District of Columbia
Pope names LGBTQ supportive Cardinal as head of Archdiocese of Washington
McElroy praised as ‘brilliant theologian and astute political analyst’
Pope Francis on Jan. 6 named Cardinal Robert McElroy of San Diego, who has a record of support for the LGBTQ community, as the new Archbishop of Washington, D.C.
At the time he is officially installed at a ceremony scheduled for March 11 at D.C.’s Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, he will replace retiring Cardinal Wilton Gregory, who has served as Archbishop of Washington since 2019 and who also has been supportive of the LGBTQ community.
As Archbishop of Washington, McElroy will serve as leader of the Archdiocese of Washington, which includes Catholic churches and other Catholic facilities in all of D.C. and five Maryland counties – Montgomery, Prince George’s, Calvert, Charles, and St. Mary’s.
Francis DeBernardo, executive director of the Mt. Rainier, Md., based LGBTQ Catholic organization New Ways Ministry, released a statement praising McElroy’s appointment.
“New Ways Ministry is delighted that Pope Francis has appointed Cardinal Robert McElroy as the next Archbishop of Washington, D.C.,” DeBernardo said in his statement. “Cardinal McElroy, a brilliant theologian and astute political analyst, is the perfect person to lead this important archdiocese into the future,” he said.
DeBernardo added, “Of course, the most exciting feature about this appointment for New Ways Ministry is the cardinal’s strong positive statements regarding LGBTQ+ issues. His particular angle in this area is one often overlooked by other church leaders: He constantly calls on members of the church to examine their negative attitudes toward LGBTQ+ people.”
Among other things, DeBernardo pointed to a statement by McElroy in 2024 criticizing church leaders in the U.S. who objected to Pope Francis’s Vatican directive allowing the church to bless people in same-sex relationships while not endorsing same-sex marriage.
“He stated that opposition to such blessings reveals ‘an enduring animus among far too many toward LGBT persons,’” DeBernardo quoted McElroy’s statement as saying.
DeBernardo cited these additional statements or actions by McElroy in support of the LGBTQ community and LGBTQ Catholics:
• In a 2023 essay, McElroy objected to what he called the “profound and visceral animus” toward LGBTQ people reflected among some in the Catholic Church, referring to the anti-LGBTQ animus as a “demonic mystery of the human soul.”
• In 2018, he publicly criticized the way he said gay priests were being scapegoated by some for the clergy sexual abuse crisis, saying such abuse was a matter of power, not sexual orientation.
• Also in 2018, McElroy expressed support for a gay pastoral worker at a church in his San Diego Archdiocese, Aaron Bianco, who was subjected to threats and harassment from some fellow church members because he was married to another man.
• In 2016, McElory was one of the first Catholic Church leaders to offer condolences to the LGBTQ community after the Pulse gay nightclub mass shooting, in which a lone gunman killed 49 mostly LGBTQ people and wounded 53 others at the Orlando, Fla., nightclub.
DeBernardo pointed to what he called the importance of Cardinal McElroy’s assuming a high-level church leadership position in the nation’s capital at a time when the incoming U.S. president, Donald Trump, and incoming Congress were not expected to be supportive of LGBTQ rights.
“We are confident that Cardinal McElroy can provide a strong Catholic voice affirming the human dignity of LGBTQ+ people and the need for laws that will protect them,” DeBernardo said in his statement.
“New Ways Ministry is grateful to Cardinal Wilton Gregory for his leadership in Washington over the past decade,” the statement says. “Cardinal Gregory, too, has shown great concern for the dignity and rights of LGBTQ+ people. His legacy as a prophetic leader will endure.”
Vince Rodriguez, president of the local LGBTQ Catholic organization Dignity Washington, shares DeBernardo’s view that McElroy will have a positive impact on the LGBTQ community and LGBTQ Catholics.
“I’m delighted, absolutely delighted about this appointment that the Pope has made,” Rodriquez told the Washington Blade. “I think it’s a pretty timely decision given the incoming administration and some of the pushback that we’ve seen on LGBT rights and what may be coming,” he said in referring to the incoming Trump administration.
“So, I think it will be good to have a voice here in Washington to hopefully challenge some of that,” Rodriguez said.
District of Columbia
Campaign launched to elect more LGBTQ candidates to ANC seats
Capital Stonewall Democrats behind Queering ANCs effort
The Capital Stonewall Democrats, D.C.’s largest local LGBTQ political group, announced on July 7 it has launched a campaign to help elect large numbers of LGBTQ candidates to the city’s Advisory Neighborhood Commissions.
The D.C. local government is believed to be unique among U.S. cities in currently having 46 Advisory Neighborhood Commissions consisting of 345 single-member districts in neighborhoods throughout the city in which unpaid Advisory Neighborhood Commissioners are elected for two-year terms.
The commissions are charged with considering a wide range of policies and programs impacting their neighborhoods, including traffic, parking, recreation, street improvements, liquor licenses, zoning, economic development, police protection, sanitation and trash collection, and D.C.’s annual budget, according to the ANC website.
Although the ANCs do not have authority to set or reject policies or proposals, such as applications for liquor licenses, city agencies are required to give “great weight” to ANC recommendations, according to the law creating the ANCs.
Kent Boese, a gay former ANC commissioner, currently serves as executive director of the D.C. Office of ANCs.
“We are launching the most ambitious hyperlocal LGBTQ+ candidate pipeline initiative in the country,” said Stevie McCarty, the Capital Stonewall Democrats president, in a July 7 statement that announced the Queering ANCs campaign.
“As an ANC member, I know firsthand how these seats shape our neighborhoods, from housing and public safety to sanitation,” McCarty says in the statement. “I’m proud to lead this effort to ensure more LGBTQ+ Washingtonians see themselves as leaders in their communities,” he said.
The ANC Rainbow Caucus, which was created by LGBTQ ANC members, shows on its website that there are currently 38 caucus members consisting of elected LGBTQ ANC commissioners serving in the current 2025-2026 two-year term.
The website shows there are LGBTQ commissioners who are caucus members in each of the city’s eight wards, with six in Ward 1, eight in Ward 2, one in Ward 3, six in Ward 4, five in Ward 5, three in Ward 6, eight in Ward 7, and one in Ward 8.
The Washington Blade couldn’t immediately determine how many of them will be running for re-election in D.C.’s general election in November. But McCarty said Capital Stonewall Democrats hopes to recruit many more LGBTQ candidates to run for ANC seats.
The D.C. Board of Elections website shows the deadline for filing 25 required petition signatures to be placed on the ballot is Aug. 5.
A Queering ANCs website launched this week by Capital Stonewall Democrats provides details on how to run for an ANC seat and offers help for those interested in running.
“Think of someone in your building, neighborhood, friend group, community organization, or professional network who cares deeply about D.C. and would make a strong leader,” McCarty says in his statement. “Send them QueeringANCs.org and personally ask them to consider running,” he said.
The website can be accessed at QueeringANCs.org.
District of Columbia
Mary’s House founder, CEO retires
Dr. Imani Woody played leading role in opening DC’s first home for LGBTQ seniors
The board of directors for Mary’s House for Older Adults, DC’s first official home dedicated to providing affordable housing for LGBTQ seniors, announced on July 7 that its founding president and CEO, Dr. Imani Woody, has retired.
Woody, who holds a PhD in Human Services, is credited with playing a leading role over many years in arranging both city and private funding needed to construct and operate the Mary’s House three-story building located at 401 Anacostia Road, S.E., in the city’s Fort Dupont neighborhood.
The house, which opened in March 2025, with a grand opening ceremony held in May 2025, includes 15 single-occupancy residential units and more than 5,000 square feet of shared communal living space.
“It is with profound gratitude and hearts full of celebration that the board of directors of Mary’s House for Older Adults, DC (MHFOA) announces the retirement of our visionary founder, Dr. Imani Woody, from her role as president and CEO,” the Mary’s House board says in a statement.
“Dr. Woody’s journey with Mary’s House began with her vision and a kitchen table gathering of women with a bold, urgent, and loving vision: to create safe, affirming, affordable housing for LGBTQ/SGL older adults in Washington, DC,” the statement says.
It adds, “What started as a dream has grown into DC’s first affordable LGBTQ+/SGL affirming communal living space for adults 60 and over, a 15-room community residence at 401 Anacostia Road in Southeast Washington.”
The statement says Woody will continue to serve on Mary’s House board.
“The board will be sharing information about the leadership transition process in the coming weeks,” the statement continues. “We are committed to honoring Dr. Woody’s legacy by ensuring Mary’s House continues to thrive and grow in faithful service to LGBTQ/SGL elders experiencing housing insecurity and isolation.”
District of Columbia
SMYAL receives $25,000 award for ‘courageous acts’
D.C. group provides support services for LGBTQ youth
The D.C.-based organization SMYAL, which provides services for LGBTQ youth in the D.C. metro area, including housing for homeless LGBTQ youth, announced on June 30 that it received a $25,000 award for its “courageous acts” in support of the community it serves.
The award was a monetary grant from The Courage Project, which describes itself as a “national initiative investing in acts of courage and compassion that strengthens our communities and democracy.”
A statement on its website says it was launched in May 2025 and is funded and backed by leading national foundations in the U.S.
“At SMYAL, we are deeply grateful to receive support from The Courage Project and are inspired by their bold investment in LGBTQ+ youth at such a critical moment,” SMYAL CEO Erin Whelan said in a statement. “For queer and trans young people, simply showing up as themselves each day requires immense courage, and that courage is strengthened when organizations like The Courage Project stand behind them loudly, proudly, and without hesitation,” Whelan said.
In its statement announcing the award SMYAL says The Courage Project will recognize SMYAL and other awardees and their work on July 3 at the Washington National Cathedral as part of a special interfaith service marking the U.S. 250th anniversary.
“The Courage Project is a bold initiative honoring everyday acts of bravery – the quiet, often unseen acts of heroism that reflect the best of the American spirit and strengthen democracy at the community level,” the project states on its website.
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