District of Columbia
Norton challengers urge LGBTQ voters to consider new leadership
The two candidates running against D.C. Congressional Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton in the city’s June 21 Democratic primary urged LGBTQ voters to vote for them on grounds that they will provide new leadership and innovative ideas as the city’s non-voting delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives.
Rev. Wendy Hamilton, a longtime community activist and former official with the NAACP, and Kelly Mikel Williams, a former D.C. Council staff official and longtime advocate for the homeless, presented their views on a wide range of issues, including support for the LGBTQ community, during an April 28 virtual candidates’ forum organized by the Capital Stonewall Democrats.
Norton, a longtime outspoken supporter for LGBTQ rights, did not attend the forum. Jacqueline Pelt, her campaign spokesperson, said Norton informed the group that a scheduling conflict prevented her from attending.
The event was the second in a series of five LGBTQ candidate forums scheduled to take place from April 25 to May 11 organized by Capital Stonewall Democrats, the city’s largest local LGBTQ political group formerly known as the Gertrude Stein Democratic Club. The group’s next forum is scheduled for May 2, when candidates for D.C. Mayor and D.C. Attorney General were expected to participate.
In addition to hosting candidates for the D.C. Congressional Delegate race, the Thursday night, April 28, forum included the two candidates running in the primary for the position of U.S. Representative, known as the so-called D.C. “shadow” representative to the U.S. House – incumbent Rep. Oye Owolewa and challenger Linda L. Gray.
The position has no congressional powers or voting privileges and was created to serve as a non-paid lobbying post for D.C. statehood. Both Oye and Gray said they have been supportive of LGBTQ equality for many years. They said they will push hard for the passage of the Equality Act, the LGBTQ nondiscrimination bill that has passed in the House and remains stalled in the U.S. Senate.
During the April 28 forum for Congressional Delegate, neither candidate Hamilton or Williams nor the LGBTQ Democratic group’s moderators at the event, trans Democratic activist and ANC commissioner Monika Nemeth and the LGBTQ event organizer who identifies as Krylios, mentioned Norton by name.
Most political observers consider Norton, a beloved figure in D.C. politics, to be the strong favorite to win re-election to her 17th term in office in both the primary and the November general election.
Hamilton and Williams offered no criticism of Norton and instead, in response to questions asked by Nemeth and Krylios, presented proposals on both local and national issues they said would improve the lives of all D.C. residents.
Among her various career positions, which included working on Capitol Hill and serving as an adjunct professor of communications at Baltimore County Community College, Hamilton served as a part-time pastor at the Open Door Metropolitan Community Church in Germantown, Md., which is one of the nationwide churches affiliated with the LGBTQ Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches. Hamilton said her service at the MCC church strengthened her role as a committed LGBTQ ally.
Williams told the forum he has helped LGBTQ people along with other population groups in need of housing, substance abuse services, and education and job training to gain access to various city programs in his role as constituent services director for former at-large D.C. Councilmember Vincent Orange.
A video recording of the April 28 virtual Capital Stonewall Democrats forum can be accessed here.
A Washington Blade transcript of the closing statements by Hamilton and Williams can be read below:
Kelly Mikel Williams
Thank you so much. I really appreciate it. And I enjoyed the conversation and the questions. And so, thank you for moderating and I thank the Capital Stonewall Democrats. As I mentioned in my opening statement, the disparities in our communities socially, economically, and politically will continue to divide us if we are not willing to address them. And what I would like to do as your representative is to address those issues from a holistic perspective, from a specific perspective, and from an economic perspective, a legislative perspective, and from a social perspective.
So, as I said earlier, the same issues that I dealt with as an individual – homeless, unemployment are the same issues intimately that I’m familiar with that I’m going to address as your elected leader. We have a real opportunity to ignite change in our city. And the question for us is when. When do we want it? And if not now, when are we going to get it and can we afford to wait that long to achieve it.
I’m a fresh voice with different ideas to try to address those issues. And my heart and passion to usher in a new generation of thinking is what I want to do. The primary issues that I’m addressing — homelessness, jobs, public safety — are issues that I’ve lived with and dealt with. And they always say that if you want someone to be able to satisfy an issue that you have, find someone who has actually lived and experienced it.
And what I’m going to do is bring together my personal and my professional experiences and merge those together. And I’m confident that when I do that, I can be the change that you want to see, and I can be the change that the District needs. So, I want to thank the Stonewall Democrats and say to you, we can’t keep doing the same things over and over again, expecting different results. We have to have the courage, and it’s time to have the courage to change course. And I’m asking you to change course on June 21 this year, Tuesday, June 21, and elect me as your next representative, Kelly Mikel Williams. And I’ll be the change and you’ll have the courage and we’ll do this together going into the next year. Thank you very much.
Rev. Wendy Hamilton
Thank you all so much. We have covered a lot of ground tonight discussing the issues that are pertinent to Capital Stonewall Democrats and D.C. and just to our country as a whole, because D.C. is a microcosm of America. What goes on in D.C. impacts the rest of the country. So, I know we barely scratched the surface. We might not have all the answers today. But my hope is to continue these discussions as your new delegate, as we work together to figure out the best way forward for D.C.
We need to end the wrongful and dangerous workplace discrimination of our LGBTQ colleagues in the workplace. I would support the LGBTQ community in passing the Equality Act, HR 5. I mentioned earlier that 40 percent of LGBTQ youth have seriously considered suicide over the past year. And over 40 percent of homeless youth in D.C. are LGBTQ+. These numbers are rising, and we need to establish robust mental health and shelter systems responsive to LGBTQ+ and GMV youth and their needs.
My inspiration for running for this role comes from my faith in God, as I mentioned earlier, my experience as a servant leader, and my deep love for D.C. Over these past 15 months on the campaign trail, that decision has only been reinforced by the thousands of conversations I’ve had with residents all over the city who want to see us thrive and succeed together.
I’m not a politician, and that’s a good thing I believe. I’m just running. I’m a regular, everyday woman. I’m not just running to represent you, I am you. So, I’m asking for your vote on June 21 for D.C. Delegate. Capital Stonewall Democrats, I believe it’s time, time for a new voice and vision and new possibilities. I’m ready. We’re ready. All I need is your vote. I believe we can do this because it’s time. Thank you.
District of Columbia
U.S. Attorney’s Office drops hate crime charge in anti-gay assault
Case remains under investigation and ‘further charges’ could come
D.C. police announced on Feb. 9 that they had arrested two days earlier on Feb. 7 a Germantown, Md., man on a charge of simple assault with a hate crime designation after the man allegedly assaulted a gay man at 14th and Q Streets, N.W., while using “homophobic slurs.”
But D.C. Superior Court records show that prosecutors with the Office of the U.S. Attorney for D.C., which prosecutes D.C. violent crime cases, charged the arrested man only with simple assault without a hate crime designation.
In response to a request by the Washington Blade for the reason why the hate crime designation was dropped, a spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s office provided this response: “We continue to investigate this matter and make no mistake: should the evidence call for further charges, we will not hesitate to charge them.”
In a statement announcing the arrest in this case, D.C. police stated, “On Saturday, February 7, 2026, at approximately 7:45 p.m. the victim and suspect were in the 1500 block of 14th Street, Northwest. The suspect requested a ‘high five’ from the victim. The victim declined and continued walking,” the statement says.
“The suspect assaulted the victim and used homophobic slurs,” the police statement continues. “The suspect was apprehended by responding officers.”
It adds that 26-year-old Dean Edmundson of Germantown, Md. “was arrested and charged with Simple Assault (Hate/Bias).” The statement also adds, “A designation as a hate crime by MPD does not mean that prosecutors will prosecute it as a hate crime.”
Under D.C.’s Bias Related Crime Act of 1989, penalties for crimes motivated by prejudice against individuals based on race, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, and homelessness can be enhanced by a court upon conviction by one and a half times greater than the penalty of the underlying crime.
Prosecutors in the past both in D.C. and other states have said they sometimes decide not to include a hate crime designation in assault cases if they don’t think the evidence is sufficient to obtain a conviction by a jury. In some instances, prosecutors have said they were concerned that a skeptical jury might decide to find a defendant not guilty of the underlying assault charge if they did not believe a motive of hate was involved.
A more detailed arrest affidavit filed by D.C. police in Superior Court appears to support the charge of a hate crime designation.
“The victim stated that they refused to High-Five Defendant Edmondson, which, upon that happening, Defendant Edmondson started walking behind both the victim and witness, calling the victim, “bald, ugly, and gay,” the arrest affidavit states.
“The victim stated that upon being called that, Defendant Edmundson pushed the victim with both hands, shoving them, causing the victim to feel the force of the push,” the affidavit continues. “The victim stated that they felt offended and that they were also gay,” it says.
District of Columbia
Capital Pride wins anti-stalking order against local activist
Darren Pasha claims action is linked to his criticism of Pride organizers
A D.C. Superior Court judge on Feb. 6 partially approved an anti-stalking order against a local LGBTQ activist requested last October by the Capital Pride Alliance, the D.C.-based LGBTQ group that organizes the city’s annual Pride events.
The ruling by Judge Robert D. Okun requires former Capital Pride volunteer Darren Pasha to stay at least 100 feet away from Capital Pride’s staff, board members, and volunteers until the time of a follow up court hearing he scheduled for April 17.
In his ruling at the Feb. 6 hearing, which was virtual rather than held in-person at the courthouse, Okun said he had changed the distance that Capital Pride had requested for the stay-away, anti-stalking order from 200 yards to 100 feet. The court records show that the judge also denied a motion filed earlier by Pasha, who did not attend the hearing, to “quash” the Capital Pride civil case against him.
Pasha told the Washington Blade he suffered an injury and damaged his mobile phone by falling off his scooter on the city’s snow-covered streets that prevented him from calling in to join the Feb. 6 court hearing.
In his own court filings without retaining an attorney, Pasha has strongly denied the stalking related allegations against him by Capital Pride, saying “no credible or admissible evidence has been provided” to show he engaged in any wrongdoing.
The Capital Pride complaint initially filed in court on Oct. 27, 2025, includes an 18-page legal brief outlining its allegations against Pasha and an additional 167-page addendum of “supporting exhibits” that includes multiple statements by witnesses whose names are blacked out.
“Over the past year, Defendant Darren Pasha (“DSP”) has engaged in a sustained, and escalating course of conduct directed at CPA, including repeated and unwanted contact, harassment, intimidation, threats, manipulation, and coercive behavior targeting CPA staff, board members, volunteers, and affiliates,” the Capital Pride complaint states.
In his initial 16-page response to the complaint, Pasha says the Capital Pride complaint appears to be a form of retaliation against him for a dispute he has had with the organization and its then president, Ashley Smith, last year.
“It is evident that the document is replete with false, misleading, and unsubstantiated assertions,” he said of the complaint.
Smith, who has since resigned from his role as board president, did not respond to a request by the Blade for comment at the time the Capital Pride court complaint was filed against Pasha.
Capital Pride Executive Director Ryan Bos and the attorney representing the group in its legal action against Pasha, Nick Harrison, did not immediately respond to a Blade request for comment on the judge’s Feb. 6 ruling.
District of Columbia
D.C. pays $500,000 to settle lawsuit brought by gay Corrections Dept. employee
Alleged years of verbal harassment, slurs, intimidation
The D.C. government on Feb. 5 agreed to pay $500,000 to a gay D.C. Department of Corrections officer as a settlement to a lawsuit the officer filed in 2021 alleging he was subjected to years of discrimination at his job because of his sexual orientation, according to a statement released by the American Civil Liberties Union of D.C.
The statement says the lawsuit, filed on behalf of Sgt. Deon Jones by the ACLU of D.C. and the law firm WilmerHale, alleged that the Department of Corrections, including supervisors and co-workers, “subjected Sgt. Jones to discrimination, retaliation, and a hostile work environment because of his identity as a gay man, in violation of the D.C. Human Rights Act.”
Daniel Gleick, a spokesperson for D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, said the mayor’s office would have no comment on the lawsuit settlement. A spokesperson for the Office of the D.C. Attorney General, which represents the city against lawsuits, said the office has a longstanding policy of not commenting on litigation like the Deon Jones lawsuit.
Bowser and her high-level D.C. government appointees, including Japer Bowles, director of the Mayor’s Office of LGBTQ Affairs, have spoken out against LGBTQ-related discrimination.
“Jones, now a 28-year veteran of the Department and nearing retirement, faced years of verbal abuse and harassment from coworkers and incarcerated people alike, including anti-gay slurs, threats, and degrading treatment,” the ACLU’s statement says.
“The prolonged mistreatment took a severe toll on Jones’s mental health, and he experienced depression, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, and 15 anxiety attacks in 2021 alone,” it says.
“For years, I showed up to do my job with professionalism and pride, only to be targeted because of who I am,” Jones says in the ACLU statement. “This settlement affirms that my pain mattered – and that creating hostile workplaces has real consequences,” he said.
He added, “For anyone who is LGBTQ or living with a disability and facing workplace discrimination or retaliation, know this: you are not powerless. You have rights. And when you stand up, you can achieve justice.”
The settlement agreement, a link to which the ACLU provided in its statement announcing the settlement, states that plaintiff Jones agrees, among other things, that “neither the Parties’ agreement, nor the District’s offer to settle the case, shall in any way be construed as an admission by the District that it or any of its current or former employees, acted wrongfully with respect to Plaintiff or any other person, or that Plaintiff has any rights.”
Scott Michelman, the D.C. ACLU’s legal director said that type of disclaimer is typical for parties that agree to settle a lawsuit like this.
“But actions speak louder than words,” he told the Blade. “The fact that they are paying our client a half million dollars for the pervasive and really brutal harassment that he suffered on the basis of his identity for years is much more telling than their disclaimer itself,” he said.
The settlement agreement also says Jones would be required, as a condition for accepting the agreement, to resign permanently from his job at the Department of Corrections. ACLU spokesperson Andy Hoover said Jones has been on administrative leave since March 2022. Jones couldn’t immediately be reached for comment.
“This is really something that makes sense on both sides,” Michelman said of the resignation requirements. “The environment had become so toxic the way he had been treated on multiple levels made it difficult to see how he could return to work there.”
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