District of Columbia
Most LGBTQ ANC candidates win races in D.C. election
Official outcome of four write-ins delayed until Nov. 15
At least 35 of the known roughly 44 LGBTQ Advisory Neighborhood Commission candidates running in the Nov. 8 D.C. election have won their races, according to voter returns released by the D.C. Board of Elections.
Another four LGBTQ ANC contenders who ran unopposed as write-in candidates were expected to emerge as winners when the election board discloses on Nov. 15 the names of winning write-in candidates, whose names did not appear on the ballot.
Whether the total number of LGBTQ ANC candidates who win remains at 35 or reaches 39 should the write-in candidates win, the number will surpass the 33 LGBTQ candidates who won election to ANC seats in 2020.
Twenty-two of the winning candidates this year ran unopposed.
Just five of the LGBTQ candidates appear to have lost their races. One of them, James Tandaris, an incumbent commissioner in ANC district 3F05, was trailing his opponent by just eight votes with a vote count of 210 to 202. With an undetermined number of mail-in ballots still to be counted it was possible that Tandaris could surpass his opponent, Andrew Koval, and win the election.
Among the LGBTQ write-in candidates believed to have won their races are Christopher Dyer in Logan Circle ANC 2F05 and Matt Fouracre in neighboring Logan Circle ANC 2F06. Board of Elections vote count returns show that an unnamed write-in candidate in Dyer’s district received 53 votes making up 100 percent of the write-in votes cast. In Fouracre’s district an unnamed write-in candidate received 39 votes comprising 100 percent of the write-in votes cast.
The unnamed candidates are believed to be Dyer and Fouracre, although voters could have cast their vote for other write-in candidates.
Another LGBTQ write-in candidate whose outcome was uncertain is Bradley Gallagher, who ran in ANC 1E01, which is the Park View neighborhood seat held by gay longtime ANC member Kent Boese. Boese withdrew his candidacy for re-election in October after he was nominated by the D.C. Council and later confirmed to be appointed as executive director of the D.C. Office of ANCs.
Board of Elections spokesperson Nicholas Jacobs said it was too late to remove Boese’s name from the ballot, but he said the board posted notices informing voters that Boese had withdrawn his candidacy. However, the election returns show that Boese received 412 votes and 87 write-in votes were cast. It wasn’t expected to be confirmed whether Gallagher will be declared the winner until Nov. 15, when the election board discloses the names of write-in candidates.
Elections board spokesperson Jacobs told the Washington Blade the board requires all write-in candidates to submit an Affirmation of Write-In Candidacy form by Nov. 15 to be certified as the winner of their respective race. Jacobs said the board will disclose the names of winning write-in candidates at that time.
Following is a list of the confirmed LGBTQ ANC candidates who won their election on Nov. 8:
1A04 Jeremy Sherman* (unopposed) – Columbia Heights
1A05 Stephen Coleman Kenny* (unopposed) – Columbia Heights
1A09 James Turner (unopposed) – Columbia Heights
1B01 Larry Handerhan (incumbent/unopposed) – LeDroit Park
1B02 Sean Holihan (Unopposed) – U Street/Shaw
1B03 Jamie S. Sycamore* (unopposed) – Columbia Heights/U Street
1C01 Howard Bauleke* (incumbent/unopposed) — Adams Morgan
1/e03 Michael Wray (incumbent/unopposed) – Park View/Pleasant Plains
1E07 Brian Footer * — Howard University/Pleasant Plains
2A04 Ed Comer * — Foggy Bottom
2B02 Jeffrey Rueckgauer (incumbent/unopposed) – Dupont Circle
2B03 Vincent E. Slatt* (unopposed) – Dupont Circle
2B06 Matt Johnson (unopposed) – Dupont Circle
2B09 Christopher Davis (unopposed) – Dupont Circle/U Street
2C01 Michael D. Shankle (incumbent/unopposed) – Penn Quarter
2C02 Rebecca Strauss* — Downtown
2F04 Brian McCabe* (unopposed) – Logan Circle
2F07 Brant J. Miller (unopposed) – Logan Circle
2G02 Alexander M. ‘Alex’ Padro (unopposed) — Shaw
2G04 Steven McCarty * — Shaw
3C01 Hayden Gise* (she/her) (unopposed) — Woodley Park
3F01 Ryan Cudemus-Brunoli* (unopposed) — Cleveland Park
4B04 Evan Yeats (incumbent/unopposed) — Takoma
5A01 Duvalier Malone* (he/him) — Lamond Riggs
5A09 Zachary Ammerman* (unopposed) — Lamond Riggs
5B02 Nandini Sen* (unopposed) — Brookland
5B04 Ra Amin* (incumbent) — Brookland
5D05 Salvador Sauceda-Guzman (incumbent/unopposed) — Trinidad
5F06 Joe Bishop-Henchman* (unopposed) — Eckington
6A06 Robb Dooling (incumbent/unopposed) – H Street/Capitol Hill
6B03 David Sobelsohn* (unopposed) — Capitol Hill
6D02 Ronald Collins (incumbent) –Southwest
7B02 Jamaal Maurice McCants-Pearsall* (he/him) (unopposed) — Good Hope
7B03 Travis Swanson* (incumbent/unopposed) — Randle Highlands
7C04 Anthony Lorenzo Green (incumbent/unopposed) — Deanwood
These LGBTQ write-in ANC candidates were expected to be certified as winners when they submit a required Affirmation of Write-In Candidacy to the D.C. Board of Elections by Nov. 15 if they have not already done so:
1E01 Bradley Gallagher (write-in/unopposed) – Park View
2F05 Christopher Dyer (write-in/unopposed) –Logan Circle
2F06 Matt Fouracre* (write-in/unopposed) – Logan Circle
6E02 Charles Panfil* (write-in/unopposed) — Mt. Vernon Square
District of Columbia
Campaign launched to elect more LGBTQ candidates to ANC seats
Capital Stonewall Democrats behind Queering ANCs effort
The Capital Stonewall Democrats, D.C.’s largest local LGBTQ political group, announced on July 7 it has launched a campaign to help elect large numbers of LGBTQ candidates to the city’s Advisory Neighborhood Commissions.
The D.C. local government is believed to be unique among U.S. cities in currently having 46 Advisory Neighborhood Commissions consisting of 345 single-member districts in neighborhoods throughout the city in which unpaid Advisory Neighborhood Commissioners are elected for two-year terms.
The commissions are charged with considering a wide range of policies and programs impacting their neighborhoods, including traffic, parking, recreation, street improvements, liquor licenses, zoning, economic development, police protection, sanitation and trash collection, and D.C.’s annual budget, according to the ANC website.
Although the ANCs do not have authority to set or reject policies or proposals, such as applications for liquor licenses, city agencies are required to give “great weight” to ANC recommendations, according to the law creating the ANCs.
Kent Boese, a gay former ANC commissioner, currently serves as executive director of the D.C. Office of ANCs.
“We are launching the most ambitious hyperlocal LGBTQ+ candidate pipeline initiative in the country,” said Stevie McCarty, the Capital Stonewall Democrats president, in a July 7 statement that announced the Queering ANCs campaign.
“As an ANC member, I know firsthand how these seats shape our neighborhoods, from housing and public safety to sanitation,” McCarty says in the statement. “I’m proud to lead this effort to ensure more LGBTQ+ Washingtonians see themselves as leaders in their communities,” he said.
The ANC Rainbow Caucus, which was created by LGBTQ ANC members, shows on its website that there are currently 38 caucus members consisting of elected LGBTQ ANC commissioners serving in the current 2025-2026 two-year term.
The website shows there are LGBTQ commissioners who are caucus members in each of the city’s eight wards, with six in Ward 1, eight in Ward 2, one in Ward 3, six in Ward 4, five in Ward 5, three in Ward 6, eight in Ward 7, and one in Ward 8.
The Washington Blade couldn’t immediately determine how many of them will be running for re-election in D.C.’s general election in November. But McCarty said Capital Stonewall Democrats hopes to recruit many more LGBTQ candidates to run for ANC seats.
The D.C. Board of Elections website shows the deadline for filing 25 required petition signatures to be placed on the ballot is Aug. 5.
A Queering ANCs website launched this week by Capital Stonewall Democrats provides details on how to run for an ANC seat and offers help for those interested in running.
“Think of someone in your building, neighborhood, friend group, community organization, or professional network who cares deeply about D.C. and would make a strong leader,” McCarty says in his statement. “Send them QueeringANCs.org and personally ask them to consider running,” he said.
The website can be accessed at QueeringANCs.org.
District of Columbia
Mary’s House founder, CEO retires
Dr. Imani Woody played leading role in opening DC’s first home for LGBTQ seniors
The board of directors for Mary’s House for Older Adults, DC’s first official home dedicated to providing affordable housing for LGBTQ seniors, announced on July 7 that its founding president and CEO, Dr. Imani Woody, has retired.
Woody, who holds a PhD in Human Services, is credited with playing a leading role over many years in arranging both city and private funding needed to construct and operate the Mary’s House three-story building located at 401 Anacostia Road, S.E., in the city’s Fort Dupont neighborhood.
The house, which opened in March 2025, with a grand opening ceremony held in May 2025, includes 15 single-occupancy residential units and more than 5,000 square feet of shared communal living space.
“It is with profound gratitude and hearts full of celebration that the board of directors of Mary’s House for Older Adults, DC (MHFOA) announces the retirement of our visionary founder, Dr. Imani Woody, from her role as president and CEO,” the Mary’s House board says in a statement.
“Dr. Woody’s journey with Mary’s House began with her vision and a kitchen table gathering of women with a bold, urgent, and loving vision: to create safe, affirming, affordable housing for LGBTQ/SGL older adults in Washington, DC,” the statement says.
It adds, “What started as a dream has grown into DC’s first affordable LGBTQ+/SGL affirming communal living space for adults 60 and over, a 15-room community residence at 401 Anacostia Road in Southeast Washington.”
The statement says Woody will continue to serve on Mary’s House board.
“The board will be sharing information about the leadership transition process in the coming weeks,” the statement continues. “We are committed to honoring Dr. Woody’s legacy by ensuring Mary’s House continues to thrive and grow in faithful service to LGBTQ/SGL elders experiencing housing insecurity and isolation.”
District of Columbia
SMYAL receives $25,000 award for ‘courageous acts’
D.C. group provides support services for LGBTQ youth
The D.C.-based organization SMYAL, which provides services for LGBTQ youth in the D.C. metro area, including housing for homeless LGBTQ youth, announced on June 30 that it received a $25,000 award for its “courageous acts” in support of the community it serves.
The award was a monetary grant from The Courage Project, which describes itself as a “national initiative investing in acts of courage and compassion that strengthens our communities and democracy.”
A statement on its website says it was launched in May 2025 and is funded and backed by leading national foundations in the U.S.
“At SMYAL, we are deeply grateful to receive support from The Courage Project and are inspired by their bold investment in LGBTQ+ youth at such a critical moment,” SMYAL CEO Erin Whelan said in a statement. “For queer and trans young people, simply showing up as themselves each day requires immense courage, and that courage is strengthened when organizations like The Courage Project stand behind them loudly, proudly, and without hesitation,” Whelan said.
In its statement announcing the award SMYAL says The Courage Project will recognize SMYAL and other awardees and their work on July 3 at the Washington National Cathedral as part of a special interfaith service marking the U.S. 250th anniversary.
“The Courage Project is a bold initiative honoring everyday acts of bravery – the quiet, often unseen acts of heroism that reflect the best of the American spirit and strengthen democracy at the community level,” the project states on its website.
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