Local
Police log: May 18
Incidents investigated by the DC Metro Police Gay and Lesbian Liaison Unit
The D.C. Metropolitan Police Department’s Gay & Lesbian Liaison Unit participated in the following investigations:
- On May 11, in the 1000 block of L Street, N.W., a complainant reports being the victim of a theft in February. A report was taken.
- On May 11, in the 1600 block of New York Avenue, N.E., four complainants report that a suspect entered their hotel room and assaulted them. The suspect was arrested.
- On May 9, in the 1400 block of Chapin Street, N.W., a complainant requested assistance with the service of a temporary protection order.
- On May 9, in the 800 block of N. Capitol Street, N.W., five suspects were involved in a verbal altercation that escalated into an assault. Two became involved in a verbal altercation over a road rage incident. One suspect used homophobic language toward another. The altercation escalated and they began fighting. The other three suspects exited a vehicle and a fight ensued. During the fight, one suspect sustained a non-life threatening puncture wound. All suspects were arrested on scene.
- On May 7, in the 2600 block of Martin Luther King Jr., Avenue, S.E., a complainant reported being assaulted by a suspect the previous night. The two are involved in a domestic relationship.
- On May 5, in the 200 block of N Street, S.W., the MPD Seventh District and MPD Sex Crimes Unit responded to an allegation of abuse. The case is being investigated.
- On May 4, in the 1400 block of Chapin Street, N.W., a woman reported that another individual used homophobic slurs against her. No criminal activity took place.
- On May 4, in the 1900 block of D Street, S.E., a woman reported that a suspect approached her and sexually abused her.
- On May 4, in the 1400 block of 23rd Street, N.W., two suspects were engaged in a physical altercation. One suspect physically assaulted the other and while that suspect was attempting to drive away, the other suspect ran over the other person’s legs with the car. The suspects are involved in a domestic relationship. Both were arrested.
Baltimore
The fight to save one of Baltimore’s last gay bars
Leon’s closed in July after its owner’s death
By JULIE SCHARPER and WESLEY CASE | Soon after Jim Becker came out as gay in 1967, he ducked into a Mount Vernon bar called Leon’s.
In the dark, smoky bar, men used pseudonyms for fear of being outed, as homosexual acts were illegal in Maryland. Bartenders, wary of vice squad raids, would blow a whistle if couples leaned in for a kiss.
But to Becker, arriving at Leon’s was a kind of homecoming. He could explore his identity, connect with other gay men and build community in the anxious years before the 1969 Stonewall uprising, a pivotal moment in the LGBTQ rights movement.
The rest of this article can be read on the Baltimore Banner’s website.
District of Columbia
Gay-owned pizzeria in Dupont Circle burglarized
Protest Pizza owners say community has expressed support
Gay activist Randy Downs said he and his business and life partner Ricky Bennett are grateful for the support they have received from the Dupont Circle community after they released a video showing a suspect breaking into their recently opened pizza shop and taking money from a cash register shortly before 3 a.m. on Friday, Aug. 21.
The surveillance video shows a man wearing black clothing with his face covered, smashing the glass front door of Protest Pizza, located at 1633 ½ P St., N.W. The video, which Downs and Bennett provided to D.C. police, also shows the suspect climbing over the bar to get to a cash register, which he opened to take out cash.
A D.C. police report obtained by the Washington Blade lists the incident as a Burglary in the Second Degree and says the owners reported “approximately $78 in cash” was taken from the cash register. The report says the incident is not listed as a suspected hate crime.
Downs told the Washington Blade that after he and Bennett reported the break-in and theft on social media, they received an overwhelming showing of support from neighbors and others, including business owners, from across the nation.
“The break-in was upsetting, but it is not what will define Protest Pizza,” Downs said. “What defines us is how quickly people showed up,” he told the Blade. “One person came looking for a cash register; our community saw a gathering place worth protecting. The response reminded us that Protest’s real value was never in the register.”
Downs said he and Bennett, who live around the corner on the section of 17th Street, N.W., near several other bars and restaurants, including the gay bar JRs are located, opened Protest Pizza in November 2025.
“Ricky and I built Protest Pizza as a positive, welcoming, queer owned neighborhood restaurant and bar — a space for protest and joy,” he said.
A D.C. police spokesperson said police offer a reward of up to $1,000 for information leading to an arrest and conviction of a suspect responsible for the type of burglary and theft that occurred at Protest Pizza. Police say anyone with information to help solve this type of crime should call the police tipline at 202-727-9099.
District of Columbia
Advocates honored at Engendered Spirit Awards
Annual ceremony held at conclusion of Trans Pride DC
The 2026 SaVanna Wanzer Engendered Spirit Awards ceremony took place at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Library in D.C. on Saturday. The ceremony was held at the conclusion of the day-long Trans Pride DC: Encore.
Honorees included D.C. Mayor’s Office of Community Affairs Deputy Director Vida Rangel; the LGBT+ Counseling Collaborative, Inc.; and Connor Keuntje, CLP, CLPC.
Trans Pride DC: Encore was held throughout Saturday with several workshop sessions and a virtual conversation with actress and advocate Dominique Jackson.
The annual Engendered Spirit Awards were renamed the “SaVanna Wanzer Engendered Spirit Awards” in honor of SaVanna Wanzer, founder of D.C. Trans Pride. Wanzer died on April 24 of this year.
Speakers at the ceremony included Japer Bowles, director of the D.C. Mayor’s Office of LGBTQ Affairs and Bianca Sprague, executive director of D.C. Trans Pride.
“The intent behind this award and honoring members of our communities, organizations, and allies, is to really elevate all of the work that they’re doing to provide resources, tools, learning opportunities and connections: centering trans folks, gender non-conforming, and gender diverse individuals,” Sprague said.
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The fight to save one of Baltimore’s last gay bars
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Gay-owned pizzeria in Dupont Circle burglarized
Advocates honored at Engendered Spirit Awards
Trump-Vance administration’s LGBTQ brain drain: what you need to know
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