Local
Activists hail Gray’s stunning win over Fenty
But mayor carries precincts with high concentrations of LGBT voters

The large contingent of LGBT activists that backed City Council Chair Vincent Gray’s candidacy for mayor called his victory in Tuesday’s Democratic primary a highly positive development and predicted Gray would emerge as one the city’s most gay-supportive mayors.
But early election returns showed that Mayor Adrian Fenty won in most of the voter precincts with a high concentration of LGBT residents.
Final-but-unofficial returns released early today by the D.C. Board of Elections and Ethics showed Gray defeating Fenty by a margin of 54 to 45 percent.
Lesser known Democratic mayoral candidate Leo Alexander, who made his support for a ballot measure to overturn the city’s same-sex marriage law an important part of his campaign, received less than 1 percent of the vote. Democratic mayoral contenders Sulaimon Brown and Ernest Johnson, who received a 0 rating from the Gay & Lesbian Activists Alliance on LGBT issues, also received less than 1 percent of the vote.
Jeffrey Richardson, president of the Gertrude Stein Democratic Club, the city’s largest LGBT political group that endorsed Gray, said many activists favored Gray because he demonstrated a stronger commitment to work with and listen to the problems and concerns of the LGBT community.
“What I believe happened is Vince Gray resonated with and connected with the idea that we not only need a mayor who is going to bring us results but who has a heart for the community and has shown that heart and is willing to be connected to the community and to hear from the citizenry,” Richardson said.
Both Gray and Fenty have strong records of support on LGBT issues. Gray voted for and Fenty signed the city’s historic same-sex marriage law.
Gay Democratic activist Peter Rosenstein was among a number of LGBT advocates who backed Fenty in his landslide victory in the 2006 election and switched their allegiance to Gray this year.
Rosenstein said he believes the gay vote split between Fenty and Gray, with a “large majority” of black gays joining the black community as a whole in voting for Gray. Stein Club Vice President Tim Mahoney is among a number of activists who believe most gay voters based their decision on who to back in the mayor’s race on non-LGBT issues.
In other city races, gay former parks and recreation director Clark Ray was trounced in his uphill challenge to LGBT supportive at-large Council member Phil Mendelson. Mendelson won his bid for the Democratic nomination with 63 percent of the vote, with D.C. shadow senator Michael D. Brown coming in second, with 27 percent and Ray finishing third with just under 9 percent of the vote.
The Stein Club endorsed Mendelson over Ray, calling Mendelson a “champion” on LGBT issues and noting that he led the City Council’s effort to pass the same-sex marriage law in his role as chair of the committee with jurisdiction over the measure.
Election returns also show that Mendelson, who won in all eight wards, beat Ray and Brown with overwhelming margins in the gay identified precincts, including those in Dupont Circle, Logan Circle, Adams Morgan, Capitol Hill, the Southwest Waterfront, and Anacostia.
Gay City Council member Jim Graham (D-Ward 1) won his primary race with 57 percent of the vote. Democratic challengers Jeff Smith and Bryan Weaver each received 21 percent of the vote, according to the latest Board of Elections returns.
LGBT-supportive Council member Kwame Brown (D-At-Large) won the Democratic nomination to replace Gray as City Council chair with 55 percent of the vote. Challenger Vincent Orange, a former Ward 5 Council member who opposed same-sex marriage four years ago before coming out in support of the marriage equality bill this year, received 39 percent of the vote.
Many of the city’s LGBT leaders were especially pleased with Ward 5 Council member Harry Thomas Jr.’s primary victory Tuesday. Same-sex marriage opponents, including the anti-gay National Organization for Marriage, targeted Thomas for defeat in his conservative ward. Many political observers said Thomas’s decision to vote for the same-sex marriage law put his re-election bid in jeopardy due to strong opposition to the law among many of his constituents.
Thomas won the primary with 62 percent of the vote. His lead opponent, Delano Hunter, who spoke out against the marriage equality law and backed a voter initiative to overturn it, received 19 percent of the vote.
The LGBT-supportive group People for the American Way, which keeps track of anti-LGBT groups, pointed to city election finance records showing that the group spent well over $100,000 to support Hunter in Ward 5 and general efforts to oppose Council candidate supportive of same-sex marriage.
“They spent a lot of money and completely failed,” said gay activist Bob Summersgill. “I think NOM has completely misunderstood the attitudes and feelings of the voters in D.C. This is not a place where people are anxious to take away others’ rights.”
LGBT supportive Council members Mary Cheh (D-Ward 3) and Tommy Wells (D-Ward 6) easily won re-nomination for their respective seats. Cheh ran unopposed and Wells captured 75 percent of the vote against challenger Kelvin Robinson, who said he would have voted against the same-sex marriage law “as written.” He said he now supports the measure as the “law of the land.”
D.C. congressional Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D) also won by a lopsided margin. Norton is considered one of the most LGBT-supportive members of Congress.
The only Stein Club-endorsed candidate who lost in Tuesday’s primary was Nate Bennett-Fleming, a 26-year-old law school student and Ward 8 community activist who challenged incumbent D.C. shadow representative Mike Panetta. Bennett-Fleming campaigned aggressively for LGBT support, expressing strong support on virtually all LGBT related issues.
Panetta, who also supports LGBT equality, including same-sex marriage, won the race by a margin of 57 to 41 percent.
In the primary for the city’s tiny Statehood-Green Party, gay minister Darryl Moch lost his bid for the nomination for the at-large Council seat currently held by Mendelson. Statehood-Green Party activist David Schwartzman, a strong supporter of LGBT rights, beat Moch by a margin of 63 percent to 27 percent.
Two gay Republican Party candidates won nomination to City Council seats in unopposed races. Marc Morgan will challenge Graham for the Ward 1 Council seat in the November general election. Gay GOP candidate Tim Day will challenge Thomas for the Ward 5 Council seat in November.
Richardson and other LGBT activists who supported Gray said that similar to their straight counterparts, they believe Fenty — while supportive on LGBT issues — appeared to ignore the concerns they expressed over a number a newly developing issues, including the growing number of anti-LGBT hate crimes.
The local group Gays & Lesbians Opposing Violence joined other groups, including the Gay & Lesbian Activists Alliance and the D.C. Trans Coalition, in criticizing Fenty for refusing to meet with them or attend LGBT events to discuss pressing issues.
Transgender activists also expressed concern that Fenty was not taking their issues seriously, especially when the mayor’s office startled LGBT activists by proposing to exclude transgender inmates in the city’s correctional system from the D.C. Human Rights Act. Corrections department officials said the exclusion was needed for security reasons and was related to whether trans inmates should be allowed to dress in accordance with their biological gender or the gender to which they were transitioning.
The mayor’s office dropped that proposal following a groundswell of opposition.
Sources familiar with the demographics of the so-called “gay” precincts said they have large numbers of non-gay residents and it is impossible to determine what portion of the gay vote went to Fenty or Gray. The gay-identified precincts are also located in the predominately white sections of the city in Wards 1, 2 and 6, which Fenty won.
Nearly all LGBT activists familiar with voter demographics agreed that black LGBT residents, who are dispersed throughout the city and not concentrated in individual precincts, voted overwhelmingly for Gray.
“Anecdotally, I can’t name five black gays who voted for Fenty,” said gay Democratic activist Phil Pannell, who is active in the city’s predominantly black Ward 8.
Pannell said that the gay vote — like the citywide vote as a whole — appears to have divided along racial lines, with most white voters going for Fenty and most blacks voting for Gray.
“I definitely think Vince Gray is going to bring us all together,” Pannell said. “But it’s still sad to see we are racially divided at the ballot box.”
A number of political observers have said Clark Ray’s loss to Mendelson in Tuesday primary may not be the end of his quest to be the Council’s third out gay member. With Kwame Brown winning the Democratic nomination for the Council chairman’s seat, Brown’s at-large seat is expected to become vacant in January if he wins in the November general election, as expected.
The Board of Elections is expected to call a special election to fill the vacant seat early next year, and Ray has said he would consider running for the vacant seat if he lost to Mendelson. A number of LGBT activists who backed Mendelson have said they would look favorably toward a Ray candidacy for the vacant seat.
World Pride 2025
Pabllo Vittar to perform at WorldPride
Brazilian drag queen, singer, joined Madonna on stage in 2024 Rio concert

A Brazilian drag queen and singer who performed with Madonna at her 2024 concert on Rio de Janeiro’s Copacabana Beach will perform at WorldPride.
The Capital Pride Alliance on Thursday announced Pabllo Vittar will perform on the Main Stage of the main party that will take place on June 7 at DCBX (1235 W St., N.E.) in Northeast D.C.
Vittar and Anitta, a Brazilian pop star who is bisexual, on May 4, 2024, joined Madonna on stage at her free concert, which was the last one of her Celebration Tour. Authorities estimated 1.6 million people attended.
District of Columbia
$3.7 billion RFK stadium proposal draws support from Team DC
Washington Commanders ‘proud’ to champion LGBTQ community

Miguel Ayala, president of the D.C. LGBTQ sports organization Team D.C., has expressed support for the $3.7 billion deal reached between Mayor Muriel Bowser and the Washington Commanders football team to bring the team back to D.C. in a redeveloped site on the grounds of the city’s long shuttered RFK stadium.
With the deal calling for the city to provide $1 billion in taxpayer funds for infrastructure related costs for the massive redevelopment project — and with the Commanders to provide the remaining $2.7 billion — as of this week the deal did not have majority support on the D.C. Council, which must vote to approve it.
Ayala’s support for the project on behalf of Team D.C. raises the question of whether members of the city’s influential LGBTQ community might play some role in urging the D.C. Council to approve the project.
The proposal comes at a time when the Washington Commanders team includes a message of support for the LGBTQ community on its website. The message follows its hosting last October of its 4th annual LGBTQ Pride Night Out at the Commanders game against the Cleveland Browns.
“The Washington Commanders are proud to champion the LGBTQ+ community and its allies,” the team states on its website. “Through the unifying power of sports, we aim to create a culture where all feel welcome and celebrated.”
In a statement released to the Washington Blade, Ayala points out that the Commanders are among every D.C.-based professional sports team that hosts a Pride Night Out event, which Team DC helps to organize.
“Each year, our events have grown stronger, with vibrant tailgates, on-field celebrations, and powerful moments that shine a spotlight on our community,” Ayala said. “We can’t wait to kick off our first Night Out at the Commanders Stadium in 2030.”
He was referring to plans by the Commanders organization and the D.C. mayor’s office to have the stadium deal approved by the D.C. Council in July, with construction of the new stadium to begin then, and with a planned completion in time for the 2030 professional football season.
Ayala also points out that the RFK stadium grounds currently serve as home to LGBTQ-related sports activity, including the D.C. Gay Flag Football League and the D.C. Front Runners group. He added that the RFK grounds will serve as the playing fields for this year’s WorldPride Capital Cup sports competition, where LGBTQ rugby and soccer teams from around the world will compete.
“This new stadium will be more than just a field – it will be a powerful new addition to the vibrant, diverse, and proud communities we champion every day,” he said in his statement.
At an April 28 news conference, Bowser, Washington Commanders owner Josh Harris and other city officials provided details of the stadium project, noting that it includes a massive development of the new stadium and the surrounding 180 acres of land.
In addition to the 65,000-seat domed stadium, officials said the project would include 5,000 to 6,000 residential housing units, with 30 percent designated as “affordable” for low- and moderate-income residents. They said the project would also include parks and recreation areas, hotels, restaurants, retail, and neighborhood amenities.
“As we focus on the growth of our economy, we’re not only bringing our team home, but we’re also bringing new jobs and new revenue to our city and to Ward 7,” Bowser said in a statement
Opponents of the project, including D.C. Council Chair Phil Mendelson (D-At-Large), have said they don’t believe the city should use its own funds for a stadium and the related development.
So far, just four Council members have expressed support for the project. Mendelson and two other Council members have expressed opposition, and the remaining five have not yet said whether they would vote for or against it. The project needs seven of the current 12-member Council for it to be approved.
Council member Zachary Parker (D-Ward 5), the Council’s only gay member, who initially had not taken a position on the proposal, this week said he was looking at the project more favorably, according to news media reports.
District of Columbia
Welcome home: DC LGBTQ Center opens its doors to healing and hope
The 6,671 square foot DC LGBTQ Center will offer a wide range of resources for LGBTQ individuals in need – including mental health services, job readiness programs, cultural events, and community support groups, all under one roof.

On a sunny spring day in Washington’s Shaw neighborhood, the once empty Holzbeierlein Bakery warehouse now showcases energy, pride, and the sounds of chosen family coming closer together. After years in a less-than-perfect space on 14th Street, the DC LGBTQ community finally has a new home at the DC LGBTQ Center—and Executive Director Kimberley Bush says it’s more than a building. It’s a promise.
That promise, Bush explained to the Washington Blade on April 26—the day of the new LGBTQ Center’s opening—may change depending on who is being uplifted by the DC Center, but at its core remains the same goal: a thriving LGBTQ community in the nation’s capital. The commitment to the DC LGBTQ community is able to grow more connected and stronger, she explained, as more resources, space, and funding become available for the DC Center.
“This is a glorious home,” Bush said, beaming as groups of community members walked in under the giant inflatable rainbow at the Center’s doors. “It’s our new home. Today was a whole day of welcome home. This space has been an amazing endeavor for a long time, one that we’ve always known we’ve needed. This is space that we need for our LGBT siblings in need—and it’s amazing when your intentions match your efforts.”
The DC Center has long worked to “educate, empower, uplift, celebrate, elevate, and connect” the LGBTQ community from its former location at the Reeves Center. But now, in its new space at 1828 Wiltberger St., N.W., these efforts are more visible, accessible, and impactful than ever before.
“This space is a model that is new, that we are creating,” Bush said as groups of DC Center supporters chatted with Etta James’s “At Last” filling the hallways. “There is, I believe, no other LGBTQ+ community center in the country that not only has its own life and supportive services in its building, but is also co-housed with other organizations. A lot of community centers try and do it all, but that’s not what we wanted. We wanted to be able to bring everybody together under one roof, to be able to have that whole life supportive services center like one-stop shopping. We didn’t want to take over anything anyone else did. We don’t want to take away the dollars those organizations have to do what they do for the community. We want us all to be together. So that’s what we are. We’ve been able to now expand into almost 7,000 square feet of space.”

The new DC Center features a variety of functional spaces designed to meet the diverse needs of the LGBTQ community. It includes office space for up to nine additional partner organizations, creating a hub for collaboration and support. Local and integral LGBTQ organizations like SMYAL, Team DC, and HIPS are some of the groups taking advantage of the space.
“People can be spread out,” Bush said about the opportunity for these LGBTQ-specific organizations to have a dedicated office in the Center. “We are on a grander scale, so we have a grander number of individuals that we can positively and effectively take care of. We [as members of the DC LGBTQ Center] can’t provide everything someone needs, but we can be an outpost for other organizations. Because we’ve expanded, we are able to expand the love, kindness, and support we can give our siblings.”
Additional support, Bush explained, is made possible by the intentional design of the new DC Center. Specialized rooms meet critical needs—from an HIV and STI testing room to therapy spaces and a boutique offering professional attire for job interviews. While the DC Center may not provide every service directly, it offers a shared space where partner organizations can step in and support the community—all under one roof.
“Often people are not able to go here, here, and here, to get what those gaps in life are creating,” she said. “To bridge them in one space just gives that person the opportunity to have less on their heart and their mind in regards to what they need to take care of themselves.”
In addition to being able to provide a space for instrumental elements of protecting the safety and well-being of the DC LGBTQ community, the Center also has a food pantry, a boutique with a clothing closet, an ADA-accessible shower, a mailroom to assist those without a permanent address, and a spacious kitchen.
This, she explained, is why this space is so monumental to providing the DC LGBTQ community the resources they need in a succinct and approachable way.

“By bridging those gaps and having as much as we can here means you’re in one space to get your needs met,” she added. “From sexual health needs, in terms of testing, counseling, and what have you, to mental and behavioral health needs. You can get food, you can get clothing, you can shower. You can store some of your things here. That is such an ease off of your mind to where now you can breathe.”
After stepping into the Center’s director role in 2022, Bush said that she often sees her “siblings” within the community make a better life for themselves starting by walking through the front doors. Sometimes the following steps take more time and resources than for others, but regardless of what it takes, Bush emphasized the goal is to alleviate some stress and make tomorrow an approachable reality.
“I have the amazing opportunity to interact with our community members, our siblings, on a regular basis,” she said. “Often I see them when they first walk in our door. Sometimes they walk in unhappy, sometimes devastated, or they walk in not in a good space. When they come in and invite us in to hear their stories, when they want to share what’s going on with them so we can learn how to best care, love, and support them, it’s incredible. We make a POA, a plan of action, outlining how to take care of them and what that’s going to take.”
Walking through the Center, it is hard to not notice the smiles coming from everyone’s faces—from volunteers, board members, community members, and those seeking assistance. The DC Center, with its rainbow murals and shining floors, has become a beacon of hope for many LGBTQ Washingtonian residents in need. For some, Bush explained, that can be as simple as having a space for solace in a city that seems to have no shortage of stressors.
“The space is made for anyone who’s in need, and even if you’re not,” she said. “This is a place for you to come and be peaceful. A place for you to come and have a cup of tea, not to pay a thing, or have to talk to anybody. You can just sit here and have a cup of tea.”
The more she spoke about the space, it became clear that providing a space for LGBTQ people to be is just as important as providing spaces for the services to take place. The DC LGBTQ Center invites people to not only find what they need to make themselves better in a literal sense but also allows them to simply exist. It is rare for a city to provide this kind of refuge from the constant motion that life demands. And that can be life-changing, she says.
“I will say, ‘How are you today? How are you feeling today?’ ‘How are you’ and ‘how are you feeling’ are two different things, but I do want to know how you’re feeling. If you don’t answer me, that’s good. You know? That’s perfect,” Bush said. “This space is built for everyone, especially for trans and non-binary folk, and for our brown and Black folk. It’s a space for those who just need a space to be.”
In a world that often erases or overlooks LGBTQ people, especially trans, non-binary, Black, and brown community members, the simple act of being seen and cared for can be revolutionary. The DC Center aims to be a place for LGBTQ people to be themselves—not to force them to prove anything or lead them to speak, but to truly be themselves. That quiet affirmation of ‘allowing to be’ can plant the seed to a better, more authentic life.

“One thing that I love to hear, and it makes me feel so good, because they say it in a way that’s just like you and I would say it, or anyone would say it, but sometimes they may not have thought they would say it. They would say, ‘See you tomorrow. See you later.’ This is a person who may not have had tomorrow in their mind. Where you and I say that all the time, but for a lot of our people, our siblings, who come to us, that may not be a thing for them. But when they come in our doors, receive the care and the love and the support and kindness, but then they walk out and they say, ‘See you tomorrow,’ and we do see them tomorrow! I can tell you that this response not only drives me to do this work, because this is good work and I’m very fortunate and privileged to be here, but it’s hearing that out of someone’s mouth. That’s it. That’s all I need.”
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