District of Columbia
D.C. court disputes claim by trans group over why LGBTQ crime victim housing facility was closed
Court never promised specific number of residents for ETC apartments: agreement

A spokesperson for the D.C. Superior Court released a statement to the Washington Blade on Jan. 11 disputing claims by the local organization Empowering the Transgender Community, known as ETC, that it was forced to suspend operation of its temporary emergency housing facility for LGBTQ victims of violent crime because the court reneged on a promise to send enough residents to financially sustain the facility.
ETC announced in March of 2022 that it had entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with the D.C. court’s Crime Victims Compensation Program to provide temporary emergency housing specifically for LGBTQ crime victims for up to 30 days through an arrangement with the courts.
Earline Budd, ETC’s executive director, said ETC had rented a small apartment building to operate a housing facility that she said last March could accommodate up to 26 individuals or a smaller group of families for the crime victims program. Court officials have since said the number was reduced to 22 because a few of the apartments in the building would be used for ETC staff offices.
The location of the facility had to remain confidential, Budd said, as part of the agreement with the courts to ensure the safety of its residents.
But in December Budd informed the Blade that ETC had to suspend its operation of the housing facility in November because the court did not provide enough tenants to financially sustain the facility. Budd said the director of the Crime Victims Compensation Program, Blanche Reese, told her and others during a visit to the ETC facility last March that the program expected to fill the facility to its capacity with crime victim residents.
Budd said the far fewer than expected residents sent to the ETC facility by the court created a financial shortfall when the overhead costs of renting the building and paying staff to operate the program exceeded the reimbursement payments they received from the court.
“The court never promised ETC a specific number of claimants to be housed by this provider,” said Douglas Buchanan, director of Media and Public Relations for the D.C. Courts, in a statement to the Blade.
Buchanan pointed to the four-page Memorandum of Understanding between ETC and the courts, which Buchanan sent to the Blade. The document, which was signed by Budd on Feb. 15 2022, makes no mention of the number of “victim/claimants” the court would send to the ETC facility.
The MOU states that the reimbursement by the Crime Victims Compensation Program (CVCP) to ETC “for each emergency housing stay is limited to a period of 30 days at the rate of $100.00 per day.”
The MOU states that CVCP would reimburse ETC for the costs of food if food is provided to the victim/claimants. “The amount shall not exceed $100.00 per week up to a total of $400.00,” the MOU says.
Buchanan also provided the Blade with comments from Crime Victims Compensation Program Director Blanche Reese, regarding Budd’s claim that Reese made a verbal promise to send enough tenants to fill the ETC facility to capacity.
“The managers were told that the facility would probably stay full because the facility was so beautiful and some of the other facilities were not as nice,” Reese said. “My statement was taken out of context,” Reese added. “They were also informed of how placement is decided. For example, if a crime happened in S.E. (where the facility is located) we would try to place the claimant away from the crime location, unless the claimant signed a disclaimer.”
According to Reese, “Ultimately, the claimant makes the decision if they want to stay at the facility that CVCP suggests…ETC was never promised a specific number of claimants. They were told that it would vary.”
Budd said ETC’s financial problems were heightened when the court program failed to send its reimbursement payments on time, sometimes sending them a month or two after they were due.
In his statement to the Blade, Buchanan said the delays in reimbursement payments were caused by ETC submitting inaccurate invoices. The MOU calls for ETC to provide invoices related to the claimants who stayed at the ETC facility.
“In the beginning, the delay in payments were due to inaccurate invoices submitted by ETC,” Buchanan said. “The CVCP director and accounting officer had a meeting with the [ETC] board to explain the process and clear up any discrepancies,” he said. “It was at that time the ETC board authorized the CVCP to correct any inaccurate invoices submitted and process the payments to address the delay in processing payments.”
In response to concerns raised by ETC that the court also didn’t fully reimburse ETC for the cost of food for crime victims and their family members sent to the facility, Buchanan said ETC was aware of restrictions by “food caps” set by the CVCP rules
In her statement sent to the Blade by Buchanan, Reese said the court “had no idea that ETC relied on the CVCP as their sole source of funding.” Reese said she was contacted by the attorney representing the ETC organization asking for a meeting with her to discuss the group’s finances.
“It was at this meeting that they informed me that the ETC board had made a decision to temporarily cease providing housing because of accounting issues,” Reese said. “At this meeting we also discussed staffing concerns because I was informed that the entire staff had resigned,” said Reese. “We were supposed to revisit the viability of the ETC organization in January 2023.”
Budd has said staffing issues surfaced when the lower reimbursement of funds from the court due to fewer residents than expected caused a shortfall in funds preventing ETC from paying some of its staff and paying the rent for the building.
She said ETC remained hopeful that it could reopen the emergency housing facility for the crime victims program if its arrangement with the court could be revised. She said ETC was also in discussion with the D.C. Department of Human Services over the possibility that the ETC facility could be used as a low-barrier shelter for homeless people.
Budd said that due to the privacy restrictions required for the crime victims program, she didn’t think the ETC building could be used for both crime victim residents and homeless residents at the same time.
But in his statement to the Blade, Buchanan said, “The decision to use the facility for other purposes would totally be up to the ETC executive director and board.”
Buchanan said the court would also like to revisit its relationship with ETC, although he said the ETC attorney or ETC board members had not contacted the CVCP about resuming the program as of earlier this week.
“We are looking forward to ironing some things out and we are optimistic that the courts and ETC are going to get together in the coming months in an effort to try to hammer out some of these issues and try to pave a path forward that benefits those that ETC and the DC Courts serve,” he said.
Budd and the ETC attorney, Charles Ross, couldn’t immediately be reached to get their reaction to the statements sent to the Blade this week from Buchanan and CVCP Director Blanche Reese.
Buchanan sent a copy of an email that attorney Ross sent to Buchanan this week in which Ross said he would not be responding to the Blade’s request for comment at this time.
District of Columbia
Gay ANC member announces candidacy for Ward 1 D.C. Council seat
Community leader Brian Footer seeking seat held by Brianne Nadeau

Gay Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner Brian Footer, a community activist who has been involved for many years in local and national government affairs, has announced his candidacy for the Ward 1 D.C. Council seat up for election in 2026.
Footer, a Democrat, will be running in the city’s June 2, 2026, Democratic primary for the Ward 1 Council seat, but it is uncertain whether he will be running against incumbent Ward 1 Council member Brianne Nadeau (D). Nadeau has not yet announced if she plans to run for re-election for a fourth term following her 12 years on the Council.
Nadeau has been a longtime vocal supporter of the LGBTQ community.
If Footer were to win the primary and the November 2026 general election, he would become the Council’s second openly gay member. Ward 5 Council member Zachary Parker (D) is currently the 13-member Council’s only gay member.
Footer is a three-term ANC commissioner who currently serves as Chair of ANC 1E, which represents the city’s Adams Morgan neighborhood.
“Brian has worked at every level of government — federal, state, and local — building a career rooted in public service, aging policy, and inclusive urban planning,” a statement on his campaign website says.
“I’m running for Council because too many people in Ward 1 are doing everything right and still feel ignored by the city they call home,” Footer states on his website.
“I’m running because we can do better,” his statement continues. “That means making housing more affordable, addressing homelessness with real solutions, and keeping our neighborhoods safe with smart, community focused strategies.”
When contacted by the Washington Blade for comment, Nadeau said she was not ready at this time to discuss her plans about running again or about Footer’s candidacy.
“The primary is a ways away, and I’m very focused right now on the budget and the stadium deal and all the work that we’re doing at the Council,” she told the Blade. “So, I really haven’t had time to turn to my plans. So, as a result, I’m also not going to be commenting on anybody else who is determined that they’re running at this time.”
She first won election to the Council in 2014 after she defeated four-term gay Ward 1 Council member Jim Graham in the Democratic primary after Graham became embroiled in an ethics controversy.
In the 2022 Democratic primary Nadeau defeated gay challenger Salah Czapary in a three-candidate race, by a margin of 48.5% of the vote compared to Czapary’s 30.9%.
With the third candidate, Sabel Harris, receiving 20.4%, the outcome showed that the two challengers had a combined total vote count higher than Nadeau.
Further details of Footer’s candidacy can be accessed from his campaign website, brianfooterdc.com.
District of Columbia
Gay GOP group hosts Ernst, 3 House members — all of whom oppose Equality Act
Log Cabin, congressional guest speakers mum on June 25 event

U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) and three women Republican members of the U.S. House appeared as guest speakers at the June 25 meeting of Log Cabin Republicans of D.C., the local chapter of the national LGBTQ Republican group with that same name.
The U.S. House members who joined Ernst as guest speakers at the Log Cabin meeting were Celeste Maloy (R-Utah), Kat Cammack (R-Fla.), and Julia Letlow (R-La.).
Neither D.C. Log Cabin Republicans President Andrew Minik nor spokespersons for Ernst or the three congresswomen immediately responded to a request by the Washington Blade for comment on the GOP lawmakers’ appearance at an LGBTQ GOP group’s meeting.
“Please join us for an inspiring evening as we celebrate and recognize the bold leadership and accomplishments of Republican women in Congress,” a D.C Log Cabin announcement sent to its members states.
“This month’s meeting will highlight the efforts of the Republican Women’s Caucus and explore key issues such as the Protection of Women and Girls In Sports Act and the broader fight to preserve women’s spaces in society,” the message says.
It was referring to legislation pending in Congress calling for banning transgender women from participating in women’s sports events.
According to media reports, Ernst and the three congresswomen have expressed opposition to the Equality Act, the longstanding bill pending in Congress calling for prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in the areas of employment, housing, and public accommodations.
The Log Cabin announcement says the meeting was scheduled to take place at the Royal Sands Social Club, which is a restaurant and bar at 26 N St., S.E. in the city’s Navy Yard area.
D.C. Log Cabin member Stuart West, who attended the meeting, confirmed that Ernst and the three congresswomen showed up and spoke at the event.
“It was a good turnout,” he said. “I would definitely say probably 30 or 40 people attended.” West added, “Four women came to talk to a group of mostly gay men. That’s something you don’t see very often.”
District of Columbia
D.C. police seek public’s help in July 5 murder of trans woman
Relative disputes initial decision not to list case as hate crime

D.C. police are seeking help from the public in their investigation into the murder of a transgender woman who they say was shot to death at about 12:30 a.m. on Saturday, July 5, on the 2000 block of Benning Road, N.E.
But the police announcement of the fatal shooting and a police report obtained by the Washington Blade do not identify the victim, 28-year-old Daquane ‘Dream’ Johnson of Northeast D.C., as transgender. And the police report says the shooting is not currently listed as a suspected hate crime.
It was local transgender activists and one of Johnson’s family members, her aunt, who confirmed she was transgender and said information they obtained indicates the killing could have been a hate crime.
“On Saturday, July 5, at approximately 12:51 a.m., Sixth District officers were flagged down in the 2000 block of Benning Road, Northeast, for an unconscious female,” a July 5 D.C. police statement says. “Upon arrival, officers located an adult female victim suffering from gunshot wounds,” it says.
“D.C. Fire and EMS responded to the scene and transported the victim to a local hospital where after all lifesaving efforts failed and the victim was pronounced dead,” the statement says.
A separate police flyer with a photo of Johnson announces an award of $25,000 was being offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for the murder.
The flyer identifies D.C. police Homicide Detective Natasha Kennedy as being the lead investigator in the case and says anyone with information about the case should contact her at 202-380-6198.
Longtime D.C. transgender rights advocate Earline Budd told the Blade that one of the police investigators contacted her about the case and that she also spoke to Detective Kennedy. Budd said police confirmed to her that Johnson was a transgender woman.

One of Johnson’s family members, Vanna Terrell, who identified herself as Johnson’s aunt, told the Blade that Johnson used the first name of Dream and had planned to legally adopt that name instead of Daquane but had not gotten around to doing so.
Terrell said she and other family members learned more about the incident when one of two teenage high school students who knew Johnson’s brother contacted a friend and told the friend that they recognized Johnson as they witnessed the shooting. Terrell said the friend then called her to tell her what the friend learned from the two witnesses.
According to Terrell, the witnesses reportedly saw three men approach Johnson as Johnson walked along Benning Road and one of them called Johnson a derogatory name, leading Terrell to believe the men recognized Johnson as a transgender woman.
Terrell said one of the witnesses told the friend, who spoke to Terrell, that the man who shot Johnson kept shooting her until all of the bullets were fired. Budd, who said she spoke to Terrell, who also told her what the witnesses reported, said she believed the multiple shots fired by the shooter was an “overkill” that appears to have been a hate crime. Terrell said she too believes the murder was a hate crime.
In response to an inquiry from the Blade, Officer Ebony Major, a D.C. police spokesperson, stated in an email, “At this point there is nothing in the investigation that indicates the offense was motivated by hate or bias.”
Terrell said a memorial gathering to honor Johnson’s life was scheduled to be held Saturday, July 12, at River Terrace Park, which is located at 500 36th St., N.E. not far from where the shooting occurred.

-
Federal Government4 days ago
Treasury Department has a gay secretary but LGBTQ staff are under siege
-
Virginia5 days ago
Defying trends, new LGBTQ center opens in rural Winchester, Va.
-
District of Columbia4 days ago
Gay GOP group hosts Ernst, 3 House members — all of whom oppose Equality Act
-
District of Columbia4 days ago
D.C. police seek public’s help in July 5 murder of trans woman