District of Columbia
Recall efforts targeting two D.C. Council members fail
Activists disagree over extent of support for plan targeting Allen, Nadeau
The D.C. Board of Elections confirmed this week that the campaign to recall D.C. Council member Charles Allen (D-Ward 6) failed to obtain the required 6,427 petition signatures needed to place the Allen recall on the November election ballot in time for an Aug. 12 deadline.
And the chairperson of the campaign to recall Council member Brianne Nadeau (D-Ward 1), Diana Alvarez, told the Washington Blade on Tuesday in a telephone interview that she and her campaign team do not believe they will be able to collect the required number of 5,448 petition signatures in time for their Oct. 1 deadline.
“We unfortunately have not collected the number of signatures we hoped for, and at this point I don’t think we will be able to collect all of them,” she said. “So, it’s been a challenge, you know, especially with everyone having their own personal lives going on. Many of us are small business owners.”
Under the D.C. election law, organizers of recall campaigns are given 180 days from the time they officially file papers for the recall to obtain the required number of signatures.
News that the effort to recall Allen had failed and that the effort to recall Nadeau was on its way to failing drew attention to a sharp disagreement among LGBTQ activists over the extent of support for or opposition to the two recall campaigns within the D.C. LGBTQ community.
Many of the city’s LGBTQ Democratic Party activists, led by the Capital Stonewall Democrats, the city’s largest local LGBTQ political group, have argued that the LGBTQ community overwhelmingly opposed the two recall campaigns in part on grounds that Allen and Nadeau have been longtime strong supporters of the LGBTQ community and have championed LGBTQ supportive legislation before the D.C. Council.
But LGBTQ community supporters of the recall campaigns, including Ward 1 gay Democratic activist and Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner Jamie Sycamore, have argued that the “rank-and-file” members of the LGBTQ community support the recall efforts for the same reason as their straight counterparts. Sycamore and other LGBTQ recall backers say they blame Nadeau and Allen for the alarming rise in violent crime in the city in 2023 due to their support for policies to defund the police department and put in place lenient sentencing rules for those convicted of committing violent crimes, including carjackings and armed robberies.
Sycamore said he officially withdrew as a member of the Nadeau recall campaign in June after becoming convinced that the other leaders of the campaign failed to do the “legwork” needed to gather the required number of petition signatures. But he told the Blade this week that he still supports the recall of Nadeau and Allen on grounds that their actions on the Council have led to a public safety crisis in the city that impacts LGBTQ residents as well as everyone else.
David Perruzza, owner of the Adams Morgan gay bar Pitchers and its attached lesbian bar League Her Own, said he too supports the recall of Nadeau because of what he calls her “refusal” to properly address crime in Ward 1 where his bars are located.
“I think every LGBT person I know is supporting it,” he said of the Nadeau recall campaign. “The crime is terrible and people aren’t going out as much because of the crime,” which he said is hurting businesses in Ward 1, including nightlife businesses like his.
Michael Haresign, president of the Capital Stonewall Democrats, disputes Sycamore’s argument, saying he believes the large majority of LGBTQ D.C. residents agree with Nadeau and Allen and their supporters that the two lawmakers should not be blamed for the rise in crime. Both Allen and Nadeau have argued that public safety is their highest priority, and they have pushed for legislation to curtail crime by, among other things, addressing the root cause of crime such as mental health issues and substance abuse to prevent crime before it happens.
Haresign points out that Capital Stonewall Democrats urged its members and others in the LGBTQ community not to sign the petitions being circulated for the two recall campaigns. He noted the organization endorsed Allen and Nadeau in their most recent primary election campaigns in 2022 because of their strong support for the LGBTQ community.
He also points out that he believes members of the LGBTQ community, like their straight allies, think a recall effort is appropriate for ethical violations by elected officials such as violating a law but is not appropriate for a disagreement over public policy issues.
In noting that the recall efforts have failed, Haresign added, “I think it shows there really wasn’t that much of a push for any recall efforts from the community. It was sort of a few people with bones to pick with the Council members who were pushing these recalls forward. But the community at large wasn’t really lining up to sign the petitions.”
Among those who disagree with Haresign is Andrew Minik, president of the D.C. chapter of the national LGBTQ GOP group Log Cabin Republicans.
“I absolutely support both of the recall efforts,” Minik told the Blade at the start of the recall campaigns in March. “In our D.C. Chapter of Log Cabin, we have members in all eight wards of D.C.,” he said. “You do not need to go very far to ask any of our members if he or she has been a victim of crime themselves or just knowing someone who has,” according to Minik. “People like Charles Allen and Brianne Nadeau are uniquely responsible for the conditions that have allowed crime to spiral out of control here.”
D.C. gay Democratic activists John Klenert of Ward 2 and David Meadows of Ward 8 said many in the LGBTQ community have joined or given financial support to the official Allen and Nadeau campaigns opposing the recall efforts.
“I oppose these recall efforts,” Meadows said. “The recall people raise some good issues, but you have to weigh the good over the bad,” he said, adding that Allen’s and Nadeau’s positive actions far outweigh the crime-related allegations made by supporters of the recalls, which Allen and Nadeau have said are mostly mischaracterizations of their actual positions and actions.
On Aug. 12, the day the Board of Elections announced the Allen recall campaign had failed to obtain the required number of petition signatures from registered voters in Ward 6, the campaign announced that although it obtained 5,500 signatures instead of the required number of 6,427, it was asking the election board to place the recall measure on the ballot anyway.
In a statement, the campaign said the reason it wasn’t able to obtain the needed signatures was because the Board of Elections violated a D.C. law that requires the board to provide a mobile app to help gather signatures in addition to gathering signatures on paper petitions. Board of Elections Executive Director Monica Holman Evans said the mobile petition app was discontinued in 2022 when a third-party vendor stopped providing it, according to a report by the Washington Post
But Evans told the Post that use of the app would not have made a difference in the Allen recall campaign’s ability to gather signatures because petition circulators would have had to approach each potential signer of the petition while holding an iPad instead of a paper petition, with the two taking the same amount of time.
District of Columbia
D.C. Latinx Pride celebrates culture and heritage
Your guide to events throughout June
Organizers with the Latinx History Project have planned a host of events this Pride season with parties, poetry, drag and more.
The festivities begin with the DC Latinx Pride 2026 Kickoff at Crush Dance Bar (2007 14th Street, N.W.) on Friday, June 12 from 6-10 p.m. The party will include a coronation ceremony for the 2026 Royal Court: Ms. DC Latinx Pride Vida Rangel and Mx. DC Latinx Pride Steph Niaupari. RSVP at latinxhistoryproject.org. The event is free, though donations are accepted.
An outdoor event is planned for Sunday, June 14 from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. at Anacostia River Park (1500 Anacostia Dr., S.E.). Cultivating Queer Outdoor Joy is a “peaceful outdoor community event focused on grounding, connection, and queer joy in nature.” The event is free.
A panel discussion is planned for The Festival Center (1640 Columbia Rd., N.W., 2nd floor) on Monday, June 15 from 6-8 p.m. La Plática: The Future of 2 Spirits and Trans Natives will focus upon the “stories, leadership and vision of Two-Spirit, Indigiqueer and Trans Native people.” RSVP to the free event at latinxhistoryproject.org.
A sex-positive poetry workshop, “Hoetry: Writing Erotic Poetry,” is planned for Wednesday, June 17 from 6-8 p.m. at The Festival Center (1640 Columbia Road, N.W.). The event is free.
The workshop So You Wanna Do Drag? is planned for Thursday, June 18 from 5:30-8 p.m. at The Festival Center (1640 Columbia Road, N.W.). Featured guests Ricky Rose and Mari Con Carne will hold a style showcase to discuss the basics of developing a drag persona. RSVP to the free event at latinxhistoryproject.org.
The Latinx History Project is collaborating with Rumba Queer DC to produce an official Latinx Pride Party: Sin Vergüenza. The event is at the multi-level venue, Transmission (1353 H Street, N.E.) on Thursday, June 18 from 7 p.m.-1 a.m. There are dance lessons, vendors and three different music experiences in the sprawling venue. There will also be a drag showcase from 10-11 p.m. The event is 21+ and tickets are available at shotgun.live/en/events/sin-verguenza. Tickets are $15 for entry into the party. Tickets to participate in the dance lesson are $29.98. Participants may choose between a bachata lesson or a salsa lesson from 7-8 p.m.
La Fiesta: Official DC Latinx Pride Party is planned for Friday, June 19 from 10 p.m. – 2 a.m. at Bunker (2001 14th Street, N.W.). Serena Morena from “Drag Race México” and “Drag Race UK vs The World” is slated to headline the 21+ event. Early tickets are available for $15 (plus $0.38 service fee) until June 16. The door cover charge without early tickets is $20. Attendees can also purchase a meet and greet experience with Serena Morena for $30. Tickets are available at latinxhistoryproject.org.
The Latinx History Project plans to march in the Capital Pride Parade on Saturday, June 20 and to have a table at the Capital Pride Festival on Sunday, June 21. Visit latinxhistoryproject.org to register to march alongside LGP in the parade or to staff the table at the festival.
The DC Latinx Pride 2026 Closing Event is scheduled for Friday, June 26 from 6:30-8:30 p.m. at the Mexican Cultural Institute (2829 16th Street, N.W.). The free event is a panel discussion “centering the experiences of immigrants who have lived in Latin America and now call the United States home.”
Visit latinxhistoryproject.org for more information.
District of Columbia
JR.’s hosts meet & greet for mayoral candidate Janeese Lewis George
Event organized by Capital Stonewall Democrats, Queers for Janeese
D.C. mayoral candidate Janeese Lewis George spoke to a crowd of LGBTQ supporters on June 1 at a meet & greet event held at JR.’s on 17th Street in the Dupont Circle neighborhood.
The event, organized by Capital Stonewall Democrats, which has endorsed Lewis George for mayor, with support from a group called Queers for Janeese, was followed by a “get out the vote” canvassing endeavor in which several of those attending the meet & greet visited the homes of nearby residents known to be Lewis George supporters.
The purpose of the canvassing was to remind Lewis George supporters to return their mail-in ballots or go to the polls on June 16 to elect Lewis George as the city’s next mayor, according to Matthew Kavanagh, one of the leaders of Queers for Janeese who attended the meet & greet event at JR.’s.
Local political observers consider Lewis George, a Ward 4 D.C. Council member, and former At-Large D.C. Council member Kenyan McDuffie, to be the two leading candidates in this year’s race for mayor. The two are among seven mayoral candidates competing in the city’s June 16 Democratic primary.
Lewis George told those attending the meet & greet, which was held on the JR.’s outdoor patio, that she has a long record of advocating for and initiating city polices and laws in support of the LGBTQ community. She said large corporate donors were backing her opponents and urged her LGBTQ supporters to help raise funds for her in the remaining days of the campaign.
Among those attending the meet & greet was gay longtime Dupont Circle civic activist Randy Downs who last November opened a nearby eatery called Protest Pizza. “I am queer and I am a Janeese supporter,” Downs told the Blade.
Stevie McCarty, president of Capital Stonewall Democrats, who also spoke at the meet & greet event, said his group would organize events in support of Lewis George in the remaining days of the campaign. Among them, he said, was an LGBTQ bar crawl in which supporters of Lewis George, including the candidate herself, would visit LGBTQ bars to promote her candidacy.
District of Columbia
D.C. kicks off Pride month with flag raising ceremony
Mayor, Council members join LGBTQ activists in 4th annual event
Members of the D.C. Council joined Mayor Muriel Bowser and a crowd of LGBTQ activists and supporters on June 1 for the city’s fourth annual LGBTQ Pride flag raising ceremony held outside the John A. Wilson Building, which serves as the D.C. City Hall.
Since its inception four years ago by Mayor Bowser, the event has served as the official kickoff of D.C. Pride month, which culminates this year with the annual Capital Pride Parade on June 20 and Pride festival on June 21, which takes place on Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W. near the U.S. Capitol.
“As I like to say, we’re celebrating Pride month in the gayest city in the world,” Bowser told a crowd that included city officials and Council members joining her on the front steps of the Wilson Building.
“Fifty-one years of Pride in the future 51st state,” she said, adding, “And both movements are rooted in the same belief – every person deserves to be seen, heard, and fully represented.”
Among those who spoke at the event in addition to Bowser were Japer Bowles, director of the Mayor’s Office of LGBTQ Affairs; D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb; and D.C. Council Chair Phil Mendelson (D-At-Large).
“This year is special,” Bowles told the gathering. “It’s special because we celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Mayor’s Office of LGBTQ Affairs,” he said. “For two decades this office has helped make Washington, D.C. one of the most welcoming and affirming cities in the world.”
He added, “We have expanded LGBTQ services across agencies, invested millions of dollars into community organizations, championing culturally competent care and training, supporting LGBTQ supportive businesses and workers and celebrated our history.”
Schwalb said his Office of the D.C. Attorney General continues to safeguard the city’s laws protecting residents against discrimination but expressed concern about “high court” rulings that he said continue to roll back civil rights, voting rights, and human rights.
He said, “We’re seeing cases limiting medical care for transgender youth while at the same time green lighting so-called conversion therapy.” He pointed to cases or policies “excluding transgender girls from participating in sports and excluding story books with LGBTQ characters from our school libraries.”
He said his office is committed to protecting all residents, including LGBTQ residents, from all forms of discrimination. “And that includes the right to be our authentic selves, to freely express our identities and ourselves to be who we are and to love who we love.”
Mendelson, who also expressed strong support for the LGBTQ community and for the upcoming Pride events, said 10 of the Council’s 13 members were attending the Pride flag raising event, including gay Council member Zachary Parker (D-Ward 5).
“I’m just here with gratitude,” Parker told the Washington Blade. “There’s a lot to be grateful for and a lot more to fight for,” he said. “And so, raising this flag is a reminder that our government is here to serve all of our residents regardless of how you identify or who you love.”
Shortly after Mendelson spoke, D.C. Council member Janeese Lewis George (D-Ward 4), who is running for mayor in the city’s June 16 primary, arrived at the event, becoming the 11th Council member to turn out for the event.
Among those also attending the event were Ryan Bos and June Crenshaw, the two top officials of the Capital Pride Alliance, the group that organizes D.C.’s annual LGBTQ Pride events.
Bowser, who is not running for re-election this year and will be stepping down as mayor in January 2027, thanked those attending the Pride flag raising event for playing a role in an all-inclusive city.
“We speak with one clear voice – that D.C. is a welcoming city,” she said in her remarks. “But also, we know that our work has been robust, but it is not done. We fly this flag in front of the John A. Wilson Building because it tells a story,” she said.
“It tells a story of a city that takes care of itself,” she added. “And we take care of each other. We are a city that is diverse and welcoming.”
Serving as the event’s master of ceremony and who introduced Bowles as the first speaker was longtime D.C. drag performer Tara Hoot.
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