, June 12 from 6-10 p.m. The party will include a coronation ceremony for the 2026 Royal Court: Ms. DC Latinx Pride Vida Rangel and Mx. DC Latinx Pride Steph Niaupari. RSVP at latinxhistoryproject.org. The event is free, though donations are accepted.
An outdoor event is planned for Sunday, June 14 from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. at Anacostia River Park (1500 Anacostia Dr., S.E.). Cultivating Queer Outdoor Joy is a “peaceful outdoor community event focused on grounding, connection, and queer joy in nature.” The event is free.
A panel discussion is planned for The Festival Center (1640 Columbia Rd., N.W., 2nd floor) on Monday, June 15 from 6-8 p.m. La Plática: The Future of 2 Spirits and Trans Natives will focus upon the “stories, leadership and vision of Two-Spirit, Indigiqueer and Trans Native people.” RSVP to the free event at latinxhistoryproject.org.
A sex-positive poetry workshop, “Hoetry: Writing Erotic Poetry,” is planned for Wednesday, June 17 from 6-8 p.m. at The Festival Center (1640 Columbia Road, N.W.). The event is free.
The workshop So You Wanna Do Drag? is planned for Thursday, June 18 from 5:30-8 p.m. at The Festival Center (1640 Columbia Road, N.W.). Featured guests Ricky Rose and Mari Con Carne will hold a style showcase to discuss the basics of developing a drag persona. RSVP to the free event at latinxhistoryproject.org.
The Latinx History Project is collaborating with Rumba Queer DC to produce an official Latinx Pride Party: Sin Vergüenza. The event is at the multi-level venue, Transmission (1353 H Street, N.E.) on Thursday, June 18 from 7 p.m.-1 a.m. There are dance lessons, vendors and three different music experiences in the sprawling venue. There will also be a drag showcase from 10-11 p.m. The event is 21+ and tickets are available at shotgun.live/en/events/sin-verguenza. Tickets are $15 for entry into the party. Tickets to participate in the dance lesson are $29.98. Participants may choose between a bachata lesson or a salsa lesson from 7-8 p.m.
La Fiesta: Official DC Latinx Pride Party is planned for Friday, June 19 from 10 p.m. – 2 a.m. at Bunker (2001 14th Street, N.W.). Serena Morena from “Drag Race México” and “Drag Race UK vs The World” is slated to headline the 21+ event. Early tickets are available for $15 (plus $0.38 service fee) until June 16. The door cover charge without early tickets is $20. Attendees can also purchase a meet and greet experience with Serena Morena for $30. Tickets are available at latinxhistoryproject.org.
The Latinx History Project plans to march in the Capital Pride Parade on Saturday, June 20 and to have a table at the Capital Pride Festival on Sunday, June 21. Visit latinxhistoryproject.org to register to march alongside LGP in the parade or to staff the table at the festival.
The DC Latinx Pride 2026 Closing Event is scheduled for Friday, June 26 from 6:30-8:30 p.m. at the Mexican Cultural Institute (2829 16th Street, N.W.). The free event is a panel discussion “centering the experiences of immigrants who have lived in Latin America and now call the United States home.”
Visit latinxhistoryproject.org for more information.
District of Columbia
JR.’s hosts meet & greet for mayoral candidate Janeese Lewis George
Event organized by Capital Stonewall Democrats, Queers for Janeese
D.C. mayoral candidate Janeese Lewis George spoke to a crowd of LGBTQ supporters on June 1 at a meet & greet event held at JR.’s on 17th Street in the Dupont Circle neighborhood.
The event, organized by Capital Stonewall Democrats, which has endorsed Lewis George for mayor, with support from a group called Queers for Janeese, was followed by a “get out the vote” canvassing endeavor in which several of those attending the meet & greet visited the homes of nearby residents known to be Lewis George supporters.
The purpose of the canvassing was to remind Lewis George supporters to return their mail-in ballots or go to the polls on June 16 to elect Lewis George as the city’s next mayor, according to Matthew Kavanagh, one of the leaders of Queers for Janeese who attended the meet & greet event at JR.’s.
Local political observers consider Lewis George, a Ward 4 D.C. Council member, and former At-Large D.C. Council member Kenyan McDuffie, to be the two leading candidates in this year’s race for mayor. The two are among seven mayoral candidates competing in the city’s June 16 Democratic primary.
Lewis George told those attending the meet & greet, which was held on the JR.’s outdoor patio, that she has a long record of advocating for and initiating city polices and laws in support of the LGBTQ community. She said large corporate donors were backing her opponents and urged her LGBTQ supporters to help raise funds for her in the remaining days of the campaign.
Among those attending the meet & greet was gay longtime Dupont Circle civic activist Randy Downs who last November opened a nearby eatery called Protest Pizza. “I am queer and I am a Janeese supporter,” Downs told the Blade.
Stevie McCarty, president of Capital Stonewall Democrats, who also spoke at the meet & greet event, said his group would organize events in support of Lewis George in the remaining days of the campaign. Among them, he said, was an LGBTQ bar crawl in which supporters of Lewis George, including the candidate herself, would visit LGBTQ bars to promote her candidacy.
Virginians for Marriage Equality on Monday launched a campaign in support of repealing Virginia’s constitutional amendment that defines marriage as between a man and a woman.
Equality Virginia Executive Director Narissa Rahaman, former state Sen. Adam Ebbin, former state Del. Mark Sickles, and American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia Executive Director Mary Bauer are among those who spoke at the launch that took place in Richmond. State Del. Kirk McPike (D-Alexandria), who co-chairs the campaign, also participated.
“This amendment is about making clear that the government has no business deciding which marriages or which families are worthy of recognition,” said Bauer. “The ACLU of Virginia has been fighting for Virginians’ right to marry who they love since the landmark case, Loving v. Virginia, which struck down the ban on interracial marriage. Now we are proud to carry that legacy forward by standing with our coalition partners in the fight to pass this amendment and finally enshrine the right to marriage equality in the commonwealth’s constitution.”
Voters in 2006 approved the Marshall-Newman Amendment.
Same-sex couples have been able to legally marry in Virginia since 2014. Former Gov. Glenn Youngkin, who is a Republican, in 2024 signed a bill that codified marriage equality in state law.
Two successive legislatures must approve a proposed constitutional amendment before it can go to the ballot.
Democratic Gov. Abigail Spanberger in February signed a bill that finalized the referendum’s language.
The referendum will take place on Nov. 3.
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