Local
Green Lantern owner dies in Florida
Zehnacker, 55, a popular figure in D.C. gay community
Greg Zehnacker, 55, was the principal owner of the D.C. gay bar Green Lantern since 2001. (Photo courtesy of Green Lantern)
Greg Zehnacker, 55, the principal owner of the D.C. gay bar Green Lantern since 2001 and a popular figure in the D.C. LGBT community for more than 30 years, died Feb. 18 while on vacation near Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
“It is with overwhelming sadness that we share with you the death of Green Lantern’s beloved owner, Greg Zehnacker,” a statement released by the bar says. “It appears that he died peacefully in his sleep,” the statement says.
The statement, which was posted on the Green Lantern Facebook page, says Zehnacker was a fixture in the D.C.-area LGBT community since the 1980s, when he worked in several gay bars, including the Lost and Found, Pier 9, Rascals and Peppers.
“He was a supporter of D.C.’s many gay clubs and organizations, and routinely provided space at Green Lantern for charity events and meetings, including, among others, the D.C. Center’s HIV/AIDS Prevention Working Group, the Centaurs MC [motorcycle club], and the Washington Scandals Rugby Club,” the statement says.
“Greg loved bringing together people from all walks of life and ensuring they had a good time under the Green Lantern’s roof,” according to the statement. “In that spirit, and as a way of honoring Greg, we will be open during this difficult time and encourage all to come in, raise a glass to Greg, and share your favorite memories of our friend and colleague.”
Derrick Jones, the Green Lantern’s social media director, said Zehnacker was also involved in past years in real estate endeavors. Jones said Zehnacker was born and raised in the D.C. area.
Joel Weinstein, co-owner of the D.C. gay bar Fireplace, said he and his brother and business partner Steve Weinstein along with another partner first opened the Green Lantern in the early 1990s. He said he and his partners closed the bar around 1995 or 1996 due to, among other things, their opening and operating other gay bars in D.C. and Pennsylvania.
He said he was pleased to learn several years later that someone had opened a new gay bar in the same building and called it the Green Lantern. Although he didn’t know Zehnacker, Weinstein said he wished the new owner well in his effort to bring the establishment back to life.
The Green Lantern’s statement says further details regarding memorials and tributes to Zehnacker would be announced soon.
Zehnacker is survived by his partner, Tom Tarantino, who, along with Zehnacker, has lived in D.C.’s Columbia Heights neighborhood; his parents, Raymond and Charlotte Zehnacker; and his brother Mike Zehnacker and sister-in-law Carol.
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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