District of Columbia
Medical Examiner: Two beloved D.C. gay men died of accidental drug ‘toxicity’
Christmas week deaths prompted response by LGBTQ community
The D.C. Office of the Chief Medical Examiner has confirmed for the Washington Blade that the cause of death of two widely known and beloved gay men found unconscious at one of their homes in Northwest D.C. on Dec. 27 was an accidental consumption of several drugs that created a fatal ‘toxic’ effect.
D.C. police and Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department reports show that prominent D.C. attorney and LGBTQ rights advocate Brandon Roman, 38, and historic preservation expert and home renovation business owner Robert “Robbie” Barletta, 28, were found unconscious when police and emergency medical personnel arrived on the afternoon of Dec. 27.
The reports show that Roman was declared deceased at the scene shortly after D.C. police and an ambulance arrived at the house in response to a 911 call. According to one of the reports, Barletta was taken to Washington Hospital Center where he died on Dec. 29.
The D.C. gay bar Shakers hosted a celebration of life for the two men on Feb. 3, And people who knew them told the Blade their sudden and unexpected deaths prompted many in the community, including several gay bars, to take steps to address the overdose problem in the LGBTQ community, even though the cause of death of Roman and Barletta had not been confirmed at that time.
The Medical Examiner’s office lists the cause of death for Barletta as, “Cocaethylene, cocaine, fentanyl, and 3,4-methylenedioxymethanmphetamine toxicity.” It lists the manner of death as “Accident/Intoxication.”
It lists the cause of death for Roman as, “Combined toxic effects of 3,4-methylenedioxymethanphetamine, cocaethylene, cocaine, fentanyl, ketamine, and xylazine.” Like Barletta, it lists the manner of death for Roman as “Accident/Intoxication.”
A spokesperson for the Medical Examiner’s office didn’t immediately respond to a request by the Blade for an explanation of whether one or more of the multiple drugs found in the two men’s bodies may have been the main cause of death.
The D.C. Department of Health and officials with health departments in other locations have said one of the leading causes of drug overdose deaths is fentanyl, which victims often do not know is present in other drugs, such as cocaine.
The National Institutes of Health and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration state on their websites that cocaethylene is formed within the human body when someone consumes both cocaine and an alcoholic beverage. The write-ups say cocaethylene has a longer lasting and more intense psychoactive effect than just cocaine.
According to the NIH and DEA write-ups, 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine, commonly known as ecstasy or MDMA, acts as a stimulant and hallucinogen, producing feelings of euphoria and is often used as a so-called party drug. The write-ups say ketamine has been used medically as an anesthetic but is also used as a party drug for its hallucinogenic and “dissociative sensations.”
The NIH and DEA write-ups say Xylazine, often called “tranq” or “tranq dope,” is a non-opioid sedative or tranquilizer approved for veterinary use but not for humans. The write-ups say it has been linked to a large number of drug overdose cases in humans, especially when used, most likely unintentionally, with fentanyl as a party drug. Because it is a non-opioid drug, the life-saving opioid overdose prevention medication naloxone or Narcan does not work to stop an overdose of Xylazine, the NIH write-up says.
Johnny Bailey, Community Outreach Coordinator for HIPS D.C., an LGBTQ-supportive organization that provides services and support for those who use recreational drugs, said he strongly believes that Barletta and Roman did not intentionally consume some of the drugs found in their system.
“I’m going to say I do believe this was a poisoning,” Bailey told the Blade. “I think it unfair to call some things an overdose because an overdose is when you do too much of a drug and you die from that drug,” he said. “This is like if you have a few glasses of wine every night and someone puts arsenic in your wine, no one would be like, ‘oh, they drank themselves to death.’ They were poisoned. And that’s what I think is happening here,” he said in referring to Barletta and Roman.
D.C. police spokesperson Tom Lynch told the Blade in February that police were investigating the Barletta and Roman deaths, but investigators had to wait for the Medical Examiner’s official determination of the cause and manner of death before the investigation could fully proceed. He said the deaths were not being investigated as a homicide at that time.
Police and court records in D.C. and other jurisdictions show that police and prosecutors have filed criminal charges against drug dealers and suppliers in cases involving drug overdose deaths. In some cases, when the drug dealer is found they have been charged with manslaughter, reckless endangerment, or related charges.
When contacted this week to ask about the status of the D.C. police investigation into the Barletta and Roman deaths now that the Medical Examiner has determined the cause and manner of death, Lynch declined further comment.
“The investigation into these deaths remains open,” he said. “There are no updates on the investigation that we are ready to release to the public.”
Bailey said in January that one development that has emerged from the Barletta-Roman deaths is a stepped-up effort to raise awareness of the problem and support by LGBTQ bars in D.C. to host training sessions and to distribute the lifesaving Narcan treatment nasal spray as well as fentanyl test kits.
“It’s horrible when it takes a tragedy for things to come together,” Bailey said. “But this tragedy has truly triggered a powerful response. It was a real wakeup call for a lot of people.”
He said the local gay bars Trade, Pitchers, and JR.’s are among the LGBTQ bars that have hosted training sessions or tables set up by HIPS to provide related information along with test kits and Narcan.
According to Bailey, HIPS is partnering with Whitman-Walker Health, D.C.’s LGBTQ supportive health care center, to officially launch on April 5 a new Harm Reduction Vending Machine Project, “that seeks to put free harm reduction/overdose prevention supplies in areas with high rates of overdose deaths and other barriers to care.” The launch event will take place at Whitman-Walker’s Max Robinson Center in Southeast D.C.
District of Columbia
Community mourns passing of D.C. trans rights advocate SaVanna Wanzer
Acclaimed activist credited with founding D.C. Trans Pride
Three D.C.-based LGBTQ advocacy organizations released statements on April 24 announcing that highly acclaimed D.C. transgender rights advocate SaVanna Wanzer has passed away.
A family member told the Blade that Wanzer died on Friday, April 24 of natural causes. She was 63.
Among other things, the advocacy groups noted that Wanzer is credited with being the lead founder of the D.C. Trans Pride and D.C. Black Trans Pride celebrations and events.
“As a trailblazing transgender activist, educator, and founder of D.C. Trans Pride, D.C. Black Trans Pride, and May Is All About Trans, SaVanna created and led transformative transgender programming during D.C. Black Pride that ensured trans voices, stories, leadership, and lived experiences were centered, celebrated, and protected,” according to the statement from the Center for Black Equity, an LGBTQ organization.
“Her work was not just about representation, it was about liberation, community, and making sure Black Trans lives were honored in rooms, stages, policies, and movements that too often overlooked them,” the statement says.
In its own statement, the Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest LGBTQ advocacy organization, called Wanzer an icon of D.C.’s Black trans community and longtime leader in many LGBTQ organizations.
“SaVanna Wanzer was a D.C. legend,” Tori Cooper, HRC’s Director of Strategic Outreach and Training, said in the statement. “She advocated for many years for the trans community and for people living with HIV, and served with many organizations, including D.C. Black Pride, Capital Pride, and NMAC [National Minority AIDS Council],” the statement adds.
“I can say firsthand that SaVanna will not just be missed for her work, but for her sisterly wisdom and her sense of humor,” Cooper said in the HRC statement.
In its own statement, Capital Pride Alliance, which organizes D.C.’s annual LGBTQ Pride events, called Wanzer a “trailblazer” in her role as founder of Capital Trans Pride, D.C. Black Trans Pride, and the May Is All About Trans events. It says she served on the Capital Pride Board of Directors
“SaVanna was not just an advocate and community organizer but also a knowledge holder and elder voice in our movement,” the statement adds
In an undated statement on its website released before Wanzer’s passing, the D.C. group Food and Friends, which provides home-delivered meals to people in need, including people with HIV and cancer, says Wanzer had been one of its clients in the past. It says she had been living with heart problems since she was 16 and learned she had HIV in 1985 when she went to donate blood while working at the time for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. It also says she had diabetes, which was under control.
Among her many involvements, Wanzer also served as a volunteer for D.C.’s Whitman-Walker Health, which provides medical services for the LGBTQ community along with other communities. In 2015, Whitman-Walker selected Wanzer as the first recipient of its Robert Fenner Urquhart Award for her volunteer services at Whitman-Walker for more than 20 years.
The Center for Black Equity appeared to capture the sentiment of those in the LGBTQ community who knew Wanzer in the concluding part of its statement on her passing.
“Her vision continues to guide us,” it says. “Her courage continues to inspire us. Her impact will continue to live through every person, every Pride, and every space made more possible because she dared to lead,” it says. “Rest in power, SaVanna Wanzer. Your light remains with us.”
The family member said funeral arrangements are expected to be announced early next week. This story will be updated.
District of Columbia
Second trans member announces plans to resign from Capital Pride board
Zion Peters cites ‘lack of interest in the Black trans community’
Zion Peters, a member of the Capital Pride Alliance Board of Directors who identifies as transgender, told the Washington Blade he plans to resign from the board “due to the lack of interest in the trans community, specifically the Black trans community.”
Peters continued, “Nobody has checked on me in the last two months so that shows their level of unprofessionalism towards their board members and the community as a whole.”
If he resigns, Peters would be the second known trans person to resign from the Capital Pride board since February, when longtime trans activist Taylor Lianne Chandler informed the board of her resignation in a detailed letter that was sent to the Blade by an anonymous source.
Chandler, who served as chair of the Capital Pride Transgender, Gender Non-Conforming, and Intersex Committee, stated in her Feb. 24 letter that she resigned from the board out of frustration that the board had failed to address instances of “sexual misconduct” within the Capital Pride organization. The organization’s and the board’s transgender-related policies were not cited in her letter as a reason for her resignation.
The Blade learned of Peters’s plans to resign from an anonymous source who thought Peters had already resigned along with four other board members identified by the anonymous source. The others, who Capital Pride confirmed this week had resigned, include Anthony Musa, Bob Gilchrist, Kaniya Walker, and Dai Nguyen.
Musa and Gilchrist told the Blade they resigned for personal reasons related to their jobs and that they fully support Capital Pride’s work as an organization that coordinates the city’s annual LGBTQ Pride events.
The Blade has been unable to reach Walker and Nguyen to determine their reasons for resigning.
Capital Pride CEO Ryan Bos and Board Chair Anna Jinkerson didn’t respond to a Blade question asking if they knew why Walker or Nguyen resigned.
In response to a request by the Blade for comment on the resignations and the concern raised by Zion Peters about trans-related issues, Bos and Jinkerson sent separate statements elaborating on the organization and the board’s position on various issues.
“We can confirm that the individuals you referenced, except for Zion, no longer serve on the Capital Pride Alliance Board of Directors,” Jinkerson said in her statement.
She added that following the WorldPride festival hosted by D.C. last May and June that was organized by Capital Pride Alliance, the group anticipated a “significant level of board transition,” with many board members reaching the end of their terms. But she said many board members chose to extend their service or apply for an additional term, showing a “powerful reflection of commitment.”
Without commenting on the specific reasons for the resignations of Peterson, Walker, and Nygun, Jinkerson noted, “As with all volunteer leadership roles, transitions occur for a range of personal and professional reasons, and we appreciate those transitions with both understanding and gratitude.”
In his own statement, Bos addressed Capital Pride’s record on transgender issues.
“The Capital Pride Alliance is committed to supporting and uplifting the Trans community through our work with the Trans Coalition under the Diversity of Prides Initiative, our partnership with Earline Budd on the LGBTQ+ Burial Fund with a focus on our Trans siblings, our collaboration with the National Trans Visibility March, and our ongoing investment in programming for Transgender Day of Visibility and Transgender Day of Remembrance,” Bos said in his statement.
“We also recognize there is always continued work to be done, and we always welcome feedback from our community to ensure our commitment remains unwavering,” he said.
At the time of her resignation in February, Chandler said she could not provide specific details of the instances of sexual misconduct to which she referred in her resignation letter, or who allegedly engaged in sexual misconduct, saying she and all other board members had signed a Non-Disclosure Agreement preventing them from disclosing further details.
Board Chair Jinkerson in a statement released at that time said she and the board were aware of Chandler’s concerns but did not specifically address allegations of sexual misconduct.
“When concerns are brought to CPA, we act quickly and appropriately to address them,” she said. “As we continue to grow as an organization, we’re proactively strengthening the policies and procedures that shape our systems, our infrastructure, and the support we provide to our team and partners,” she said.
District of Columbia
Curve magazine honors Washington Blade publisher
Lynne Brown named to 2026 Power List
Washington Blade Publisher Lynne Brown has been named to the 2026 Curve Power List celebrating LGBTQ+ women and nonbinary individuals in North America who are blazing trails in their chosen fields.
“From sports and entertainment icons to corporate leaders and lawmakers, these individuals are breaking barriers, challenging norms, and shaping the future,” Curve Foundation/Curve magazine said in announcing this year’s list, which includes ABC newscaster Robin Roberts, comedian/actress Hannah Einbinder, and singer/actress Renee Rapp, among others.
Brown has worked for the Washington Blade for nearly 40 years. She was named publisher in 2007 before becoming a co-owner in 2010.
“I am honored to be recognized by Curve magazine during Lesbian Visibility Week,” Brown said. “Receiving this Curve honor is twofold. I was an early subscriber to Curve. I enjoy the product and know its history. Its journalism, layout and humorous features have inspired me.
“As an owner/publisher, receiving recognition from a similar source acknowledges my work and efforts, with a sincerity I truly appreciate. Franco Stevens, the publisher of Curve, is a business person of duration, experience, and purpose. The fact that they are in the media business, and honoring me and my publication makes it a tiny bit sweeter.”
Nominations for the Curve Power List come from the community: peers, mentors, fans, and employers.
Curve explained the significance of the list in its announcement: “An annual, publicly nominated list of impactful LGBTQ+ women and nonbinary changemakers is crucial in current times to counter discrimination, legislative rollbacks, hostility, and the invisibility of queer women within mainstream and marginal spaces and endeavors. Such a list also fosters encouragement and solidarity, and elevates voices and achievements—from high-profile roles to under appreciated areas of life.”
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