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
Over 2,000 turn out for Hands Around the Kennedy Center protest
Drag performer Tara Hoot serves as MC, Gay Men’s Chorus of DC performs, attendees shout for Trump to keep ‘hands off’ Kennedy Center
More than 2,000 supporters of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts turned out on Sept. 18, for a rally in support of the performing arts center and a vocal protest against President Donald Trump’s threats to permanently close the center and possibly demolish it.
The event was organized by a group called Hands Off the Arts, which initially called for participants to form a “human chain” around the Kennedy Center’s main building following a rally on the plaza in front of the building.
However, due to a decision by the Trump-controlled Kennedy Center’s board of trustees to close the center earlier in the week and install fencing around part of the building, participants could only form the chain around part of the building, according to organizers.
Drag performer Tara Hoot, who co-organized the event and served as master of ceremonies for the rally preceding the “human chain,” said the large turnout could have fully surrounded the building at least twice had the fencing not prevented a full encirclement.
Among the musicians and singing groups that performed at the rally was the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington, which, like other rally performers, had performed at the Kennedy Center in past years. They drew loud applause after singing one of their favorite songs from the Broadway musical show Ragtime, which includes the lyrics, “Will justice be demanded by 10 million men? Make them hear you. When they hear you, I’ll be near you again.”
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Prior to their performance, Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington’s artistic director, Thea Kano, spoke at the rally, reminding participants that shortly after the Trump takeover of the center last year, Kennedy Center officials cancelled a concert the chorus was scheduled to perform there for World Pride 2025.
A Kennedy Center spokesperson said the cancellation was due to a scheduling conflict, but chorus members and LGBTQ activists believe it resulted from policies put in place by Trump and his leadership team at the Kennedy Center following Trump’s statements that he would end controversial “woke” performances that he claimed the majority of Americans disapprove of.
“Now this building sits empty in silence,” Kano told the crowd at the rally. “Let us raise our voices together and bring back the Kennedy Center as it was intended, a place where American culture could be celebrated and elevated, embracing the vibrancy with the spectrum of identify without censure and without politics,” she said.
Among the others who spoke at the rally were U.S. Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.), U.S. Rep. Jonathan Jackson (D-Ill.), and D.C. Councilmember Robert White (D-At-Large).
Most speakers, along with LGBTQ participants in the hands-around-the-building event expressed strong opposition to Trump’s demand that the Kennedy Center name be changed from the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts to the Donald J. Trump and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
At Trump’s request, his appointed board initially made that name change and placed Trump’s name on the front wall of the building along with the Kennedy name. But following legal action taken by opponents who pointed out that Congress must approve such a name change, a judge ordered the removal of Trump’s name from the building. Trump has said he will take steps to reverse that order and has said he will stop plans to renovate the Kennedy Center building and possibly demolish it if his name is not restored in the Kennedy’s Center’s official name.
Throughout the Sept. 18 rally, LGBTQ participants repeatedly responded to the Trump threats by shouting, “Hands Off!”
Chris Raleigh, one of the founders of Hands Off the Arts and a lead organizer of the Sept. 18 event at the Kennedy Center who spoke at the event told the Washington Blade that more similar events are being planned and he welcomes the support the event has received from the LGBTQ community.
“The LGBTQ community was here first, and we’re following them,” he said. “They’ve been the spearhead; they’ve been the vanguard. And I’m so thankful for heroes like Tara Hoot,” he said, adding, “It’s because they know what it means and how this is a safe place – the theater – for many LGBTQ people.”
The DMV’s own furry group was on full display on the Metro on Sept. 12.
Shutterpaws is a volunteer-led 501(c)(3) non-profit organization located in Maryland.
The furry group has been doing the FurRide event since 2024 and has blown up in popularity for furries around DMV. They showcased themselves on the Silver and Blue Lines near the Smithsonian on Sept. 12.
“A lot of careful planning goes into running these events, with the goal being a seamless and enjoyable experience for everyone who attends,” says Zayre, a Shutterpaws staff member. “There’s a lot that you learn just by trial and error, and as Shutterpaws hosts more and more events, our team of event organizers continues to learn and refine our approach to keep things running smoothly and finding new ways to engage with our community.”
With a larger growth of participation in the community comes many challenges with the group, especially when it comes to the Metro rides and organizing.
“The biggest challenge that we face as organizers is keeping things fresh and finding new and engaging venues to host events,” says Zayre. “Recently we saw a lot of success hosting a meet at On Target Battlezone, an indoor NERF gun battle arena where our crew was welcome to show up and play both with and without a fur suit.”
Nevertheless, Shutterpaws receive overwhelming support from the community and partners.
“Across the DMV there are so many amazing places to host a Shutterpaws event so we can pursue our mission of helping connect fur suiters and photographers, and we’re blown away with the amount of support we’ve received from our community partners,” says Zayre.
Shutterpaws plans to do more events for anyone in the DMV who is interested.
Their next event in collaboration with DC Fur Meet will take place at Pitchers (2317 18th St., N.W.) on Saturday. Visit Shutterpaws’ website for more information.
District of Columbia
Hands Off the Arts to form ‘human chain’ around Kennedy Center
Drag performer Tara Hoot among event organizers
An organization called Hands Off the Arts has announced it is holding a protest on Friday, Sept. 18, in which between 400 and 800 participants are expected to create a “human chain” around the Kennedy Center to voice their strong objection to President Donald Trump’s call for possibly demolishing the Kennedy Center.
“Hands Off the Arts is organizing a rally Sept. 18 against the president’s defacing of JFK’s memorial, his removal and censorship of art, and the threat to demolish the center if he can’t remake the site in his image,” a statement released by the group says.
The statement says the event will start with a rally at 6:30 p.m. on the Kennedy Center steps and culminate with a “human chain” around the building. “There will be musical performances, testimonials from current and former employees, along with other special guest speakers,” it says
A separate announcement by the group says longtime D.C. drag performer Tara Hoot, who has performed at the Kennedy Center in past years, was among the organizers of the Sept. 18 protest.
The planned protest follows Trump’s decision last year to use his authority to replace the existing members of the Kennedy Center’s board of directors with new members loyal to him. Over the objection of longtime Kennedy Center supporters, the Trump-appointed board changed the name of the center, at Trump’s request, from the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts to the Donald J. Trump and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
But following the threat of legal action by opponents who pointed out that the name change could not be legally made unless approved by Congress, the name change was cancelled, with Trump saying he would take steps to restore it later.
The Washington Post, meanwhile, reports in a Sept. 13 news story that because of negative publicity related to Trump’s actions, the Kennedy Center was facing “fiscal collapse” and possible bankruptcy and could be forced to shut down as early as this week.
According to the Post report, a 57-page document presented to the Kennedy Center’s board of trustees says the center was facing a financial and structural building crisis, with the recent collapse of part of the building’s inside ceiling, indicating the building was unsafe for employees and the public. Among other things, the document says the Kennedy Center may not be able to make payroll or pay for routine maintenance “within a matter of weeks,” the Post reports.
Some LGBTQ advocates were among those who joined others in boycotting the Kennedy Center to express their objections to Trump’s actions, including a statement by Trump that he objected to the Kennedy Center’s practice of hosting drag performances.
The Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington has been among the LGBTQ performing arts groups and artists that have performed at the Kennedy Center.
“With the future still very much uncertain, now more than ever, the Center needs you to stand up for freedom of expression and against authoritarian overreach into arts and culture institutions,” the Hands Off the Arts group says in its announcement of the Hands Around the Kennedy Center protest.
“You have the opportunity to make a difference — show up with Hands Off the Arts and show your power as part of Hands Around the Kennedy Center,” it says.
A spokesperson for the Kennedy Center couldn’t immediately be reached for comment.
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