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
D.C. Black Pride 2025: Events, parties, and empowerment
Annual Black LGBTQ culture, community, and resilience celebration starts Wednesday
Beginning on Wednesday, Washington will host a weekend-long celebration of melanated LGBTQ talent, power, and resilience with the return of D.C. Black Pride. From glamorous balls and dance parties to drag performances and more, the weekend offers something for everyone looking to celebrate Black queer existence.
The Washington Blade sat down with Keyna Hutton, president and CEO of the Center for Black Equity and organizer of D.C. Black Pride, to discuss the event’s current significance and the programming they are most excited about.
While the weekend may appear to be all about parties and celebration, Hutton emphasized that the heart of D.C. Black Pride lies in the connections it fosters.
“I always try to remind people that Black Pride is a safe space for communities, for people that don’t have these kinds of safe spaces where they live,” Hutton said. “People that live in some rural parts of the country, some very conservative spaces, they don’t have a space to be Black and queer. Many don’t have a space that they are able to be their full authentic selves. So Black Pride is that space. D.C. Black Pride creates that space for folks to be able to come to and just be free and live at all your intersections, to be glorified and be appreciated for who you are, as diverse as you are.”
They continued, pointing to the importance of this year’s theme — freedom — especially amid a political climate that remains hostile toward marginalized groups, particularly the transgender community.
“The real root of D.C. Black Pride is about creating a safe space and supporting community,” Hutton said. “If you think about what’s going on right now politically, it is even more important for us to maintain these spaces.”
Despite the external pressures facing the Black LGBTQ community, Hutton made clear that the weekend is also about celebration, especially for those traveling from near and far to be part of it.
“I am very excited for the Mr. & Miss D.C. Black Pride Pageant,” she said. “We have Ts Madison, Monroe Alise, Kerri Colby, Ben Garson, Anthony Oakes, Heather Mahogany, Apple Brown Betty. We have so many Black queer folks and queer allied people that are going to be here taking up space with us, loving up on us, entertaining us, all for free!”
For the first time this year, a free shuttle will run between the Capitol Hilton and official D.C. Black Pride events all weekend long, making it easier than ever to join in the celebration.
D.C. Black Pride party roundup
Weekend-long parties
Supreme Fantasy Weekend Party
All weekend long, the D.C. Black Pride party Supreme Fantasy will be in full swing beginning on May 22. With 12 events across five days, there’s something for everyone! From drinking and dancing to drag and so much more, this five-day celebration will keep the D.C. Black Pride party pumping through May 26. Tickets and additional information for this 21+ event are available at xavierpartydc.com.
Bliss Party Lineup
Celebrate being a Black LGBTQ woman with the Bliss party lineup! From brunches to dance parties to panels, Bliss has something for everyone. For tickets and additional information for this 21+ party series, visit eventbee.com.
Wednesday, May 21
Cocktails & Conversations
Join hundreds of Black queer women as they kick off D.C. Black Pride with a cocktail reception. Grab a drink and settle in at one of Washington’s swankiest cocktail bars, ZOOZ (636 Maine Ave. S.W.), at 7 p.m., and mingle before the weekend gets going. This is a 21+ event. For tickets and more information, visit BlissPride.com.
Thursday, May 22
Welcome to D.C. Happy Hour
Celebrate the beginning of D.C. Black Pride with drinks in the heart of the Dupont gayborhood! From 5-10 p.m. on the rooftop of Decades (1219 Connecticut Ave. N.W.), take in the spring weather and mix with other Black queer folks. For tickets and more information about this 21+ event, visit BlissPride.com.
Mr. & Miss D.C. Black Pride Pageant
Get ready for the ultimate showcase of Black excellence and pride with the Mr. & Miss D.C. Black Pride Pageant! The competition begins at 6 p.m. at the Capital Hilton (1001 16th St. N.W.), celebrating the history, beauty, and diversity of the DMV’s Black drag and entertainment scene. For tickets, visit Eventbrite.
D.C. Black Pride Unity Free Ball
Join the Capitol Ballroom Council for their 9th annual Unity Free Ball at the Capital Hilton (1001 16th St. N.W.). From 9 p.m. to 1 a.m., show off how you embody this year’s theme of “Freedom.” With over 50 categories, there’s something for everyone. Hosts Icon East Coast Father Duante’ Balenciaga, Legendary East Coast Mother Daijah West, Legendary Domo Alpha Omega, and Empress Angel Rose Garcon will ensure the night is unforgettable. For categories, prizes, and free tickets, visit dcblackpride.org.
The Pre-Pregame Act I
Pregame D.C. Black Pride with Daryl Wilson at The Ugly Mug (723 8th St. S.E.). Expect food, drinks, hookah, and more starting at 10 p.m. For tickets, visit dcblackpride.org.
Friday, May 23
Shoot Your Shot & Drink
Date. Dance. Collaborate! Join Lamont White and Tyrice Johnson for a special in-person LGBTQ+ dating experience at North Gate Grill (1001 16th St. N.W.). Tickets available at dcblackpride.org.
D.C. Black Pride Opening Reception
Kick off the 34th annual D.C. Black Pride with award-winning comedian Anthony Oakes as he hosts an evening of music, drag, and more. Queer icons including Ts Madison, Kerri Colby, and Monroe Alise will be in attendance. Festivities begin at 5 p.m. at the Capital Hilton (1001 16th St. N.W.). Free tickets are available at dcblackpride.org.
Host Hotel Welcome Reception
Start the weekend with a party hosted by Daryl Wilson Events at the Capital Hilton, the official host hotel. Beginning at 3 p.m., guests can pick up VIP passes, connect with other attendees, and get into the Pride spirit. More info at dcblackpride.org.
The Pastel Party
Celebrate Black queer womanhood at the Pastel Party at STRAND Nightclub (1400 I St. N.W.). Beginning at 10 p.m., this event offers a vibrant, affirming space. For tickets to this 21+ event, visit BlissPride.com.
Saturday, May 24
D.C. Black Pride Writers Forum
Join Black LGBTQ writers from across the country for a discussion on storytelling, publishing, and politics. Special guests, including Volo Akili (Dear Universe), will be featured. The event begins at 1 p.m. at the Capital Hilton. More info at dcblackpride.org.
Mary Bowman Poetry Slam
Celebrate Black queer voices at the Mary Bowman Poetry Slam at the Capital Hilton. Open mic registration starts at 5:30 p.m., with the show beginning at 6 p.m. Cash prizes will be awarded. More info at dcblackpride.org.
PURE BLISS – The Main Event
Dance the night away with other Black queer women at PURE BLISS, starting at 10 p.m. at Next Level (15 K St. N.E.). Enjoy music, drinks, and community. Tickets are $25 at BlissPride.com.
D.C. Black Pride White Party
Put on your best white outfit and party with the Black queer community at the iconic White Party. Rapper KHIA performs live at Echostage (2135 Queens Chapel Road N.E.), starting at 10 p.m. Tickets available at dcblackpride.org.
Meatloaf Saturday
Join over 5,000 Black queer men across three dance floors with four DJs, go-go dancers, and live performances. Meatloaf Saturday kicks off at 10 p.m. at Public Nightclub (1214 18th St. N.W.). Tickets at dcblackpride.org.
Sunday, May 25
Euphoria: D.C. Black Pride 2025 Closeout – The Finale
Close out Pride weekend with one last rooftop party at Twelve After Twelve (1212 18th St. N.W.) from 4-10 p.m. Celebrate with drinks, dancing, and community in Dupont Circle. Tickets are $15 at dcblackpride.org.
Wet Dreamz Mega Day Party
Join hundreds of Black LGBTQ people at one of the biggest events of the weekend — Wet Dreamz Mega Day Party — at The Bullpen @ Nats Stadium (1201 Half St. N.E.), starting at 5 p.m. Hosted by Daryl Wilson Events. Tickets available at dcblackpride.org.
Sunday Night Super Party
Four floors. Multiple DJs. One unforgettable night. Daryl Wilson’s Sunday Super Party at The Park (920 14th St. N.W.) begins at 10 p.m. and keeps going late. This 21+ event is free to attend. Details at dcblackpride.org.
Tuesday, May 27
WorldPride Black Queer Film Festival
Celebrate the art and impact of Black queer filmmakers with D.C. Black Pride and WorldPride at the three-day Black Queer Film Festival, kicking off at 6 p.m. at Howard University’s Blackburn Digital Auditorium (2397 6th St. N.W.). Free tickets available at dcblackpride.org.
In addition to these events, Thurst Lounge (2214 14th St. N.W.) — D.C.’s only Black-owned LGBTQ lounge — will host nightly celebrations of Black queer excellence. The weeklong celebration, Thurstnik Reloaded, runs from Wednesday through Memorial Day Monday. No cover charge, but a 21+ ID is required.
District of Columbia
LGBT exhibition at D.C.’s Capital Jewish Museum opens May 16
‘LGBT Jews in the Federal City’ arrives for WorldPride and beyond
The D.C. Lillian and Albert Small Capital Jewish Museum is opening a special exhibition called “LGBT Jews in the Federal City” on Friday, May 16, that will remain at the museum at 575 3rd St., N.W. until Jan. 4, 2026.
Museum officials have said they are pleased that the LGBT exhibition will be open concurrently with WorldPride 2025 D.C., which takes place May 17-June 8. The exhibition also takes place during Jewish American Heritage Month in May and during LGBTQ Pride Month in June, the museum points out in a statement.
“This landmark exhibition explores a turbulent century of celebration, activism, and change in the nation’s capital led by D.C.’s LGBTQ+ Jewish community,” the museum statement says. “This is a local story with national resonance, turning the spotlight on Washington, D.C. to show the city’s vast impact on LGBTQ+ history and culture in the United States.”
LGBT Jews in the Federal City includes “more than 100 artifacts and photographs representing the DMV region’s Jewish LGBTQ+ celebrations, spaces, struggles, joys, and personal stories,” the stamen points out.
A pre-opening tour of the exhibition provided for the Washington Blade shows that among the displays are first-ever shown materials from Bet Mishpachah, D.C.’s LGBTQ supportive synagogue, which is the nation’s fourth-oldest LGBTQ friendly synagogue.
Also included is a prominent display about Barrett Brick, a longtime D.C. LGBT rights advocate and Jewish community leader who served as a board member and president of Bet Mishpachah in the 1980s and as executive director of the World Congress of Gay and Lesbian Jewish organizations from 1987 to 1992. Brick passed away following a 10-year battle with cancer in 2013.
Another display in the museum’s several rooms accommodating the exhibition includes the ability to listen to audio clips of local LGBTQ community members sharing in their own voices their oral histories provided by D.C.’s Rainbow History Project.
Other displays include campaign posters and photos of prominent gay rights icon Frank Kameny, who led efforts to end discrimination against LGBTQ people from the federal government; and a panel from the AIDS Memorial Quilt that includes the name of a prominent Jewish Washingtonian who died during the AIDS epidemic.
“Through prompts, questions, and thoughtful design throughout the exhibition, visitors will be encouraged to ponder new ways to understand Jewish teachings and values as they relate to gender and sexuality,” the museum’s statement says.
“After leaving the exhibition, visitors can contribute to the Museum’s collecting and storytelling by sharing photographs, personal archives, or by recording stories,” it says.
The museum is open for visitors to see the LGBT exhibition and other museum exhibits 10 a.m. through 5 p.m. Wednesdays through Sundays. Admission to LGBT Jews in the Federal City is $12.
District of Columbia
Rainbow History Project WorldPride exhibition to open May 18
‘Pickets, Protests and Parades’ to be on display at Freedom Plaza
D.C.’s Rainbow History Project is scheduled to open its WorldPride 2025 exhibition called “Pickets, Protests, and Parades: The History of Gay Pride in Washington” on Sunday, May 18, in Freedom Plaza.
Located on Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W. between 13th and 14th streets less than three blocks from the White House, the exhibition will be open to the public free of charge for 24 hours through July 6.
The exhibition “will chronicle the local LGBTQ+ Pride movement and how the pickets and protests of the 1960s led to the vibrant celebrations of the 2020s,” a statement released by Rainbow History Project says.
The statement notes that the exhibition’s displays will include photos and information about a 1965 protest in front of the White House by 10 gay men and lesbians carrying picket signs in what is believed to be one of the city’s and possibly the nation’s first public demonstrations in support of the then homosexual community.
“The exhibition disrupts the popularly held belief that the LGBTQ+ rights movement began with the Stonewall Riots in 1969 in New York,” the statement points out. It says the 1965 gay protest outside the White House, which took place four years before Stonewall, represents “the start of D.C.’s rich queer history.”
“Covering 1965 to the present, the exhibition explores the history of Pride in D.C. in 10 distinct thematic eras,” according to the statement. “Large hero images around the perimeter will draw people into the exhibit to explore a timeline wall with historic quotes from Pride’s organizers. Each of the 10 eras are detailed in thematic cubes rich with history and visuals.”
The statement says Rainbow History Project is seeking community members to serve as Exhibit Monitors to assist in operating the display in four shifts each day and night to be compensated from between $80 and $100 per shift depending on the time of the shift.
Information about applying to become an exhibit monitor can be accessed at Rainbow History’s website.
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