Local
Local news in brief: March 18
Ethics complaint dismissed against Beyer and more
Dana Beyer, center. (Blade file photo by Michael Key)
Ethics complaint dismissed against Beyer
The Montgomery County Ethics Commission on March 8 dismissed a complaint against retired eye surgeon and transgender activist Dana Beyer that alleged Beyer violated county ethics rules in 2008 by improperly campaigning against a proposed referendum to overturn a transgender non-discrimination law.
The complaint was filed by Ruth Jacobs, president of the Maryland Citizens for a Responsible Government, an anti-LGBT group. The group filed petitions calling for a voter referendum to overturn a transgender non-discrimination law passed by the Montgomery County Council in November 2007.
The referendum never made it to the ballot because supporters failed to gather the required number of petition signatures.
Beyer had been working at the time on the staff of County Council member Duchy Trachtenberg, an at-large Democrat, who authored the law. The law bans discrimination in employment, housing, public accommodations and other areas based on a person’s gender identity.
Jacobs alleged in her complaint that Beyer and others opposed to the referendum improperly interfered with efforts by her group to gather signatures outside various Giant Food stores by, among other things, “yelling and screaming” at petition circulators and potential signers of the petitions. Jacobs also charged that Beyer abused her role as an employee of the County Council by allegedly telling the manager of one of the Giant stores that he would have “problems” with the county if he allowed the petitions to be circulated on store property.
Beyer denied the allegations, saying they were fabricated by Jacobs and others as a means of retaliating against legitimate efforts by supporters of the non-discrimination law to campaign against the referendum.
“In order for [the ethics code] to be violated, the employee’s conduct must be on the job, include self-identification as a public employee, or otherwise entail the prestige of office,” the Ethics Commission said in its ruling. “Assuming that Dr. Beyer did confront MCRG volunteers, Giant Food managers, and patrons, there is no credible evidence that she invoked her county position while doing so.”
In a statement Beyer hailed the decision to dismiss the case but expressed concern that the commission’s earlier decision to find probable cause that she may have violated ethics rules indicates the county’s ethics process is flawed.
“After having failed to defeat anti-discrimination protections for transgender citizens in the County Council, and then failing to get their referendum on the ballot, a small group of narrow-minded, political motivated individuals tried to obstruct justice a third time by going after me personally,” she said.
Jacobs could not be immediately reached for comment.
Murder trial opens in anti-gay ‘hate’ case
A trial began this week for a 26-year-old D.C. man charged with first-degree murder while armed in connection with the November 2009 stabbing death of a man that prosecutors have classified as an anti-gay hate crime.
In charging documents filed in D.C. Superior Court, police and prosecutors said Justin L. Navarro, 26, stabbed D.C. resident Kevin Massey at least 18 times inside Massey’s apartment in the 4200 block of 2nd St., N.W., on Nov. 6, 2009.
The court documents say an eyewitness told police the witness saw Navarro enter Massey’s bedroom after asking the witness, “Where is the faggy ass nigger?”
“Witness 1 observed the defendant armed with a large kitchen knife which the defendant used to thrust into the decedent’s body,” a police arrest affidavit says. “Witness 1 stated that it observed the defendant thrust the knife into the decedent’s body twice before Witness 1 fled the apartment for its safety,” the affidavit says.
An eight-count grand jury indictment of Navarro charges that, “the murder demonstrated the prejudice of Justin L. Navarro…based on the actual or perceived sexual orientation of Kevin Massey.”
A law enforcement source said Navarro allegedly stabbed Massey because he incorrectly believed that Massey had made a pass at him weeks before the murder and that “rumors were spreading about the two men.”
Prosecutors filed a motion last September objecting to plans by the defense to argue that Navarro committed the stabbing in self-defense. An attorney representing Navarro could not be immediately reached for comment.
The trial before Judge Lynn Leibovitz was expected to last through this week.
San Fran mayoral candidate seeks support in D.C.
A gay candidate running for mayor in San Francisco, who served for eight years on that city’s Board of Supervisors, is scheduled to hold a fundraiser in D.C. on March 21.
D.C. area supporters of Bevan Dufty say Dufty has the “drive, energy, responsiveness and effectiveness” to be an excellent mayor and are calling on local activists to contribute to his campaign. Dufty is a former D.C. resident who started his career as a staff member to former U.S. Reps. Shirley Chisholm and Julian Dixon, both Democrats.
He is the only gay candidate in a field of eight competing for the mayoral post in the Nov. 8 election.
Dufty’s campaign announced earlier this year that he reversed an earlier decision to limit the amount of campaign contributions he would accept to $200 rather than the legal limit of $500. He also initially vowed not to accept contributions from donors outside San Francisco. Those restrictions hurt his campaign, according to political pundits, who noted he had fallen behind most of his competitors in funds raised.
In addition to seeking support from individual donors in D.C., Dufty is applying for the endorsement of the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund, a national group that supports openly LGBT candidates for public office.
Information about the D.C. event, set to take place at a private residence near Dupont Circle, can be obtained by contacting Jill McCarthy at 202-316-8006 or [email protected].
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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