Local
Gay D.C. teacher acquitted of sexual assault
10-year-old witness says alleged victim fabricated allegation
Following a two-week trial, Judge Robert Morin found Leroy Damien Ware not guilty on all counts.
A D.C. Superior Court judge on Thursday found a former D.C. special education teacher who’s gay not guilty of charges that he sexually assaulted on two occasions a 9-year-old male student at Minor Elementary School on Capitol Hill.
Following a two-week non-jury trial, Judge Robert Morin found Leroy Damien Ware, 34, not guilty on two counts each of misdemeanor sexual assault of a child or minor and misdemeanor sex abuse.
In delivering the verdict from the bench in oral remarks, Morin said police and prosecutors failed to show that Ware had intentionally interacted with the boy in a way that constituted sexual assault, according to gay activist Martin Moulton, who attended the trial.
Moulton, who did not know Ware prior to the trial, said the not-guilty verdict came about a week after a 10-year-old boy and classmate of the alleged victim took the witness stand and gave dramatic testimony saying the alleged victim had made anti-gay remarks about Ware and said he planned to do something against Ware.
“Most notably, during the trial, a 10-year-old male peer of the supposed ‘victim’ gave extensive testimony on behalf of his teacher, Mr. Ware, about what was in fact a blatantly homophobic attack from a notoriously unruly and troubled child who had impudently pulled his pants down during class,” Moulton told the Blade.
“On the witness stand, this child’s testimony demonstrated convincing and remarkable wisdom, compassion, and sensitivity to all of the adult issues involved,” said Moulton, who noted that the 10-year-old told others that he has a gay uncle and doesn’t think it’s right to treat gay people in an unfair way.
William Miller, a spokesperson for the Office of the U.S. Attorney, which prosecuted the case against Ware, said the office would have no comment on the case or the acquittal.
A D.C. police arrest affidavit filed in court Feb. 5, 2015 says police learned of the sexual assault allegation from the alleged victim’s mother, who helped arrange for the boy to talk to police investigators. The affidavit says the alleged victim, who is referred to as the complainant in the case, told police Ware “touched my private parts” once in a classroom and another time in a computer lab.
Charging documents say the alleged touching took place sometime between October and December of 2014.
According to the affidavit, Ware told investigators in a “non-custodial interview” on Feb. 2, 2015, that he inadvertently touched the complainant’s penis while “attempting to remove the complainant’s hands from inside his pants” during a session at the computer lab. It says the second incident occurred in a classroom when Ware allegedly touched the boy on his buttocks.
Moulton said that Ware testified at the trial that the touching incidents occurred when the student was acting inappropriately in class and in the computer lab. In the interaction at the computer lab, Ware testified it appeared that the boy was masturbating with his hand inside his own pants, and Ware approached him and removed the boy’s hand from his pants, Moulton recounted.
During a trial session on Jan. 14, in which a Blade reporter was present, Ware’s defense attorney, Chantaye Redmon-Reid, played an audio recording of the police interview of Ware and argued that one or more detectives repeatedly “badgered” Ware into saying things that were not true.
Redmon-Reid said police investigators “lied” to Ware during the interview by claiming they had obtained DNA evidence showing Ware sexually assaulted the 9-year-old. Moulton said police subsequently acknowledged fabricating the DNA claim but have said doing so is a legally permissible technique for interrogating suspects in a criminal case.
“Judge Morin was very critical of MPD detectives’ tactics in deceiving the teacher and essentially badgering him until they obtained the story they wanted to hear,” Moulton said.
Morin called the claim about DNA evidence a “legal” but “concerning tactic in view of the court,” which “was not productive,” Moulton recounted.
In describing Morin’s explanation for his verdict, Moulton said the judge said he carefully looked at the facts in the case.
“And he just said the guy didn’t intend to touch the kid, Moulton recalls. “He wasn’t planning to do it. It took at most like two seconds that he was reaching for his hand and may have accidentally touched the kid’s penis. But it was in no way intentional. And that’s what the case hinged on,” Moulton recounted the judge as saying.
Ware told the Blade in a brief interview on Friday that he plans to release a statement soon, among other things, expressing concern that the news media for the most part downplayed or failed to report that he was acquitted after sensationally reporting the accusations against him at the time of his arrest.
He said he “unofficially” submitted a letter of resignation from his job as a special education teacher in the D.C. public school system shortly after his arrest. But he said the letter was never formally processed through the school system’s personnel office. He said he later informed school officials that he rescinded the resignation and would take a leave of absence until his case was resolved.
District of Columbia
Blade contributor, husband exchange vows in D.C.
Yariel Valdés and Kevin Vega held ceremony at Jefferson Memorial on March 23
Washington Blade contributor Yariel Valdés and his husband, Kevin Vega, exchanged vows at the Jefferson Memorial on March 23.
The couple married in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., on Nov. 24, 2025. The Jefferson Memorial ceremony — which Blade International News Editor Michael K. Lavers and Samy Nemir Olivares officiated — coincided with the third anniversary of Yariel and Kevin’s first date.
Yariel in 2019 asked for asylum in the U.S. because of the persecution he suffered as a journalist in his native Cuba. He spent nearly a year in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody before his release on March 4, 2020.
Yariel wrote a series of articles about his time in ICE custody that the Blade published. The series was nominated for a GLAAD Media Award in 2022.
Yariel and Kevin live in South Florida.
District of Columbia
‘Out for McDuffie’ event held at D.C. gay bar
Mayoral candidate cites record of longtime support for LGBTQ rights
More than 100 people filled the upstairs room of the D.C. gay bar Number 9 on Thursday night, March 26, to listen to D.C. mayoral candidate Kenyan McDuffie at an event promoted as an “Out for McDuffie” meet and greet session.
Several local LGBTQ activists who attended the event said they support McDuffie, a former D.C. Council member, in his run for mayor while others said they had not yet decided whom to vote for in the June 16 D.C. Democratic primary election.
As of March 27, eight other Democrats were competing against McDuffy in the June 16 primary, including D.C. Council member Janeese Lewis George (D-Ward 4), considered McDuffie’s lead opponent. Lewis George also has a record of strong support on LGBTQ issues.
Most political observers consider McDuffie and Lewis George the two lead candidates in the race, with the others having far less name recognition.
The two lead organizers of the Out for McDuffie event were LGBTQ rights advocates Courtney Snowden, a former D.C. deputy mayor in the administration of Mayor Muriel Bowser, and Cesar Toledo, a local LGBTQ youth housing services advocate.
“I’m a candidate for mayor of Washington, D.C. and I’m running for mayor because I love this city,” McDuffie told the gathering after being introduced by Snowden. “And now more than ever we need leadership to take us to the future,” he said, adding that he and his administration would “stand up and fight” against President Donald Trump’s efforts to intervene in local D.C. affairs.
“Our strength is in the 700,000 beautifully diverse residents of Washington, D.C.” he told the gathering. “And as Courtney said, I didn’t just show up and run for mayor and then start saying that I’m going to be an ally for the queer community, for the LGBTQ+ community,” he said, “I’ve lived my entire professional life fighting for justice and fighting for fairness.”
Following his speech, McDuffie told the Washington Blade, “We’re going to fight to protect our LGBTQ+ community every single day. That’s what I’ve spent my career doing, making sure we have a beautifully diverse and inclusive city.”
He remained at Number 9, located at 1435 P St., N.W., for nearly an hour after he spoke, chatting with attendees.
District of Columbia
‘No Kings’ protests set for D.C.
Anti-Trump demonstrations to take place across country on Saturday
As President Donald Trump and his administration escalate rhetoric targeting transgender youth and student athletes, push efforts to restrict voting access for millions of Americans, and pursue foreign policy decisions that critics say bypass congressional authority, organizers across the country are once again mobilizing in protest.
For many LGBTQ advocates, the moment feels especially urgent.
In recent months, activists have pointed to a surge in anti-trans legislation, attacks on gender-affirming care, and efforts to roll back nondiscrimination protections as direct threats to the safety and visibility of queer and trans communities. Organizers say the demonstrations are not just about policy, but about defending the right of LGBTQ people — particularly trans youth and people of color — to live openly and safely.
Thousands of “No Kings” protests are planned nationwide, with multiple demonstrations set to take place in D.C.
One of the primary events, “No Kings Washington,” will be held in Anacostia, an overwhelmingly Black area of D.C. that is often at the center of conversations around racial justice, policing, and access to resources in the nation’s capital.
The protest in Anacostia is focused on what organizers describe as the “power behind the throne,” specifically Stephen Miller, the White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy and Homeland Security Advisor. Miller has been closely associated with the administration’s “zero tolerance” immigration policy, including the family separation practice that resulted in thousands of children being separated from their parents at the Southern border.
Activists have also linked immigration enforcement policies to broader concerns about LGBTQ migrants, including queer asylum seekers who often face heightened risks of violence and discrimination both in their home countries and within detention systems.
Anacostia protest details:
Participants are asked to gather starting at 1:30 p.m. on the southeast side of the Frederick Douglass Bridge. The closest Metro station is Anacostia on the Green Line, about an 8-minute walk from the starting point. Organizers strongly encourage attendees to use public transportation, as street parking is limited.
The march will proceed past Fort McNair and conclude near the Waterfront Metro station.
D.C. icon and LGBTQ activist Rayceen Pendarvis is set to speak at the protest around 2 p.m.
Kalorama protest details:
A separate protest will take place earlier in the day in Kalorama, a neighborhood long associated with political power and home to presidents, cabinet officials, and foreign ambassadors. Demonstrators are expected to gather at 10 a.m., with a march running until approximately noon near the intersection of Connecticut Avenue and Kalorama Road.
Arlington/National Mall protest details:
Another group is expected to assemble at Memorial Circle near Arlington National Cemetery at 10 a.m. before crossing the Memorial Bridge into D.C., passing the Lincoln Memorial and continuing on to the Washington Monument. Organizers say the march is intended to defend “American democracy, the rule of law, and a healthy planet.”
Unlike last June — when organizers discouraged large-scale demonstrations in D.C. due Trump’s military/birthday parade — activists are now explicitly calling on people to show up in the nation’s capital and surrounding areas.
The protests also coincide with Transgender Day of Visibility weekend, which includes additional gatherings and celebrations on the National Mall. At the same time, peak bloom for the National Cherry Blossom Festival is expected to draw large crowds to the city. With multiple major events happening simultaneously, officials and organizers anticipate significant congestion, increased traffic, and crowded public transit throughout the weekend.
Organizers are urging participants to plan ahead and come prepared.
“Bring your signs, noisemakers, music, and creative ideas, and gather in joyful, nonviolent protest,” they said. “Children are very welcome.”
For more information, visit nokings.org.
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