District of Columbia
Nearly 100 attend vigil for slain trans woman A’Nee Roberson
D.C. police release video, photos of ‘person of interest’ linked to murder
Close to 100 people turned out late Wednesday afternoon, Oct. 25, for a candlelight vigil on the 900 block of U Street, N.W. in honor of local transgender woman A’Nee Roberson, 30.
D.C. police said Roberson was fatally struck by a car on U Street in that location on Oct. 14 while fleeing from a yet unidentified man who assaulted her and who police say committed second-degree murder by causing her to be hit by a car.
The vigil was organized by Iya Dammons, executive director of the transgender and LGBTQ services organization DC Safe Haven, and Earline Budd, founder of the local group Empowering the Transgender Community (ETC), with support from many local activists, the two women said.
It took place on the sidewalk in front of Nellie’s Sports Bar at 900 U St., N.W., steps away from where police say witnesses saw Roberson being assaulted and chased into the street about 4:20 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 14, where she was hit by an oncoming car.
Police have not said whether they know why Roberson was at that location more than an hour after Nellie’s and other bars and nightclubs in that location had closed for the night. The driver of the car stopped at the scene and cooperated with police investigators, police have said.
More than 20 people spoke at the vigil, including Roberson’s father and brother, who were accompanied by other family members, all of whom said they loved A’Nee for who she was.
The vigil also took place one day after D.C. police released a video and photos taken from the video of a male “person of interest” who police are seeking help from the public in identifying. Police said the video was obtained from a nearby security camera.
Among those attending the vigil were members of the police LGBT Liaison Unit, who handed out flyers announcing police are offering a reward of up to $25,000 to anyone who provides information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for Roberson’s murder.
“Today we stand in solidarity as one community,” Dammons told the gathering. She called on the crowd to yell out the name “A’Nee” loudly and repeatedly in honor of Roberson’s life and memory.
“In the face of adversity, we rise, we shine, conquer,” Dammons said. “We are Black, we are trans, we are queer. We are willing and we are more than what the world sees us, more than the world knows us.”
D.C. Councilmember Zachary Parker (D-Ward 5), the Council’s only gay member, told the crowd he and his fellow Council members express their love and support for Roberson’s family and many friends who are mourning her loss.
“Her death is not in vain,” Parker said. “We are going to keep her spirit alive and bring her murderer to justice,” said Parker, who also asked the crowd to yell out the name A’Nee several times.
Gay D.C. Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner Vincent Slatt, who is a member of the ANC LGBTQ Rainbow Caucus, told the gathering the Rainbow Caucus was advocating for the city to address in a more aggressive way violence targeting the trans community and the LGBTQ community. Also expressing support at the vigil for improved efforts to address violence targeting the trans community was June Crenshaw, executive director of the Wanda Alston Foundation, which provides housing services for homeless LGBTQ youth.
Also speaking at the vigil were at least four former employees or clients of the now closed Casa Ruby DC LGBTQ community services center, who said A’Nee Roberson was affiliated with Casa Ruby and acted as a loving and supportive mentor to them.
Gary Roberson, A’Nee Roberson’s father, thanked participants for turning out at a vigil he said demonstrated the strong support and love his daughter had from the community.
“Me, as her dad, had no choice but to support her,” Gary Roberson said after telling how he, his wife, and other children embraced and supported A’Nee after she came out to them as trans at the age of 13.
“From this day forward, I am part of the LGBTQ community,” he said. “You have my support. Thank you so much for coming out today.”
Also speaking at the vigil was Japer Bowles, director of the Mayor’s Office of LGBTQ Affairs.
“We are all sick and tired of coming to these things to see justice done,” he told the gathering. “We need to see justice done. We are doing what we can,” he said in referring to the city government’s efforts to end violence targeting the trans and LGBTQ community.
Nellie’s, which is an LGBTQ establishment, placed a large chalkboard sign on the sidewalk next to a table where the speakers at the vigil stood. A handwritten message on the chalkboard said, “The Hearts and Mind of The Nellie’s Family are with The Family of A’Nee Roberson.”
The police video and photos of the person of interest in the A’Nee murder is below:
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.
In an official statement released at the reveal event Capital Pride Alliance described its just announced 2026 Pride theme of “Exist, Resist, Have the Audacity” as a “bold declaration affirming the presence, resilience, and courage of LGBTQ+ people around the world.”
The statement adds, “Grounded in the undeniable truth that our existence is not up for debate, this year’s theme calls on the community to live loudly and proudly, stand firm against injustice and erasure, and embody the collective strength that has always defined the LGBTQ+ community.”
In a reference to the impact of the hostile political climate, the statement says, “In a time when LGBTQ+ rights and history continue to face challenges, especially in our Nation’s Capital, where policy and public discourse shape the future of our country, together, we must ensure that our voices are visible, heard, and unapologetically centered.”
The statement also quotes Capital Pride Alliance CEO and President Ryan Bos’s message at the Reveal event: “This year’s theme is both a declaration and a demand,” Bos said. “Exist, Resist, Have Audacity! reflects the resilience of our community and our responsibility to protect the progress we’ve made. As we look toward our nation’s 250th anniversary, we affirm that LGBTQ+ people have always been and always will be part of the United States’s history, and we will continue shaping its future with strength and resolve,” he concluded.
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