District of Columbia
Logan Circle memorial for Fajardo, Pierce draws large crowd
Friends speak at candlelight gathering for beloved community leaders
About 300 people turned out in D.C.’s Logan Circle on Thursday night for a candlelight gathering of remembrance for gay longtime District residents Jocko Fajardo and Tarik Pierce, who were widely admired for their support of LGBTQ community causes.
The two men earlier this month died unexpectedly within eight days of each other, both at the age of 45, prompting their wide circle of friends to reach out to each other for support and to reflect on the two men’s lives.
Fajardo, a skilled chef, florist, event planner and dedicated supporter of community organizations and charities, died at his Dupont Circle residence on Friday, July 14, of unknown causes.
Pierce served for the past 13 years as a manager at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and was a beloved figure in D.C. LGBTQ sports organizations and nightlife venues. He died on July 6 at his residence in the Columbia Heights neighborhood, also of unknown causes.
About a dozen people spoke at the Logan Circle gathering, and the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington sang several songs in honor of the two men’s lives.
“We’re here to have some good memories of two of our great friends,” David Perruzza, owner of the D.C. gay bars Pitchers and A League of Her Own and a friend of both Fajardo and Pierce, told the memorial gathering in opening remarks.
“They were great people,” Perruzza said. “And we all know they were great people. But I just want to say one thing. If somebody was sitting alone in a bar and either Jocko or Tarik came up to you and said hello, they immediately let you into their circle of friends,” Perruzza told the crowd.
“I think as a community, now that we’ve lost these two great giants, it’s up to us to step up and do that for other people,” he said. “I think we all need to work on being better like these two individuals were, and let’s just be a great community and follow their memory by doing everything they would do.”
Like other speakers who followed him, Perruzza urged people in the community to volunteer their time with community organizations.
Others who spoke included Ashley Smith, who chairs the board of the Capital Pride Alliance, the group that organizes D.C.’s LGBTQ Pride events; Annie Lyon, an official with the D.C.-based LGBTQ youth advocacy organization SMYAL; and two members of the Gay Men’s Chorus.
People who knew Fajardo have said he was a longtime supporter of SMYAL and the Gay Men’s Chorus as well as other local LGBTQ organizations.
Pierce was known for his participation in and support for local LGBTQ sports organizations, including the Stonewall Kickball, Darts, and Dodgeball leagues. He was also a dedicated volunteer for Capital Pride, according to friends.
Also speaking at the remembrance gathering was Japer Bowles, director of the D.C. Mayor’s Office of LGBTQ Affairs.
“On behalf of Mayor Bowser and the city, this is such a loss, and we offer our deepest condolences to the community and to you,” Bowles told the gathering.
“And I think the most important thing here to leave with today is the friendship that they created and how they worked with the community,” Bowles said.
“And also, the next point is you don’t know when our time is up,” he said. “So, take care of your friends. It really means a lot.”
Rev. Thomas Wieczorek, who serves as bishop for D.C.’s St. Mary National Catholic Community, which is not affiliated with the Catholic Church, said he was friends with both Fajardo and Pierce and like so many others he was deeply saddened over their passing.
“I have known both for years since I moved to D.C. and was always so impressed by the talents each of them shared with others in the community, whether it be fundraising, organizing, decorating, or simply smiling,” Wieczorek said.
“Both of these friends made an impact in what is a relatively short time with all of us,” he said. “I think nearly every social media comment noted Tarik’s smile and Jocko’s love for beauty,” he told the gathering.
“From the seeds both of these friends planted, let our memories produce a heavenly garden reflecting their joy, love, and time they gave others. Their essence will live on in us.”
Smith of Capital Pride Alliance said plans for a formal memorial service for each of the two men would be announced soon.
District of Columbia
Capital Stonewall Democrats set to celebrate 50th anniversary
Mayor Bowser expected to attend March 20 event
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, members of the D.C. Council, and local and national Democratic Party officials are expected to join more than 150 LGBTQ advocates and supporters on March 20 for the 50th anniversary celebration of the city’s Capital Stonewall Democrats.
A statement released by the organization says the event is scheduled to be held at the Pepco Edison Place Gallery building at 702 8th St., N.W. in D.C.
“The evening will honor the people who built Capital Stonewall Democrats across five decades – activists who fought for rights when the odds were against them, public servants who opened doors and refused to let them close, and a new generation of leaders ready to carry the work forward,” the statement says.
Founded in 1976 as the Gertrude Stein Democratic Club, the organization’s members voted in 2021 to change its name to the Capital Stonewall Democrats.
Among those planning to attend the anniversary event is longtime D.C. gay Democratic activist Paul Kuntzler, 84, who is one of the two co-founders of the then-Gertrude Stein Democratic Club. Kuntzler told the Washington Blade that he and co-founder Richard Maulsby were joined by about a dozen others in the living room of his Southwest D.C. home at the group’s founding meeting in January 1976.
He said that among the reasons for forming a local LGBTQ Democratic group at the time was to arrange for a then “gay” presence at the 1976 Democratic National Convention, at which Jimmy Carter won the Democratic nomination for U.S. president and later won election as president.
Maulsby, who served as the Stein Club president for its first three years and who now lives in Sarasota, Fla., said he would not be attending the March 20 anniversary event, but he fully supports the organization’s continuing work as an LGBTQ organization associated with the Democratic Party.
Steven McCarty, Capital Stonewall Democrats’ current president, said in the statement that the anniversary celebration will highlight the organization’s work since the time of its founding.
“Capital Stonewall Democrats has been fighting for LGBTQ+ political power in this city for 50 years, electing people, training organizers, holding this community together through some really hard moments,” he said. “And right now, with everything going on, that work has never mattered more. This gala is the first moment of our next chapter, and I want the community to be a part of it.”
The statement says among the special guests attending the event will be Democratic National Committee Vice Chair Malcolm Kenyatta, who became the first openly gay LGBTQ person of color to win election to the Pennsylvania General Assembly in 2018.
Other guests of honor, according to the statement, include Mayor Bowser; D.C. Council member Zachary Parker (D-Ward 5, the Council’s only gay member; D.C. Council member Anita Bonds (D-At-Large); Earl Fowlkes, founder of the International Federation of Black Prides; Vita Rangel, a transgender woman who serves as Deputy Director of the D.C. Mayor’s Office of Talent and Appointments; Heidi Ellis, director of the D.C. LGBTQ Budget Coalition; Rayceen Pendarvis, longtime D.C. LGBTQ civic activist; and Phillip Pannell, longtime D.C. LGBTQ Democratic activist and Ward 8 civic activist.
Information about ticket availability for the Capital Stonewall Democrats anniversary gala can be accessed here: capitalstonewalldemocrats.com/50th
District of Columbia
Owner of D.C. gay bar Green Lantern John Colameco dies at 79
Beloved businessman preferred to stay ‘behind the scenes’
John Colameco, owner of the popular D.C. gay bar Green Lantern, has died, according to a March 7 announcement posted on the bar’s website and Instagram account. The announcement didn’t provide a date of his passing or a cause of death.
Green Lantern manager Howard Hicks said Colameco was 79 at the time of his passing.
“It is with great sadness that Green Lantern announces the death of our beloved owner, John Colameco,” the announcement says. “Most of our patrons might have heard John’s name, but might not have known his face,” it says.
“He was a ‘behind-the-scenes’ kind of guy who avoided the limelight,” the announcement continues. “He preferred to stay in the back of the house with staff and team ensuring everything was running smoothly so that everyone out front was having a good time.”
The announcement adds, “As a veteran and businessman, John wasn’t a member of the LGBTQ + community, but he was one of the best damn allies our community has ever had.”
It says he “long provided spaces for the queer community to come together” since the 1990s when he owned and operated a popular restaurant on 17th Street, N.W. called Peppers.
According to the announcement, Colameco and his then business partner Greg Zehnacker opened the Green Lantern in 2001 in an alley off of 14th Street, N.W., between Thomas Circle and L Street, N.W.
The announcement points out that the Green Lantern first opened in the same location in the early 1990s before it later closed when the original owners decided to purchase and open other bars, one of which was the gay bar Fireplace near Dupont Circle. Colameco and Zehnacker were able to reopen the bar with the Green Lantern name.
“When Greg died unexpectedly in February 2014, John remained steadfastly committed to carrying on their vision and ensuring that Green Lantern remained part of the fabric of D.C.’s queer community,” the announcement says.
“Over the years, through Green Lantern, John has provided support to many community organizations, most notably Stonewall Sports, the Gay Men’s chorus of Washington, and ONYX Mid-Atlantic with Green Lantern serving as a gathering hub for their activities,” it states.
The announcement adds that Colameco’s family was planning a memorial for him in his hometown of Philadelphia.
“His Green Lantern family will celebrate his life by operating the bar as usual and we encourage you to stop by and join us,” it says. “Community coming together and having a good time – it’s exactly what John would want.”
District of Columbia
D.C. Black Pride theme, performers announced at ‘Speakeasy’
Durand Bernarr to headline 2026 programming
The Center for Black Equity held its 2026 DC Black Pride Theme Reveal event at Union Stage on Monday. The evening, a “Speakeasy Happy Hour,” was hosted by Anthony Oakes and featured performances by Lolita Leopard and Keith Angelo. The Center for Black Equity organizes DC Black Pride.
Kenya Hutton, Center for Black Equity president and CEO, spoke following the performances by Leopard and Angelo. Hutton announced this year’s theme for DC Black Pride: “New Black Renaissance.”
Performers for 2026 DC Black Pride were announced to be Bang Garcon, Be Steadwell, Jay Columbus, Bennu Byrd, Rue Pratt and Akeem Woods.
Singer-songwriter Durand Bernarr was announced as the headliner for the 2026 festivities. Bernerr gave brief remarks through a video played on the screen at the stage.
DC Black Pride is scheduled for May 22-25. For more information on DC Black Pride, visit dcblackpride.org.
Far-right Chilean President José Antonio Kast takes office
Capital Stonewall Democrats set to celebrate 50th anniversary
Housewives head to Capitol Hill to promote PrEP coverage
Fla. House passes ‘Anti-Diversity’ bill
Ukrainian Supreme Court recognizes same-sex couple as a family
In D.C. comedy, be sure to shop local
Comings & Goings
Too afraid to leave home: ICE’s toll on Latino HIV care
Intense doc offers transcendent treatment of queer fetish pioneer
