District of Columbia
D.C. mayoral, attorney general candidates cite LGBTQ support
Bowser absent from virtual LGBTQ candidates forum

Three of four candidates running in the city’s June 21 Democratic primary for mayor and two of the three candidates running in the primary for the office of D.C. Attorney General cited what they each said was their strong record of support on LGBTQ related issues at a May 2 LGBTQ candidates forum.
The forum was the third in a series of five LGBTQ candidate forms organized by Capital Stonewall Democrats, the city’s largest local LGBTQ political organization.
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, a longtime LGBTQ rights supporter whose administration includes more out LGBTQ appointees than any previous D.C. mayor, did not attend the Monday night forum due to an apparent scheduling conflict.
Bowser instead attended a Ward 3 “Meet & Greet” reception for the mayor co-organized by gay Democratic activist Kurt Vorndran at a restaurant in the city’s Tenleytown neighborhood. Vorndran said the event was scheduled before he received word that Capital Stonewall Democrats would be holding its mayoral forum at the same time and date.
Those attending the Stonewall mayoral forum included the three other mayoral candidates on the June 21 primary ballot — D.C. Councilmember Robert White (D-At-Large), D.C. Councilmember Trayon White (D-Ward 8), and former trial attorney and civil rights advocate James Butler.
The three mayoral candidates responded to a wide range of questions asked by forum moderator John Riley ranging from LGBTQ housing and homeless related services, anti-LGBTQ violence, special needs for LGBTQ seniors and youth, and the continuing higher rate of HIV infection among black men who have sex with men, MSM.
The candidates also addressed additional issues pertaining to all city residents, including gun violence and public safety, the shortage of affordable housing, whether the city’s public school system should remain under mayoral control, and whether sex work should be decriminalized. Several local LGBTQ and transgender rights organizations have expressed support for decriminalization of sex work.
As he had when the issue came before the D.C. Council in a public hearing, Robert White expressed support for decriminalizing sex work for consenting adults with continued criminalization of sex trafficking. Trayon White said he needed more time to learn about the pros and cons and decriminalization and did not have a position on the issue. Butler expressed strong opposition to decriminalization, saying it would lead to more sex trafficking by pimps.
Trayon White said he favors ending the current mayoral control over the public school system and Robert White said he wants an “independent” school superintendent no longer under the control of the mayor. Butler said he supports retaining the current mayoral control over the school system.
Two of the three D.C. attorney general candidates participated in the attorney general part of Monday’s night’s forum. Those participating included longtime D.C. attorneys Bruce V. Spiva and Ryan L. Jones. The third candidate running in the primary for the attorney general position, local attorney and law firm official Brian Schwalb, did not attend the forum. Schwalb has been endorsed by current D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine, who is not running for re-election.
Jones and Spiva each said they have supported LGBTQ equality in representing LGBTQ clients in discrimination cases. The two said they would push hard for the enforcement of the city’s Human Rights Act that bans discrimination against LGBTQ people and other minorities if elected attorney general.
Similar to past D.C. elections, each of the Democratic mayoral and attorney general candidates expressed strong support for the LGBTQ community.
Longtime D.C. gay rights activist Phil Pannell, who said he watched most of the Monday night mayoral and attorney general forum, said this year’s city election was continuing D.C.’s longstanding status of fostering candidates running for public office who strongly back LGBTQ equality. Like other activists, Pannell said this gives LGBTQ voters the “luxury” of choosing which candidates to support based on other important issues.
The next Capital Stonewall Democrats forum, scheduled for Wednesday, May 4, will be for the city’s Ward 1 and Ward 5 D.C. Council races. The Stonewall group will hold its fifth and final forum on Wednesday, May 11, for the D.C. Council Chair and at-large Council races.
A video recording of the May 2 forum can be accessed here.
Following is a Washington Blade transcript of the opening statements of each of the mayoral and attorney general candidates participating in the Capital Stonewall Democrats virtual forum on May 2:
Mayoral Candidates
Robert White
Thank you so much. I’m very excited to be here. I’m Robert White. I’m a father, a husband, an at-large Council member and a fifth generation Washingtonian. So, I grew up in D.C. like so many other people in a family that struggled to get by decade after decade, generation after generation. But my life took a very important turn when I was young. I was 8 years old. I lost my mom to breast cancer. And just a month later I was in a near fatal car accident myself and it left me out of school recovering so long that I fell tragically behind at school.
I failed the third grade. I could not catch up still and actually failed every single grade from third grade to tenth grade. Now what happened to me is what happened to so many young people who fall behind in school. I was labeled a troublemaker and I was treated that way. And at a time when I needed people to step up for me, most people counted me out.
But ten years after my tenth grade a guidance counselor told me that I would never go to college. I was a lawyer sitting beside Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton fighting on Capitol Hill for D.C. residents. To get from where I was to where I am now, I had to learn to become a problem solver. And that skill set is a skill set that I have brought the past fifteen years working in all three branches of government and both the federal and local government.
It’s how I helped deliver for D.C. on Capitol Hill with Congresswoman Norton. It’s how I helped deliver for D.C. residents when I worked in the Office of the Attorney General under Attorney General Karl Racine. And it’s how I’ve delivered for D.C. residents as a Council member. I have focused on affordable housing, workforce development, on helping our returning citizens, and on education.
I have been a national leader on childhood education. I have fought outside the box in ways to address our affordable housing crisis. And I’ve made the District of Columbia the first jurisdiction in the nation to expand voting rights to all incarcerated residents, who never should have lost the right to vote.
Today I’m asking for your vote because we need a problem solver as mayor. And that’s the mayor I will be.
James Butler
Thank you so much. And thank you to the Capital Stonewall Democrats. And thank you for my opponent, Robert. I’m seeing way too much of you these days, almost on a daily basis. But thank you for all you do to further the ends of democracy for these organizations, Capital Stonewall Democrats.
I’m James Butler. And I’m running to be D.C.’s next mayor. As many of you know, or you probably know, I’m a former trial lawyer and former ANC commissioner. I have sued state governments. I have sued municipalities. I have fought for justice and equality around the country my entire adult life. I currently am an advocate before the EEOC and the Office of Human Rights. I want to depart from my normal introduction since I am the only candidate that does not hold a public office right now and share with you what I’ve done over the last decade and what I continue to do in some of the LGBTQ spaces.
I have just recently did a forum on Capitol Hill at Henry’s focused on LGBTQ rights. That was moderated by Sterling Washington, who is Vincent Gray’s former LGBTQ Affairs Director. I’ve also been a volunteer and continue to be a volunteer for Whitman-Walker. I started in the days volunteering with Whitman-Walker when you could go up to the counter and just submit a dollar in your donation that way when they were in the Elizabeth Taylor Building. So, for nearly 20 years I’ve done that and still continue to do that today.
Presently, as an advocate before OHR [D.C. Office of Human Rights] I represent transgender persons, persons that are brining aggrievement based on gender identity and gender discrimination. I am committed to the fight. I will continue to be committed to the fight. And I appreciate you all having the name Capital Stonewall Democrats, because I’ve actually been to the Stonewall Inn in New York. I will continue to fight for justice and equality until the day I die.
Trayon White
Thank you. I want to thank everyone who joined tonight. I want to thank Capital Stonewall Democrats for your leadership and all the other organizations that have joined us tonight about this very important election that can change the trajectory of Washington, D.C. My name is Trayon White. I was born and raised here in Washington, D.C. My history has been fighting for those who are disadvantaged, and that includes those left without having a voice in D.C., for over 18 years. And as a result, people of D.C. have elected me to be a Council member here in the great Ward 8.
What I do know as a resident and a citizen of D.C., with a $20 billion budget, the money is not reaching everybody in an equitable way, not just in money but in resources and government accountability. And as a result, I have fought back and forth about tickets, lack of access to services, educational issues, housing insecurities. And so instead of me complaining about the problem, my job has become a solution to the problem. So, I put my name on the ballot to represent the entire D.C., especially for those who don’t feel they have a voice to make sure we have equity and inclusion. When the city has been growing tremendously every year but there are a lot of us in D.C. that don’t feel that growth. And so, our campaign has been a people’s campaign, giving people power and putting people over politics. So, my history has been fighting for several marginalized populations, especially the LGBTQ in D.C.
And as a result, we started a Commission on LGBTQ Affairs, with several organizations joining us, like the [inaudible] collaborative, Check It, Casa Ruby, SMYAL, Whitman-Walker Clinic, Mega Health, Bridge Project, THR Logistics, and the Anacostia Coordinating Council. So, we are excited to join you guys tonight to have this intensive dialogue on how we can help move D.C. along. My name is Trayon White. And I’m running for mayor. I hope to get your support on the ballot June 21, 2022. Thank you.
D.C. Attorney General Candidates
Ryan L. Jones
Thank you for having me. I feel honored and this is a privilege for me to be here. I enjoy sharing the stage with my colleagues and I relish the opportunity to tell you a little about myself. My name is Ryan Jones. However, I’m running because I know that it’s possible to create change that’s necessary…for all District residents. I’m certain today that many folks woke up in a single-family home under the comfort of warm sheets with the certainty that a meal could be had in the morning, while many others didn’t wake up with those same conditions.
And I want to create a balanced creative polity that allows each resident to [inaudible] some semblance of what most residents or many residents do have. We have the issues of food insecurity, lack of education opportunities, lack of opportunities to enjoy jobs that pay for all of the nice things that allow us to live wonderful lives…And I know that laws make a difference to allow us all to enjoy these things. And that’s a part of the reason why I’m running.
Since 2020, things have changed, with new conditions and a new reality. We’re on Zoom as opposed to in-person because of what was created, because of the pandemic. And I know that has exacerbated conditions. And I’m looking forward to creating and sharing a vision which strives to cure the disparity that’s been spiking and causing other problems like crime and homelessness and people being put out without the opportunity to succeed…As Attorney General you have the ability to allow these responsibilities to come to fruition. I look forward to our discussion to share our opportunity to get that done.
Bruce V. Spiva
Thank you so much. Thank you for having me. My name is Bruce Spiva and I’m running for D.C. Attorney General. My parents grew up in the Jim Crow South and they went on to lives of service to others. And they believed strongly in the power of the law to change our lives for the better. And my father graduated from HBCU in 1954, the year that the Brown decision came down. And he was the one who really inspired me to become a lawyer.
And he instilled in me a sense of duty and courage to fight for change. And that’s what I’ve been doing these past 30 years as a civil rights lawyer fighting for housing justice, fighting for reform, including, I’m most proud, I’m very proud of the fact that I have fought for marriage equality for our LGBTQ+ brothers and sisters, having submitted a brief fighting the blood rival that our brothers and sisters should not be allowed to marry because it wasn’t good for children. I submitted a brief on behalf of the American Psychological Association on that proposition.
And in truth – and I’ll be able to tell you a little bit more about this as we go on. But my consciousness on these issues was formed long ago in the 1970s when I was a kid and Anita Bryant came to town spewing that kind of hate. And my parents, I think because of the conditions that they had grown up in, in prejudice, fought strongly against that and spoke out against it. And that’s something that has stuck with me throughout my life as my consciousness grew on these issues.
I look forward to your questions tonight. And as AG, I will vigilantly enforce anti-hate laws and fight against discrimination against LGBTQ+ folks. Thanks so much.
District of Columbia
Booz Allen withdraws as WorldPride corporate sponsor
Company updated programs to comply with Trump executive orders

The U.S. technology company Booz Allen Hamilton has confirmed it has withdrawn as a corporate sponsor for the international LGBTQ WorldPride events scheduled to take place in D.C. from May 17-June 8, according to a report by the Washington Business Journal.
In an exclusive story published Feb.10, the business publication reports that Booz Allen Hamilton disclosed in a statement that its decision to withdraw as a WorldPride sponsor was based on its need to comply with “recently issued presidential executive orders.”
Although the statement did not say so directly, it is referring to executive orders issued since Jan. 20 by President Donald Trump that, among other things, ban government agencies and companies doing business with the government through contracts from promoting or carrying out diversity, equity, and inclusion or “DEI” programs.
On its website, Booz Allen Hamilton describes itself as an “advanced technology company delivering outcomes with speed for America’s most critical defense, civil, and national securities priorities.” Among the government agencies it does business with, the website statement says, are the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Army, U.S. Marine Corps, U.S. Navy, and the Office of the Secretary of Defense.
“We take this responsibility to our nation seriously,” Washington Business Journal quoted the Booz Allen Hamilton statement regarding WorldPride as saying. “It demands from us commitment to their best principle to flawless execution and to full compliance with all laws and regulations, including executive orders,” Washington Business Journal quotes the statement as saying.
The Washington Business Journal article includes a photo of more than a dozen of Booz Allen Hamilton employees marching in D.C.’s Capital Pride parade in 2017.
The company did not immediately respond to a request from Washington Blade seeking comment on its WorldPride decision.
Capital Pride Alliance, the group that organizes most D.C. LGBTQ Pride events and is the lead organizer of WorldPride 2025, in response to a request by the Blade released a statement responding to Booz Allen Hamilton’s sponsorship withdrawal.
“Booz Allen Hamilton is the only organization that has withdrawn its committed financial support for WorldPride,” the statement says. “CPA is proud of its many longstanding legacy sponsors, many of whom have already reaffirmed their commitments to participate in WorldPride this summer,” the statement continues.
“Just like many American companies and LGBTQ+ organizations, we are navigating current challenges and many unknowns,” the statement says. “We are confident, however, that we will have the support necessary to have a successful and safe WorldPride that meets this moment,” it says.
“That support includes families, organizations, and businesses from across our community and corporations that truly celebrate diversity and value equity and inclusion for all,” the statement concludes.
The Capital Pride Alliance website last year listed Booz Allen Hamilton as a corporate sponsor for the 2024 Capital Pride events in the category of a “True Colors” sponsor, which it said represented a donation of $75,000. But the Capital Pride Alliance statement to the Blade this week says, “We are not going to share they’re previously planned commitment for 2025.”
The statement adds, “Many in our community are extremely vulnerable right now, and standing up for them, standing with them, standing with us, in this movement is what we all need.”
District of Columbia
Trump executive order prompts local hospitals to stop gender-affirming care for youth
Activists marched outside Children’s National on Feb. 2

Hospitals in the D.C. area are putting a prompt stop to aiding transgender youth and their families continue their transition after President Donald Trump signed an executive order that bans all gender-affirming care nationwide for minors under 19.
On Jan. 28, days after Trump took office, signed the executive order, “Protecting Children from Chemical and Surgical Mutilation,” which immediately halted the prescription and medical treatment of gender-affirming care for all minors under the age of 19 across the country. The order use of “chemical and surgical mutilation” is in reference to the various kinds of gender-affirming care that youth may receive when in the care of a medical practice.
“Today, medical professionals are maiming and sterilizing a growing number of impressionable children under the radical and false claim that adults can change a child’s sex through a series of irreversible medical interventions.” says the executive order. “This dangerous trend will be a stain on our nation’s history, and it must end.”
The executive order laid out various guidelines for medical practices to follow that must be implemented within the coming months. These include “ending reliance on junk science,” in referring to following the World Professional Association for Transgender Health’s guidelines for youth, and “defunding chemical and surgical mutilation,” which seeks to ban hospitals and medical schools to use federal funding for gender-affirming care.
Hospitals, medical schools, and clinics across the country have begun to abide by the executive order and drop trans and gender diverse youth as they dismantled programs that provided care of any kind that treated a child’s gender dysphoria. Children’s National Hospital in Northwest Washington is one of those institutions.
“Children’s National is committed to providing compassionate and comprehensive care in accordance with the law,” said Children’s National in a Jan. 30 press release. “As a result, we are currently pausing all puberty blockers and hormone therapy prescriptions for transgender youth patients, per the guidelines in the executive order issued by the White House this week. Children’s National already does not perform gender affirming surgery for minors.”
“We recognize the impact this change will have, and our commitment to creating a better future for children and families remains at the forefront of our mission,” it added. “We will do everything we can to ensure the same uninterrupted access to mental health counseling, social support, and holistic and respectful care for every patient at Children’s National. We are working directly with patients and providers to ensure every patient has access to the information and support services they need, and we appreciate their continued trust and understanding as we work through these changes.”
The hospital did not provide the Washington Blade with additional comment.
Activists in response to the decision organized a march that took place outside Children’s Hospital. on Feb. 2. D.C. Safe Haven, a group founded to “provide TLGBQ people in the DMV area with opportunities to transform their lives,” helped organize the march.
Similar protests have taken place across the country.
The Gender Liberation Movement organized the “Rise Up for Trans Youth” march in New York’s Union Square on Saturday. The group was one of the organizers of a march that took place in front of the U.S. Supreme Court on Dec. 4 when the justices heard oral arguments in the U.S. v. Skrmetti case, which challenges a Tennessee law that bans gender-affirming care for minors under 18.
“VCU Health and Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU have suspended gender-affirming medications and gender-affirming surgical procedures for patients under 19-years-old in response to an executive order issued by the White House on Jan. 28, 2025, and related state guidance received by VCU on Jan. 30, 2025,” the hospital said in a statement. “Our doors remain open to all patients and their families for screening, counseling, mental health care, and all other health care needs.”
Equality Virginia, a queer advocacy group that works across the state, in a statement to the Blade criticized the executive order and response to it.
“Executive orders are not legislation, they are not law, and they do not supersede state laws,” said Narissa Rahaman, the group’s executive director. “The General Assembly has taken up bills on both transgender athletes and gender-affirming care, and in both cases, the general assembly has declined to pursue bans on either. State law is clear; what is unclear is why the Youngkin administration is spending its final year cozying up to the Trump administration and repeatedly singling out transgender Virginians for discrimination.”
“To the transgender and nonbinary athletes and youth seeking healthcare in Virginia who are feeling scared: Equality Virginia will not stop fighting for you, no matter who occupies the Governor’s Mansion or the White House,” added Rahaman.
Petitions are urging D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb, Health and Human Services, and Children’s National to use D.C.’s human rights law to challenge the executive orders. Lambda Legal, along with the American Civil Liberties Union and the law firms Jenner & Block and Hogan Lovells have filed lawsuits against Trump’s mandate on behalf of families of trans youth.
District of Columbia
LGBTQ-friendly senior living community to open near Dupont Circle
Luxury assisted living apartments located in the former Fairfax Hotel

An upscale senior and assisted living apartment building located two blocks from Dupont Circle, which is scheduled to hold a grand opening ceremony on Feb. 12, has announced it is “LGBTQ+ friendly.”
A statement released by the new seniors home, called the Inspir Embassy Row, located at 2100 Massachusetts Ave., N.W., says it is proud to have received recognition as a SAGECare Platinum Credentialed Provider from the New York City-based LGBTQ seniors advocacy and training group SAGE.
“To earn this prestigious credential, a minimum of 80 percent of Inspir’s management and non-management staff completed comprehensive training in LGBTQ+ aging cultural competency,” the statement says.
“The program covered crucial topics including historical and contemporary LGBTQ+ struggles, proper terminology usage related to sexual orientation and gender identity, and strategies to address the unique challenges faced by this demographic,” according to the statement sent to the Washington Blade.
Inspir Embassy Row’s general manager, Tim Cox, who is gay and said he lives with his husband just five blocks from the soon to open facility, provided the Washington Blade with a tour of the senior living building. He said it includes 174 apartments, including studio apartments and one and two-bedroom apartments.

Residents have signed up for about 45 of the apartments so far, Cox said, including some LGBTQ residents, who will begin moving in on Feb. 18. He said the upscale building is open to seniors who currently do not need assisted living services as well as those who need different levels of care, including memory loss care.
He said a doctor and nurse practitioner will be among the staff team providing services for residents. Although most of the apartments have a kitchenette with a refrigerator and microwave but no cooktop and a limited number have full kitchens, Cox said three meals a day will be served in the building’s large, first floor dining room. The building also includes common areas with spaces for entertainment such as the showing of movies and a large grand piano for visiting performers.
“At Inspir Embassy Row, we’re dedicated to creating an inclusive environment that celebrates the diversity of our residents,” Cox said in the statement released by the building, which is the former home of the Fairfax Hotel.

“This SAGECare certification is a testament to our commitment to providing personalized, compassionate care that respects and honors the identities and experiences of all our residents, including those in the LGBTQ+ community,” Cox said.
He added, “Our goal is to create a home where every resident feels valued, respected and free to be themselves. The SAGECare certification is just the beginning of our journey to set a new standard for inclusive senior living in Washington, D.C.”
But the monthly rent for residents of Inspir Embassy Row will likely place it out of reach for many potential senior residents. Cox said the monthly rent for a one-room studio apartment is $8,100, with the monthly cost of a one-bedroom apartment ranging from $11,500 to about $15,000. A two-bedroom apartment will cost $18,500 per month.
Some of those costs will be covered for residents who have long-term care insurance, Cox said.
Asked if potential residents who can afford the monthly costs at Inspir Embassy Row would be better off staying in their own homes and hiring staff and others to comfortably assist them, Cox said Inspir provides far more than just meals and a place to stay.

When remaining at your own home “you’re isolated, you’re lonely, you don’t have activities,” he said. “When you have people coming to care for you, they’re not there as companions,” Cox said. “So, for this, we give them opportunities. We take them to the Kennedy Center. We have music here on a daily basis.”
Cox added, “We have authors come in. We have speakers that are renowned coming in. Since we’re on Embassy Row, we’ll have ambassadors come in to introduce their country. So, really it is being able to get to know our community better and being social, interactive.”
The statement released by Inspir Embassy Row says the facility will provide “LGBTQ+ specific activities, events, or support groups to allow residents the opportunity to share similar experiences with other residents,” and there will be “partnerships with local LGBTQ+ organizations.”

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