District of Columbia
Capital Pride announces 2024 Pride honorees
Nine LGBTQ leaders, Destination DC to be honored
![](https://www.washingtonblade.com/content/files/2023/07/20230728_Iya_Dammons_at_Safe_Haven_ribbon_cutting_insert_2_c_Washington_Blade_by_Lou_Chibbaro_Jr.jpg)
Capital Pride Alliance, the group that organizes D.C.ās annual LGBTQ Pride events, has announced its selection of nine individuals and one D.C. organization as recipients of its annual honors awards recognizing outstanding service for the LGBTQ community and the cause of LGBTQ equality.
āEach year, the Capital Pride Alliance honors outstanding individuals, leaders, and activists in the National Capital Region who have furthered causes important to the LGBTQ+ community,ā the group said in a statement. The statement says the honorees chosen this year ātirelessly contribute to our collective advocacy, outreach, education, and programming in support of our intersectional community.ā
The awards were scheduled to be presented to the recipients at a Capital Pride Honors ceremony on Friday, May 31 at the MGM National Harbor in Oxon Hill, Md. A statement released by Capital Pride says the event will be hosted by WUSA9 TV news reporter Lorenzo Hall, with entertainment by special guests, including singer-songwriter Crystal Waters, DJ Honey, and the Black Leaves Dance Company.
The award recipients as released by Capital Pride Alliance include the following:
Hero Award recognizing āindividuals who have furthered the causes important to LGBTQ+ community in the national capital regionā and āhave brought about positive changes to our lives and our community.ā
ā¢ Hope Gisselle, nationally recognized author, artist, and activist who advocates for LGBTQ rights through organizations she has been a part of, including her founding of a human resources organization called AllowMe and her current role as CEO and Executive Director of the National Trans Visibility March.
ā¢ Jamison Henninger, has served as leader of the D.C. Area Transmasculine Society, known as DCATS, a community-based organization that aids transmasculine individuals in the D.C. metro area, serves on the board of Trans Pride DC, and serves as a consultant for Gender Illumination, a nonprofit group.
ā¢ Kenya Hutton, a social justice, equity, HIV prevention, and sexual health advocate who has worked to address issues impacting communities affected by HIV and other health disparities for over 20 years. He currently serves as deputy director of the D.C.-based national LGBTQ organization Center for Black Equity and is set to become its acting CEO and executive director in August.
ā¢ Carol Jameson has worked for more than 35 years in Northern Virginia developing and administering programs that address health care disparities and provide access to health care services, including HIV/AIDS related services. She has served as executive director for NOVAM, a nonprofit group providing HIV prevention and HIV care for adolescents and young adults in Northern Virginia.
ā¢ Tula, an esthetician and hair stylist by day, has been a widely recognized drag performer for more than 30 years and host to D.C. cabaret shows. A former title holder and member of the Academy of Washington, D.C. drag organization, āshe brings a plethora of stage experience to any show,ā according to a Capital Pride writeup.
ā¢ Jose Alberto Ucles has been involved with a wide range of LGBTQ supportive events and projects both culturally and politically while working in his day job for the past 23 years as the Hispanic Outreach Spokesperson and Public Affairs Specialist for the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Some of his many involvements include past work with the Whitman-Walker Clinic, Capital Pride organizing in the 1990s, and currently a member of the Arts & Culture Committee for World Pride 2025 DC.
Breaking Barriers Community Impact Award recognizes individuals or organizations who have demonstrated significant impact on the LGBTQ+ community and helped eliminate barriers for social, personal or professional growth of the LGBTQ+ community.
ā¢ Iya Dammons, a widely recognized transgender and LGBTQ rights advocate is the founding Executive Director of DC Safe Haven and Maryland Safe Haven, the nonprofit organizations credited with providing support and services for LGBTQ people experiencing homelessness, substance use problems at risk of an overdose, and discrimination based on their gender identity or sexual orientation.
The Bill Miles Award for Outstanding Volunteer Service acknowledges exemplary contributions to the Capital Pride Alliance and its programs, initiatives or other Pride sponsored activities.
ā¢ Bryan Davis is an accomplished Sign Language interpreter trained at D.C.ās Gallaudet University who currently serves as Volunteer Chair with Capital Pride Alliance and previously has served as Executive Producer and Chair for Accessibility and Interpreter Coordinator for Capital Pride.
ā¢ William Hawkins has since 2017 been a committed volunteer for Capital Pride as part of its production team and as Executive Producer of Health and Safety and later as Health and Safety Chair. He is credited with helping to form alliances with G.W. Hospital, the D.C. Fire & Emergency Medical Services Department, and the D.C. Licensing Division.
Larry Stansbury Award for Exemplary Contributions to Pride recognizes outstanding efforts related to programs and initiatives of the annual Capital Pride Alliance or Pride movement.
ā¢ Destination DC, a private, nonprofit corporation, serves as the lead organization to successfully manage and market Washington, D.C. as a premier global convention, tourism, and special events destination, with a special emphasis on the arts, cultural and historical communities. It is credited with generating economic development for the city through visitor spending.
Further details about the Capital Pride honorees and the May 31 event, including availability of admission tickets, can be accessed at their website.
District of Columbia
Accused drug dealer charged with fentanyl distribution leading to deaths of two D.C. gay men
June 13 indictment links previously arrested suspect to deaths
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The Office of the U.S. Attorney for D.C. has announced that federal prosecutors on June 13 obtained an indictment against one of two D.C. brothers previously charged with multiple counts of illegal drug distribution that now charges him with ādistributing cocaine and fentanylā on Dec. 26, 2023, that resulted in the deaths of D.C. gay men Brandon Roman and Robert āRobbieā Barletta.
In a June 13 press release, the U.S. Attorneyās Office said Jevaughn āLedoā Mark, 32, is charged in a new āsecondary superseding indictmentā linked to the Roman and Barletta deaths. It says he and his brother, Angelo Mark, 30, āpreviously were charged on April 9 in a 17-count superseding indictment for participating in a conspiracy that distributed large amounts of fentanyl and cocaine in the metropolitan area.ā
The press release says Jevaughn Mark is currently being held without bond on charges that include eight counts of unlawful distribution of fentanyl, cocaine, and heroin and distributing 40 grams or more of fentanyl between Jan. 10, 2024, and March 13, 2024. According to the press release, the charges were based on six illegal drug purchases from Jevaughn Mark by undercover U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and undercover D.C. police officers.
Court records show that Angelo Mark was charged in a criminal complaint on March 22 with multiple counts of conspiracy to distribute narcotics and is also being held without bond.
D.C. police and Fire and Emergency Medical Services reports show that Roman, 38, a prominent D.C. attorney and LGBTQ rights advocate, and Barletta, 28, a historic preservation expert and home renovation business owner, were found unconscious when police and emergency medical personnel responded to a 911 call and arrived at Barlettaās home on Dec. 27. The reports show that Roman was declared deceased at the scene and Barletta was taken to Washington Hospital Center where he died on Dec. 29.
A police spokesperson told the Washington Blade in February that police were investigating the Roman and Barletta deaths, but investigators had to wait for the D.C. Medical Examinerās official determination of the cause and manner of death before the investigation could fully proceed.
Both men were patrons at D.C. gay bars and their passing prompted many in the LGBTQ community to call for stepped up prevention services related to drug overdose cases, even though the cause and manner of death for the two men was not officially determined until early April.
In April, the D.C. Office of the Chief Medical Examiner disclosed that the cause of death for both men was an accidental consumption of several drugs that created a fatal ātoxicā effect. The Medical Examinerās office said Barlettaās death was linked to the consumption of at least four different drugs and Romanās death was caused by the ācombined toxic effectā of six drugs. The Medical Examinerās office disclosed that cocaine and fentanyl were among the drugs found in the bodies of both men. And for both men, the manner of death was listed as āAccident/Intoxication.ā
When the cause and manner of death were disclosed by the Medical Examiner, D.C. police spokesperson Tom Lynch said the police investigation into the deaths remained open but said,Ā āThere are no updates on the investigation that we are ready to release to the public.ā
But the Medical Examinerās findings prompted Johnny Bailey, the community outreach coordinator for HIPS D.C., an LGBTQ supportive organization that provides services and support for those who use recreational drugs, to say he strongly believed that Barletta and Roman did not intentionally consume some of the drugs found in their system.
āIām going to say I do believe this was a poisoning,ā Bailey told the Blade. āI think it is 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,ā he said. āThis is like if you have a few glasses of wine every night and someone puts arsenic in your wine, no one would be like, āoh, they drank themselves to death.ā They were poisoned. And thatās what I think is happening here,ā he said in referring to Barletta and Roman.
In announcing the new charges against Jevaughn Mark that link him to Barletta and Romanās deaths, the U.S. Attorneyās press release discloses that he supplied fentanyl in the drugs he sold unknowingly to the undercover DEA and D.C. police officers when one of the officers, posing as a drug buyer, did not ask for fentanyl.
āIn each instance, the DEA/MPD agents requested to buy āSpecial Kā or Ketamine from Jevaughn Mark,ā the press release says. āIn every instance, Jevaughn Mark supplied a mixture of fentanyl and other substances, including heroin, but not ketamine,ā it says.
The release says that after the earlier indictment against Jevaughn Mark was issued, law enforcement agents conducted a search of his Southeast D.C. home and ārecovered two firearms, cocaine, fentanyl, about $38,000 in cash, body armor vests, and drug trafficking paraphernalia.ā It says on that same day authorities executed another search for a second residence linked to Jevaughn Mark, where they located a bedroom used by his brother Angelo Mark.
āFrom Angelo Markās bedroom, law enforcement recovered seven firearms, 900 rounds of ammunition, dozens of pills, cocaine, fentanyl, drug trafficking paraphernalia, and about $50,000 in cash,ā the press release says, adding, āBased on the evidence, both brothers were indicted in the first superseding indictment.ā
District of Columbia
D.C. police chief, officers marched in Pride parade in uniform
Capital Pride cautious about whether MPD violated āno uniformā policy
![](https://www.washingtonblade.com/content/files/2024/06/20240608_Pamela_Smith_at_Capital_Pride_Parade_insert_c_Washington_Blade_by_Michael_Key.jpg)
(Editor’s note: This story was updated Friday morning with a new statement from Police Chief Pamela Smith sent to the Blade late Thursday evening.)
D.C. Police Chief Pamela Smith led a contingent of D.C. police officers, including members of the departmentās LGBT Liaison Unit, in the June 8 Capital Pride Parade with the chief and all the officers in uniform in what appeared to be a violation of a Capital Pride policy of not allowing law enforcement officers to participate in the parade in uniform.
The Capital Pride Alliance, the group that organizes most D.C. Pride events, including the parade, posted a statement on its website in June of 2020 announcing that a policy it adopted in 2018 that does not allow uniformed police officers to march in the parade remained in effect. The group told the Washington Blade this week in a statement that the no uniform policy remained in place for this yearās Pride parade.
In her own statement released on the day of the parade Chief Smith appeared to take exception to the no uniform policy without saying so directly.
āI am proud to march in todayās Capital Pride Parade in full uniform to support our LGBTQ+ colleagues and to further our commitment to creating inclusive and supportive environments,ā the chief said. āMPD will continue to support, and ensure security, at Pride events and different community focused events year-round,ā she said.
The chiefās statement, which was sent to the news media in a press release, added, āHaving been selected as the departmentās first Chief Equity Officer, and now as the Chief of Police, Iām committed to celebrating diverse identities. I will always stand up for diversity, equity and inclusion for our members and our community.ā
In response to an inquiry from the Blade asking for confirmation of whether the āno uniformā policy was still in effect for the 2024 Pride parade, Capital Pride Alliance responded with a statement.
āThe Capital Pride Alliance policy concerning MPD remains in place,ā the statement says. āIf the group officially registers for the march, they must participate out of official uniform,ā it says.
āThis year, the police did not register and as such were not an official parade contingent,ā the statement continues. āThe police chief walked the route with on-duty police officers, and being on-duty, officers are required to be in uniform.ā
The statement adds, āWe continue to have conversations with MPD, including the Chief of Police, about how we build a collaborative relationship with our community.ā
D.C. police didnāt immediately respond to a Blade request for comment by Chief Smith or a spokesperson on the claim by Capital Pride officials that the police were not in an official contingent in this yearās parade.
But late Thursday evening on June 13, the day after the Blade reached out to the police for comment, police spokesperson Paris Lewbel sent a statement from Chief Smith expressing concern over the no uniform policy.
āI was not provided a policy from Capital Pride that informed me of the Metropolitan Police Departmentās ban on marching in the Capital Pride parade in uniform,ā the chief says. āAs Chief of Police and the Departmentās first Chief Equity Officer, I will always remain focused on ensuring that we, MPD, are inclusive of all members, partners, and stakeholders,ā her statement says.
āNow that I have been ātoldā that there is a ban on the MPD from marching in the Capital Pride parade, in uniform, I believe there needs to be more conversations around inclusivity and equality,ā the statement continues. āWe have MPD members who are allies as well as members of the LGBTQ community who support Capital Pride and safeguard the participants and attendees of the parade,ā the chief said. āWe need to break down the silos that are excluding others and find a way to be more inclusive.ā
The statement concludes by saying, āI am willing to work with Capital Pride to discuss ways where we (MPD) can be engaged in Capital Pride as participants in the parade, in uniform, as opposed to being excluded.ā
Capital Pride officials did not respond to the Bladeās additional request this week for an explanation of why the no uniform policy was adopted and whether the policy is still needed.
In earlier statements posted on its website in past years, Capital Pride officials cited the Black Lives Matter movement and the police killing of Black Minneapolis resident George Floyd that triggered anti-police protests across the country as an issue that made some in the LGBTQ community and others participating in the Pride parade uncomfortable in the presence of uniformed police officers.
āPride this year comes on the heels of a global pandemic and a nation confronting the murder of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police officers,ā the group said in a June 3, 2020, statement. The Floyd case and the 2020 police shooting deaths of a Black woman in Louisville, Ky., and a Black transgender man in Tallahassee, Fla. āhave created a nationwide uprising crying out for racial justice and the protection of Black life,ā the statement said.
āAs members of the Black and Brown communities have stood with the LGBTQ+ community, the Capital Pride Alliance stands in complete solidarity to unite against these disparities that impact communities of color,ā the 2020 statement said. āWe pledge that we will work together to find solutions and make positive changes that are so desperately needed to end inequity, injustice, and violence against people of color.ā
Activists have acknowledged that the LGBTQ community nationwide has been divided over decisions to ban uniformed police participation in Pride parades in cities across the country, including New York and San Francisco.
A June 2019 nationwide poll of 801 LGBTQ people in the U.S. conducted by the polling firm Whitman Insight Strategies and BuzzFeed News found that 79 percent of LGBTQ adults said, āpolice should be welcome to join pride events,ā with just 8 percent expressing opposition to police presence, according to BuzzFeed.
āPeople of color, who made up 21 percent of all survey respondents, support cops in pride events by 77 percent to 8 percent (15 percent say it makes no difference either way),ā BuzzFeed reported in a June 24, 2019, article.
Earl Fowlkes, the founder and former CEO of the D.C.-based Center For Black Equity, which organizes D.C.ās annual Black Pride events, told the Blade that Black Pride has not adopted a policy of restricting uniformed police officers from participating in any of its events.
District of Columbia
Cherry Fund files lawsuitĀ against Republiq Hall
LGBTQ nonprofit says breach of contract led to $137,000 in lost revenue
![](https://www.washingtonblade.com/content/files/2022/04/Cherry_2022_Flawless_insert_9_c_Washington_Blade_by_Michael_Key.jpg)
Cherry Fund, the D.C.-based nonprofit organization that has raised money for HIV/AIDS, mental health, and LGBTQ organizations for the past 27 years, filed a lawsuit in D.C. Superior Court on May 31 charging Republiq Hall, a large entertainment venue in Northeast D.C, with abruptly and improperly cancelling Cherry Fundās reservation to rent the hall for an April 6 event expected to draw 2,000 paid guests.
The event was to be one of several circuit dance parties that Cherry Fund produces as part of its annual Cherry weekend in April, which has raised several million dollars for LGBTQ related organizations since the Cherry weekend events began in 1996.
The lawsuit, which charges Republiq Hall with breach of contract, says the contract signed by the two parties in January called for Cherry Fund to pay Republiq Hall an initial deposit of $3,500 on Jan. 10, 2024, to be applied to a nonrefundable rental fee totaling $7,000 for the one-time use of the space on April 6.
Republiq Hall is located in a large former warehouse building at 2122 24th Place, N.E., near the intersection of Bladensburg Road and New York Avenue.
According to the lawsuit, under the contract, Cherry Fund āwas responsible for promoting the event, booking talent, and managing ticket sales,ā with Cherry Fund to āretain all door fee revenues and a percentage of the net bar sales.ā
The lawsuit states, āOn February 28, after Plaintiff had already begun promoting the event and booking talent, the Defendant unilaterally and without just cause demanded an additional $9,000 from the Plaintiff. When the Plaintiff refused to pay the additional amount, the Defendant cancelled the reservation.ā
As a result of Republiq Hallās action, the lawsuit states, Cherry Fund was āforced to book an alternative venue with significantly less capacity, resulting in substantial financial losses.ā
It says as a direct result of the alleged breach of contract, Cherry Fund āsuffered financial damages in the amount of $130,000 in lost door fees and $7,000 in a lost percentage of the net bar sales that were estimated to be collected on the date of the event.ā
A spokesperson for Republiq Hall did not respond to a phone message from the Washington Blade requesting a comment and a response to the lawsuitās allegations.
Court records show that Superior Court Judge Juliet J. McKenna, who is presiding over the case, scheduled an initial hearing for the case on Sept. 6. McKenna issued an order providing guidance for how a civil litigation case should proceed that includes a requirement that Republiq Hall must file a response to the lawsuit within 21 days of being officially served a copy of the lawsuit complaint.
Sean Morris, the Cherry Fund president, issued a statement expressing disappointment over the developments leading to the lawsuit.
āOur organization, powered by volunteer efforts, relies on our annual event to fundraise for local non-profits,ā he said. āThis abrupt and unforeseen demand, and subsequent cancellation, has severely affected our ability to support vital community programs focused on HIV/AIDS, mental health, and LGBTQ+ advocacy,ā Morris says in his statement.
The lawsuit concludes by stating, “The Plaintiff, the Cherry Fund, respectfully requests the following relief: Direct compensatory damages for the lost benefits it was entitled to under the terms of the contract; Restitution for the benefits retained by the Defendant in unjust enrichment; Reasonable attorney fees and costs of this action; and Any other relief this court deems just and proper.”
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