Local
Vandalism of Logan Circle Barbie doll display goes viral
‘It takes a special kind of crazy to steal Dorothy’
The Washington Post gave it the kind of coverage it gives to a full-fledged crime story with a happy ending.
In a June 27 story, the Post reported that a gay man who asked not to be identified told of how a quirky art display in the front yard of his rowhouse on the 1400 block of Q Street, N.W. that he created for Pride month with Barbie dolls dressed as characters in the movie ‘Wizard of Oz’ had been vandalized on June 26.
In a posting on Instagram, in which he had over 23,000 followers, the gay man said the Barbie doll figures dressed as the Tin Man, Scarecrow, and the Cowardly Lion had been knocked down along with figures of green-skinned witches holding brooms with small rainbow flags. And to his great dismay, the creator of the Q Street display revealed, the Barbie doll figure for the ‘Wizard of Oz’ lead character, Dorothy, had been stolen.
“It takes a special kind of crazy to steal Dorothy and trash the Emerald City on Pride Weekend,” he wrote in his posting. To add spice to his story, the man also posted on Instagram security camera footage of a man who was caught on camera damaging the display and stealing Dorothy.
According to the Washington Post, while the gay man who created the display was telling his story of the vandalism to a Post reporter in front of his house on Sunday morning, June 27, one of his neighbors walked by and confessed to being the culprit who vandalized the display and stole Dorothy. The neighbor said he is also gay, the Post reports.
“He shared that he found the Barbie [display] offensive, misogynistic and homophobic,” the creator of the display said in his Instagram post. “I explained that the intent is exactly the opposite, and how the idea is to create something that’s inclusive and empowering and community-oriented, but most of all, silly and fun,” he wrote.
He added that the neighbor promised not to touch the display again. But the Post reported in its article that the man who confessed to damaging the display said he could not return the Dorothy doll he stole because he tossed her into another neighbor’s yard. “Hours later,” the Post reports, “Dorothy was recovered from some bushes.”
The restored display, which the creator has said is intended, among other things, to show the iconic impact that the “Wizard of Oz’ movie and its famous star Judy Garland has had on the LGBTQ community, was expected to be in place for viewing on the 1400 block of Q Street for at least a few more days during the conclusion of Pride Month.
Rehoboth Beach
BLUF leather social set for April 10 in Rehoboth
Attendees encouraged to wear appropriate gear
Diego’s in Rehoboth Beach hosts a monthly leather happy hour. April’s edition is scheduled for Friday, April 10, 5-7 p.m. Attendees are encouraged to wear appropriate gear. The event is billed as an official event of BLUF, the free community group for men interested in leather. After happy hour, the attendees are encouraged to reconvene at Local Bootlegging Company for dinner, which allows cigar smoking. There’s no cover charge for either event.
District of Columbia
Celebrations of life planned for Sean Bartel
Two memorial events scheduled in D.C.
Two celebrations of life are planned for Sean Christopher Bartel, 48, who was found deceased on a hiking trail in Argentina on or around March 15. Bartel began his career as a television news reporter and news anchor at stations in Louisville, Ky., and Evansville, Ind., before serving as Senior Video Producer for the D.C.-based International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers union from 2013 to 2024.
A memorial gathering is planned for Friday, April 10, 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. at the IBEW International Office (900 7th St., N.W.), according to a statement by the DC Gay Flag Football League, where Bartel was a longtime member. A celebration of life is planned that same evening, 6-8 p.m. at Trade (1410 14th St., N.W.).
District of Columbia
D.C. Council member honored by LGBTQ homeless youth group
Doni Crawford receives inaugural Wanda Alston Legacy Award
About 100 people turned out Tuesday evening, April 7, for a presentation by D.C.’s Wanda Alston Foundation of its inaugural Wanda Alston Legacy Award to D.C. Council member Doni Crawford (I-At-Large) for her support for the foundation’s mission to support homeless LGBTQ youth.
Among those who attended the event was Japer Bowles, director of D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser’s Office of LGBTQ Affairs, who delivered an official proclamation issued by Bowser declaring April 7, 2026 “A Day of Remembrance for Wanda Alston.”
Alston, a beloved women’s and LGBTQ rights activist, served as the city’s first director of the then newly created Office of LGBTQ Affairs under then-Mayor Anthony Williams from 2004 until her death by murder on March 16, 2005.
To the shock and dismay of fellow LGBTQ rights advocates, police and court records reported Alston, 45, was stabbed to death inside her Northeast D.C. house by a man high on crack cocaine who lived nearby and who stole her credit cards and car. The perpetrator, William Martin Parrott, 38, was arrested by D.C. police the next day and later pleaded guilty to second-degree murder. He was sentenced in July 2005 to 24 years in prison.
Crawford was among those attending the award event who reflected on Alston’s legacy and outspoken advocacy for LGBTQ and feminist causes.
“I am deeply humbled and honored to receive this inaugural award,” Crawford told the Washington Blade at the conclusion of the event. “I think the world of Wanda Alston. She has set such a great foundation for me and other Council members to build on,” she said.
“Her focus on inclusivity and intersectionality is really important as we approach this work,” Crawford added. “And it’s going to guide my work at the Council every day.”
Crawford was appointed to the D.C. Council in January of this year to replace then Council member Kenyan McDuffie (I-At-Large), who resigned to run for D.C. mayor as a Democrat. She is being challenged by four other independent candidates in a June 16 special election for the Council seat.
Under the city’s Home Rule Charter written and approved by Congress, the seat is one of two D.C. Council at-large seats that cannot be held by a “majority party” candidate, meaning a Democrat.
A statement released by the Alston Foundation last month announcing Crawford’s selection for the Wanda Alston Legacy Award praised Crawford’s record of support for its work on behalf of LGBTQ youth.
“From behind the scenes to now serving as an At-Large Council member, she has fought fearlessly for affordable housing, LGBTQ+ funding priorities, and racial justice,” the statement says. “Council member Crawford’s leadership reflects the same courage and conviction that defined Wanda’s legacy.”
Organizers of the event noted that it was held on what would have been Wanda Alston’s 67th birthday.
“Today’s legacy reception was a smashing success,” said Cesar Toledo, the Alston Foundation’s executive director. “Not only did we come together to celebrate Wanda Alston on her birthday, but we also were able to raise over $10,000 for our homeless LGBTQ youth here in D.C.,” Toledo told the Blade.
“In addition to that, we celebrated and we acknowledged a rising star in our community,” he said. “And that is At-Large Council member Doni Crawford, who we named the inaugural Wanda Alston Legacy Award recipient.”
At the request of D.C. Council Chair Phil Mendelson (D-At-Large) the Council voted unanimously on Jan. 20, 2026, to appoint Crawford to the Council seat being vacated by McDuffie.
Council records show she joined McDuffie’s Council staff in 2022 as a policy adviser and later became his legislative director before McDuffie appointed her as staff director for the Council’s Committee on Business and Economic Development for which McDuffie served as chair.
Calendar: April 10-16
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