District of Columbia
Capital Stonewall Dems announces D.C. election endorsements
The Capital Stonewall Democrats, D.C.’s largest local LGBTQ political group, has announced it has endorsed all but one of the Democratic candidates on the Nov. 5 D.C. election ballot.
Among those the group says it has endorsed wholeheartedly are Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris and her vice-presidential running mate, Tim Walz.
The one D.C. Democratic candidate it chose not to endorse is Ward 8 D.C. Council member Trayon White, who was indicted earlier this year on federal bribery charges.
“The membership declined to vote on the Ward 8 Council seat until the investigation and trial of the Democratic candidate is concluded,” the group said in an Oct. 9 statement announcing its endorsements.
In its endorsements for the two At-Large D.C. Council seats up for election this year, Capital Stonewall Democrats broke from its tradition of endorsing only Democratic candidates. In addition to endorsing incumbent At Large Council member Robert White (D), the group also endorsed independent At Large Council member Christina Henderson. Both Henderson and Robert White are longtime LGBTQ rights supporters.
Among the other Democratic candidates endorsed by Capital Stonewall Democrats include D.C. Congressional Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton; Ward 2 Council member Brooke Pinto; Ward 4 Council member Janeese Lewis George; and Ward 7 D.C. Council candidate Wendell Felder. Felder is running for the seat being vacated by incumbent Council member and former D.C. mayor Vincent Gray (D), who is not running for re-election.
Pinto and Lewis George are running unopposed.
The remaining Democratic candidates endorsed by Capital Stonewall Democrats include D.C. Shadow U.S. Senate candidate Ankit Jain and D.C. Shadow U.S. House candidate Oye Owolewa.
The“shadow” U.S. Senate and House seats are unpaid positions with no voting rights or privileges in Congress. They were created to lobby for D.C. statehood and other issues of importance to D.C. that come before Congress.
The statement released by the group says it declined to take a position on Initiative 83, a measure on the D.C. election ballot calling for creating a rank choice voting system in D.C. and calling for open D.C. primaries. If approved by voters, the measure would allow independents to vote in party primaries that are currently open only to registered members of the Democratic, Republican, and Statehood-Green parties.
The D.C. Democratic State Committee, the governing body of the D.C. Democratic Party, is strongly opposed to Initiative 83 on grounds, among other things, that it opposes allowing non-Democrats to vote in D.C. Democratic primary elections.
Howard Garrett, the Capital Stonewall Democrats president, said the group has taken no official position on Initiative 83 other than it has chosen not to endorse the measure.
“We just think it is in the best interest of our organization to let individuals within our organization make their own determination on this issue,” he told the Washington Blade. “We will not endorse or state that we are not in agreement with I-83.”
The Log Cabin Republicans of the District of Columbia, the local chapter of the national LGBTQ Republican organization Log Cabin Republicans, has not issued endorsements of any of the six Republican candidates running for local D.C. elective positions, according to Andrew Mink, the D.C. Log Cabin president.
Among the D.C. Republican candidates are Nate Derenge, who is running against Ward 8 Council member Trayon White. Political observers say White is expected to win re-election despite the criminal charges pending against him. However, the D.C. Board of Elections’ list of candidates who have filed papers as write-in candidates shows five candidates are challenging White as a write-in candidate.
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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