Local
Kristin Beck: I am a ‘warrior for our rights’
Transgender retired U.S. Navy SEAL to host Va. fashion show on Saturday
Former U.S. Navy SEAL Kristin Beck. (Washington Blade Photo by Damien Salas)
A transgender retired U.S. Navy SEAL hosts a charity fashion show for a Northern Virginia HIV/AIDS service organization in Falls Church on Saturday, July 20.
“HIV and AIDS is controllable, possibly curable,” Kristin Beck told the Washington Blade during an interview earlier on Friday at Ireland’s Four Provinces in downtown Falls Church alongside Hugo Delgado, executive director and co-founder of NOVASalud, Inc., the group behind the fashion show. “As long as they start being more careful and people start taking care of themselves and follow the health precautions, we could probably pretty much get rid of a lot of HIV/AIDS in the next couple of generations.”
Beck, who transitioned from a man into a woman after she retired from the Navy SEALs in 2011 following two decades with the special operations force, spoke with the Blade less than two months after she published her memoir titled “Warrior Princess: A U.S. Navy SEAL’s Journey to Coming Out Transgender.”
“I was a Navy SEAL for 20 years; I’ve been transgender for 47 years,” she said. “I’ve been transgender for my entire life.”
Beck, who was once member of the SEAL Team 6 that carried out the 2011 raid on Osama bin Laden’s compound in Pakistan during which the terrorist mastermind was killed, noted to the Blade she would have been immediately discharged under ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ if she had come out as a trans woman while on active duty. (Gay and lesbian servicemembers have been able to serve openly since DADT’s repeal took effect in 2010, but trans soldiers remain unable to do so.)
“I was afraid,” she said. “I wanted to keep my job. I liked my job. I enjoyed being a SEAL. I was proud of that.”
In spite of the aforementioned professional risk, Beck said the majority the SEALs with whom she served remain “very supportive” of her transition.
“They’re great people that I honor to this day,” Beck said.
Warrior for ‘our civil rights’
Beck went to high school with Jonathan Falwell, one of the late-Rev. Jerry Falwell’s two sons, in Lynchburg, Va. She attended the nearby Virginia Military Institute before enlisting in the military while living in Crystal City.
Beck said she decided to write her memoir, in part, because of the disproportionately high suicide rates among trans people.
“It’s a very sad community because we have so much prejudice and so much against us,” she told the Blade as she discussed her advocacy in support of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act.
Beck said she has begun to lobby members of Congress to back bill. She noted she has also worked with Equality Florida, the American Civil Liberties Union, the Southern Poverty Law Center and other groups in support of ENDA.
“We can make it and we’re going to do good,” Beck said. “We’re equal and we’re still fighting. I’m the warrior right now for our civil rights.”
Beck further noted Virginia is among the more than 30 states without statewide trans-specific employment protections.
“This is the land of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness,” she said. “I don’t have liberty myself. I am not equal right now and that makes me a little bit angry. It should make all of us angry.”
Beck also discussed the need to curb anti-trans violence.
She told the Blade she continues to worry about someone whom she does not know attacking her because of her gender identity and expression.
“I’m in constant danger for people who are uninformed,” Beck said. “So if I can inform a few of those people to say hey look, I don’t want you to love me, I don’t want you like me… I don’t care, but I don’t want you to run over to me and punch me in the head because you see me wearing a dress.”
Beck, who lives outside Tampa, Fla., has two teenage sons with her ex-wife who now resides in Minnesota. She said they are “fairly open” to her new gender identity and expression.
“It makes me proud of them that they can look beyond a lot of things and they are accepting of something,” Beck said.
Beck to ‘bring an awareness’ of area trans residents
Delgado told the Blade his organization’s fashion show – and Beck’s participation in it – is part of his group’s ongoing commitment to provide HIV/AIDS education and testing and linking those who live with the virus in Northern Virginia to care.
“There’s a big need, especially for the LGBT community,” he said. “In this project we try to break the stigma, discrimination and prejudice. Plus we want to present to the community this [the trans community] is a beautiful community that we need to take care of.”
Trans Sisters Informing Sisters on Topics about AIDS (TSISTA,) a NOVASalud program, will also take part in the fashion show.
“Having Kristin join forces with NOVASalud, Inc., and TSISTA will bring an awareness to the Northern Virginia community about our beautiful transgender community,” Gaby García, a NOVASalud health educator for TSISTA, said.
Maryland
‘Girlfriends’ wanted for murder in Silver Spring, Md.
Montgomery County police say two charged with killing mother of one of them
The Montgomery County, Md., Department of Police announced on June 4 that it is seeking the public’s help in locating two women, who they identify as a couple, who are charged with first-degree murder for allegedly killing the mother of one of them.
In a statement police identified the two women as Vanessa Tjongarero-Henderson of Clarksburg, Md., and her girlfriend Samantha Raebel of Phoenix, Ariz. The statement says the two are charged with the murder of Hilde Henderson, 67, the mother of Vanessa.
According to the statement, officers with the department’s 3rd District found Hilde Henderson deceased on Tuesday, May 26, 2026, at her home at the Charter House apartments in the 1300 block of Fenwick Lane in Silver Spring after being called to check on the resident’s welfare.
“Henderson was transported to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, where an autopsy was conducted,” the statement says. “The cause of death was ruled a homicide.”
It adds, “Through the course of the investigation, detectives identified Henderson’s daughter, Vanessa Tjongarero-Henderson and Vanessa’s girlfriend, Raeble, as the suspects.” It says detectives obtained an arrest warrant against the two women, charging both with first-degree murder.
“Anyone with information regarding the location of these suspects or this crime is asked to call 911 or to visit the Crime Solvers of Montgomery County, Md. website at crimesolversmcmd.org,” the statement says, or to call the tip line at 1-866-411-8477.
“Tips with information leading to an arrest may be eligible for a reward from $250 up to $10,000,” it says, adding that tips may remain anonymous.
A spokesperson for Montgomery County police didn’t immediately respond to a request from the Washington Blade for information not disclosed in the police statement, including the physical-medical cause of death for Hilde Henderson and whether detectives have determined a motive for the murder.
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.
‘Girlfriends’ wanted for murder in Silver Spring, Md.
Queer Magic dance party planned
NLGJA-DC Pride happy hour at Trade
DC Front Runners Pride Run 5K set for Saturday
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