Local
G-town student, 20, earns distinction in local race
Cassey just might be nation’s youngest out gay official
Georgetown University sophomore Craig Cassey says tension between students and residents inspired him to run. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
A Georgetown University sophomore was on track this week to become what he claims will be the youngest openly gay elected official in the country, running for a special ANC Commission post for Ward 2E, a campus-specific seat.
Craig Cassey, 20, ran as a write-in candidate. The Board of Elections didn’t have numbers available as of Blade press time this week, but Cassey says he was running unopposed. He knows of no one else conducting a write-in campaign for the seat. If he wins, he’ll be sworn in in January and serve with seven other members of his commission.
The Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund confirmed that a Cassey victory would be unprecedented for an LGBT elected official.
“We’ve checked and can find no out elected official as young as him anywhere in the country,” Denis Dison, a spokesperson for the Victory Fund, wrote in an e-mail. A representative from the D.C. Board of Elections said this week that their office should have estimates of the number of write-ins in the race this week, but that official numbers and the names of the candidates could take weeks to confirm.
Cassey hopes to inspire young people if he wins.
“In the same way, I think being the youngest openly gay elected official will motivate others and will allow younger gay and lesbian teens to see that you can be elected as a gay person. Politics is something … you don’t have to shy away from for fear of persecution,” he said.
Cassey said he went the write-in route because the lack of students on campus during summer, when petition signatures to get on the ballot must be gathered, made it difficult to secure enough to get on the ballot. He tried but came up two short of the 25 needed. Students switching dorms made it hard to find enough during summer who knew where they’d be for fall, he said. The matter was further complicated by a redistricting process that occurred last year affecting the makeup of the district for which he’s running.
Cassey, a psychology and philosophy major, hopes to earn a master’s degree in applied positive psychology and use it to help gay teens realize their potential and role in the world.
In reference to his sexual orientation and age, Cassey has not experienced any criticism in his bid for office. Looking back on the anti-gay assaults against Georgetown students in recent years, Cassey expressed relief at the changing culture.
“In today’s campus climate, we can have an openly gay candidate run, and it’s really not a big issue.”
Cassey recently won the Victory Fund’s Onward to Victory contest, which earned him an all-expenses-paid trip to the Fund’s Candidate & Campaign Training in Long Beach, Calif., at the end of November.
“Craig is what this country needs,” said Jack Jacobson, openly gay ANC Ward 2B commissioner. “He’s young and gay, which are two underrepresented demographics. He’s standing up and giving them a seat at the table. It will make a positive impact for the entire community.”
Jacobson ran unopposed for the Ward 2 seat of the D.C. State Board of Education.
Early on in Cassey’s time at Georgetown, he noticed tension between the student body and the surrounding community. He decided to run for a seat on the ANC because he saw the potential to build a stronger sense of community between the two populations.
He hopes to promote more student involvement in the Georgetown community and encourage students to volunteer in the area. He would also like to see Georgetown University hold more events to engage young, local families.
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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