District of Columbia
Teen gets probation in attack on gay man at 14th & U McDonald’s
16-year-old pleaded guilty to assault, apologized to victim
A D.C. Superior Court judge on Jan. 10 sentenced a 16-year-old male to a year of probation after he pleaded guilty to a single charge of simple assault related to the Oct. 27 incident in which police said as many as 15 people attacked a gay man at the D.C. McDonald’s restaurant at 14th and U Streets, N.W., with some of the attackers shouting anti-gay slurs.
The Washington Post published an exclusive report of the sentencing after its reporter was allowed to attend a juvenile court hearing that is closed to the public and the press on the condition that the Post would not disclose the name of the juvenile.
The Post story says prosecutors at the court hearing said that a week after the attack, the juvenile, accompanied by his mother, met with D.C. police, admitted to being a part of the attack, and was arrested. “The youth said he was intoxicated at the time and did not remember many of his actions,” the Post reports.
The victim in the case, Sebastian Thomas Robles Lascarro, 22, told police and the Washington Blade through a statement from his husband, Stuart West, that the attack began inside the McDonald’s about 1 a.m. when one of the attackers, a woman, criticized him for not saying “excuse me” when he walked past her inside the crowded restaurant.
When he walked away from the woman as many as 10 or more people started to assault Lascarro, according Lascarro’s account relayed by West. “And so, they started punching him all over his face and body, and it eventually moved to the outside of the McDonald’s on the D.C. sidewalk, where more people got involved and started hitting him and assaulting him,” West said.
Lascarro was taken by ambulance to Howard University Hospital, where he was treated and released the next day recovering from multiple bruises and cuts on his face, head and body, his husband said. Police listed the incident as a suspected hate crime.
No immediate arrests were made, but police released to the public and the media photos of seven suspects obtained from video surveillance cameras at McDonald’s, all of whom appeared to be juveniles. In a Nov. 6 statement, police announced they arrested one day earlier a 16-year-old juvenile male in connection with the attack on a charge of Assault With Significant Bodily Injury.
The Post story reports that during the Jan. 11 hearing D.C. prosecutor Gabrielle LoGaglio played two security videos that captured the outdoor part of the Oct. 27 attack against Lascarro at the McDonald’s. “The youth charged in the attack was clearly identifiable because he was wielding a tiki torch-like pole and was seen striking Lascarro on the head with it, she said,” the Post story reports.
The story reports that through an arrangement with prosecutors, the juvenile pleaded guilty to a single count of simple assault. It says while standing next to his court appointed attorney, the juvenile repeatedly apologized to Lascarro, who was watching the hearing through a video hookup.
“From the bottom of my heart, I want to say I am sorry to the victim and his family,” the Post quoted him as saying. “I was not raised by my mother to behave like that,” the Post quote continues. “I am sorry. I am not a criminal. I have shown people love and respect and kindness. I am sorry for the emotional and physical damage I have caused.”
The Post story also quoted from a statement that Lascarro submitted to the court and which prosecutors read. West, Lascarro’s husband, sent a copy of the statement to the Blade.
Lascarro says in his statement that he moved to D.C. from his home country of Colombia in 2023 after marrying his husband because D.C. “felt so open and welcoming to people like me — gay and proud.” He added, “Here, I felt safe to be myself, to dress how I wanted, wear makeup, and just live my life” as he could not feel safe doing in his home country.
“After the attack, everything changed,” he says in his statement. “I don’t feel safe anymore. I don’t feel like I can be myself without looking over my shoulder,” the statement continues. “It’s hard to put into words how this has hurt me mentally. The bruises are gone now, but the fear and trauma are still with me every day.”
The Post reports that prosecutors said they agreed to a sentence of one year’s probation because the juvenile had no prior arrests. At the request of prosecutors, Judge Charles J. Willoughby Jr. agreed to include in the sentencing that the juvenile be placed on GPS monitoring and be “ordered to attend school regularly and take random drug and alcohol tests as needed.”
According to the Post, Judge Willoughby described the attack against Lascarro as “vicious and unprovoked,” and told the juvenile “you need to stay away from those other juveniles” who joined him in the attack on Lascarro.
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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