District of Columbia
Know your rights: ACLU shares protections as Trump controls D.C. police
MPD under federal control
Since Aug. 11, when President Donald Trump invoked Section 740 of the Home Rule Act, there has been an increased federal presence of all kinds in D.C. From FBI agents loitering outside well-known LGBTQ hotspots to National Guard members disseminated across the National Mall, law enforcement presence is at an all-time high in Washington.
This marks the first time Section 740 of the Home Rule Act has been used since Home Rule’s establishment in 1973, which granted D.C. the right to govern itself (following congressional approval.) This section outlines how the president can direct the mayor to provide Metropolitan Police Department forces for federal purposes under “special circumstances of an emergency nature.”
Trump has argued this takeover of Washington is justified in his executive order declaring a crime emergency in the District of Columbia, saying multiple times that crime in the capital has left “bloodthirsty criminals” on the streets. Trump went on in the order to make blanket statements about the murder rate in D.C. while citing outdated homicide rates from 2023.
According to the Trump administration, those 2023 numbers validate the federal government’s overreach into D.C. politics, despite Department of Justice statistics showing the nation’s capital is at a “violent crime thirty-year low,” and MPD data showing a 26 percent decrease in violent crime from last year.
Trump had, up until yesterday, used the Drug Enforcement Administration head as an “acting police chief” to get MPD to clear homeless encampments and create police checkpoints for drivers in D.C. After D.C. Attorney General filed a lawsuit against the administration for its attempt to circumvent the actual police chief, the Justice Department removed the DEA head as provisional leader of MPD and instead made them act as an intermediary between the administration and police.
Despite this forced change of reinstating Smith, Trump will continue to have control over MPD for 30 days after he enacted Section 740. This means law enforcement of all types will still carry out Trump’s commands, including ramping up deportations, arrests, and stops within the District.
The Washington Blade spoke with Monica Hopkins, the executive director of the ACLU of the District of Columbia, to discuss how LGBTQ people — both documented and undocumented — can stay safe as the administration continues to control law enforcement.
“I think it’s really important to understand your basic rights,” Hopkins told the Blade on Friday. “No matter what your identity, you have certain rights.”
These rights, Hopkins explains, can protect you — but only if you know what they are and how to use them.
“You have the right to remain silent, but you must verbally invoke this right. So you have to say, ‘I’m invoking my right to be silent,’ or ‘I want to be silent.’
If stopped by police,” she says, “you should ask, ‘Am I free to leave?’ If the answer is yes, then you should walk away calmly. If the answer is no, ask, ‘Am I under arrest?’”
“You can refuse a search of yourself or your belongings,” the 17-year veteran of the ACLU explained. “You may be patted down for weapons, but beyond that, you can refuse a search of yourself or your belongings. This includes, if an officer says, ‘Will you empty your pockets?’ You can refuse.”
Even as MPD is effectively being directed by federal requests, Hopkins explained there is a difference in rights when it comes to legal consultation if stopped by police versus U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
“If you are stopped by the D.C. police, you have the right to an attorney,” Hopkins said. “If you are stopped by ICE, you have the right to consult with an attorney, and you can also request a list of free and low-cost legal help.”
In addition to knowing the rights everyone has, understanding the correct way law enforcement can enter a premises is also crucial for ensuring safety in both residential and commercial spaces.
“Immigration officers must have permission from the owner or the manager to conduct a raid on a workplace. If officers come in, the business owner can say, ‘I don’t give you permission to be here. You need to leave. I’m asking you to leave the property. This is my business. Please leave.’ If the officers do not have permission from the owner or the manager, they must have a warrant that is signed by a federal judge or a magistrate [to enter].”
Just having a piece of paper that an officer claims is a warrant is not enough, Hopkins explained. Request the warrant and look over it to ensure it is (1) for the correct space and (2) signed by the right person.
“Look at those warrants very, very carefully and who has signed them,” she said. “It has to be a federal judge or a magistrate. It can’t be another ICE agent. It can’t be the Metropolitan Police Department. That warrant has to be signed by a federal judge or a magistrate.”
In addition to knowing rights in D.C., having a plan in case law enforcement does come is the next step to ensuring safety.
“I think in these times, currently having these conversations now and saying, ‘What if this happens? What is my plan?’ And planning it, not when you’re in a situation trying to come up with a plan, but before,” she said. “It gives you the space to say, ‘Okay, what are my rights?’”
Hopkins pointed out that there are abundant resources available on the ACLU-DC’s website that can help all kinds of people understand their rights and establish a plan. There are spotlight guides that outline what to do in specific situations, like “Preparing for ICE Raids,” “Legal Support and Resources on Arrest, Detention, and Deportation,” and even LGBTQ specific resources like “Your D.C. Protections from Harassment.” It’s all free and accessible on the ACLU-DC’s website.
When asked how D.C. residents can properly protest actions by ICE and other law enforcement, she offered some pointers.
“You are allowed to film the police from a safe distance. You are allowed to protest. You are allowed to go out in public. You are allowed to yell at the police — you are not allowed to attack the police. It is not your right to physically attack the police or throw things. That may cross the line, and there may be consequences — those aren’t your guaranteed rights under the Constitution [as part of the right] to exercise your First Amendment rights of protesting, demonstrating.”
Hopkins explained that in addition to educating people about their rights, the ACLU-DC is specifically going into the Capitol and talking with lawmakers from both sides of the aisle to attempt to curtail any potential restriction of rights — especially as the Trump administration gears up to get Congress to allow continued control of District law enforcement.
“Our attention has been turned sort of on Congress. And we are having meetings with congressional staff explaining to them the intricacies of D.C. and D.C. home rule and why they should view this overreach and abuse of power by the president as just a trial balloon that you know this administration will undoubtedly try to enact across the country.”
As the interview drew to a close, Hopkins wanted to reemphasize that knowing your rights is at the crux of staying safe.
“I think that living in the District of Columbia right now, what I have heard from folks is that there’s a lot of fear and anxiety right now. But also that we live in this amazing, beautiful, joyous city. The best thing that we can do to keep ourselves safe, keep our neighbors safe, and keep our friends safe is to know your rights and stay connected to organizations that can provide services and help and you pass along information.”
Note: There are a multitude of resources on the ACLU-DC’s website. Information on LGBTQ rights, immigration rights, protesting rights, and abortion rights is available for free.
District of Columbia
HIV Vaccine Awareness Day set for May 18
Whitman-Walker joins nationwide recognition of efforts to develop vaccine
Whitman-Walker Health, the D.C.-based community healthcare center that specializes in HIV/AIDS and LGBTQ-related health services, will join health care advocates from across the country to support efforts to develop an HIV vaccine on HIV Vaccine Awareness Day on May 18.
“HIV Awareness Day, observed annually on May 18, was established to recognize and thank the volunteers, scientists, health professionals, and community members working toward a safe and effective prevention HIV vaccine,” Whitman-Walker said in a statement.
“Led by the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), the day is also an opportunity to educate communities about the critical importance of preventive HIV vaccine research,” the statement says.
It adds, “The reality is that any new vaccine discovery must be built community by community, institution by institution, and then it must reach everyone – especially the communities who have carried the heaviest burden of this epidemic.”
On its own website, the National Institutes of Health says HIV Vaccine Awareness Day also highlights its longstanding efforts, coordinated by its Office of AIDS Research, to support researchers’ efforts to develop an HIV vaccine.
“Researchers are making promising headway in efforts to develop a safe, effective HIV vaccine,” it says in a statement on its website.
A Whitman-Walker spokesperson said Whitman-Walker was not holding a specific event to observe HIV Vaccine Awareness Day, but it will recognize the day as a way of encouragement for its ongoing work to address the AIDS epidemic and support for vaccine research.
“Today, no one has to die from HIV,” said Whitman-Walker’s Health System division’s CEO, Dr. Heather Aaron in the Whitman-Walker statement. “We have the treatments, the technology, and the research to change outcomes, and yet people in our community are still dying from HIV//AIDS,” she said in the statement.
“That is unacceptable, and it is exactly why our work continues,” she added. “Here in D.C. with more focus on Southeast D.C., the Whitman-Walker Health System remains committed to making a difference through cutting-edge research, policy advocacy, and philanthropy, because fair access to life-saving treatment is not a privilege. It is a right.”
District of Columbia
Capital Stonewall Democrats endorses Janeese Lewis George for D.C. mayor
Group also backed D.C. Council, Congressional delegate, AG candidates
The Capital Stonewall Democrats, D.C.’s largest local LGBTQ political organization, announced on May 14 that it has endorsed D.C. Councilmember Janeese Lewis George (D-Ward 4) for mayor in the city’s June 16 Democratic primary.
Lewis George along with former D.C. Councilmember Kenyan McDuffie (D-At-Large) are considered by political observers to be the two leading candidates among the seven candidates competing in the Democratic primary election for mayor.
Both have strong, long-standing records of support on LGBTQ issues, indicating Capital Stonewall Democrats members, like LGBTQ voters across the city, are likely choosing a candidate based on non-LGBTQ related issues.
In a May 14 statement, the group announced its endorsements in seven other Democratic primary races, including D.C. Council Chair Phil Mendelson, who is running unopposed in the primary. Also endorsed is D.C. Councilmember Robert White (D-At-Large), who is one of five Democratic candidates competing for the position of D.C. delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives.
D.C. Councilmember Brooke Pinto (D-Ward 2) is among the four candidates competing with White for that post, and who like White has a strong record of support on LGBTQ issues.
In the At-Large D.C. Council race for which incumbent Anita Bonds is not running for re-election, Capital Stonewall Democrats has endorsed community activist and LGBTQ ally Oye Owolewa in a nine candidate race.
For the Ward 1 D.C. Council election, in which five LGBTQ supportive candidates are competing, the group did not make an endorsement because none of the candidate received a required 60 percent of the endorsement vote cast by Capital Stonewall Democrats members, according to the group’s former president, Howard Garrett.
The statement announcing its endorsements shows that it decided to list its “Preferred Ranking” of each of the Ward 1 Democratic candidates as part of the city’s newly implemented ranked choice voting system. It lists gay candidate Miguel Trindade Deramo as first, bisexual candidate Aparna Raj second, Jackie Reyes Yanes third, Rashida Brown fourth, and Terry Lynch fifth.
In the remaining ward Council races, Capital Stonewall Democrats endorsed Councilmember Matt Fruman (D-Ward 3), who is running unopposed for re-election; Councilmember Zachary Parker (D-Ward 5), the Council’s only gay member who is being challenged by two opponents; and Councilmember Charles Allen (D-Ward 6), who is running unopposed for re-election.
The group also chose not to make an endorsement in the special election for another At-Large D.C. Council seat that became vacant when then-Independent Councilmember McDuffie resigned to enable him to run for mayor as a Democrat. Under the city’s Home Rule Charter adopted by Congress, that at large sweat is restricted to a “non-majority party” candidate, meaning a non-Democrat.
The three candidates running for the seat, all Independents, include incumbent Doni Crawford, who was appointed to the seat earlier this year; former D.C. Councilmember Elissa Silverman; and Jacque Patterson. All three have expressed support on LGBTQ related issues.
“The organization’s endorsement process included candidate questionnaires, public forums, and direct voting by active CSD members,” the statement announcing its endorsements says. “Each endorsement reflects the collective voice of 173 LGBTQ+ Democrats who voted in the process and are committed to building lasting political power in the District,” according to the statement. “Candidates that reached 60 percent support received the endorsement.”
Garrett, the group’s former president, acknowledged that with nearly all candidates running in D.C. elections expressing strong support for the LGBTQ community, many if not most of the group’s members most likely chose a candidate based on issues other than LGBTQ related issues.
He said he believes Lewis George, who he is supporting and is viewed as a progressive candidate who self-identifies as a Democratic Socialist, compared to McDuffie, who is viewed as a moderate Democrat, captured the group’s endorsement based on the view that she is the best person to lead the city going forward.
“I believe that Capital Stonewall members voted for Janeese Lewis George because we’re tired of the status quo and we need a new, bold leader to not only move our city forward but also to stand up to Donald Trump and his administration,” Garrett told the Washington Blade.
McDuffie’s LGBTQ supporters, including former Capital Stonewall Democrats presidents David Meadows and Kurt Vorndran, have argued that McDuffie’s positions on a wide range of issues, including LGBTQ issues, show him to be the best candidates to lead the city at this time and In future years.
The group’s endorsement of Lewis George comes one week after GLAA DC, a nonpartisan LGBTQ advocacy group, awarded her its highest candidate rating of +10.
District of Columbia
Pride faith services in Washington, D.C.
Almost half of all LGBTQ adults in the U.S. are religious
Are you an LGBTQ person of faith or someone exploring spirituality? It is more common than people realize. According to a Williams Institute study published in October 2020, almost half of all LGBTQ adults in the United States are religious. This may seem counterintuitive as any LGBTQ people have complicated relationships with faith because of very real histories of abuse, trauma, and violence.
This violence still continues in the United States, especially following the Supreme Court’s March 2026 decision in Chiles v. Salazar, who ruled Colorado’s ban on conversion therapy for minors violates the First Amendment, but not everyone has encountered this violence, nor do people who have faced it, separate themselves completely from religion. Many people may seek out affirming faith traditions which are prevalent in the DMV area.
For individuals seeking out faith services during Pride 2026, please check out the list below, which will be updated as more events are publicized.
Memorial Service for SaVanna Wanzer
May 17th at 1 pm
Westminster Presbyterian Church (400 I St SW, Washington, DC 20024)
Westminster Presbyterian will host a celebration of life for legendary DC trans rights activist and founder of DC Trans Pride and Black Trans Pride SaVanna Wanzer who was a long-time member of the church. Live music will begin at 12:15 pm before the start of the memorial service. The service will be livestreamed on the Westminster DC Facebook page. A meal will follow the Sunday service.
There will also be a celebratory vigil held on Saturday, May 16th from 6:30-8 pm for friends and family at the church led by LGBTQ organizer Rayceen Pendarvis.
May 23th at 11 am
Downtown Westin (999 9th Street NW, Washington, DC 20001)
This intimate conversation is hosted by Janeé Lee, founder of Queer Ministry, between Black trans and queer people who are surviving religious trauma and navigating their relationship with the church. The workshop, hosted as part of Trans Pride DC, is a chance for people to share their stories at the intersection of queerness and spirituality and to walk away with a spiritual healing guide with affirming scriptures and inclusive theology.
DC Black Pride Worship Service
May 24th at 10 am
Remnant Christian Center (120 West Hampton Avenue, Capitol Heights, MD)
Hosted by The Community Church of Washington DC-UCC, this service will feature speakers and sessions on Black queer faith and unity, including host and speaker Robert D. Wise Jr. for a powerful Pentecost Unity Service. Attendees are encouraged to come dressed in and white.
June 5th at 7 pm
Sixth & I (600 I Street, NW, Washington, DC 20001)
Join Rabbi Jenna will be leading an inclusive, musical service celebrating the diversity of Jewish life in Washington, DC. Happy Hour, which is limited to people 21 and older, will start at 6 pm. The service will start at 7 pm, with dinner at 8:15 pm. The service is free but registration is required, and the kosher-style pescatarian meal does cost money. Register online here.
June 14th at 5 pm
Black Cat (1811 14th St NW, Washington, DC 20009)
Muslim Pride is a community-led and funded grassroots performance series centering queer and trans Muslim artists through music, drag and dance. The series was originally founded in 2020 as a way to create affirming spaces where faith, culture, and queerness can coexist. This year’s series features Mercedes Iman Diamond. This year, Muslim Pride expands to Washington, DC, New York City, and Los Angeles. Buy tickets here.
Pride Celebrations and Sunday Worship Service
June 14th all day
Riverside Baptist Church (699 Maine Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20024)
Join Riverside Baptist Church for a day-long Pride celebration beginning with Pride Weekend/Musical Theater Sunday worship service at 10 am. Later that morning and early afternoon, from 11:30 am to 1:30 pm, the church will be hosting a Pride Pageant, a technicolor celebration featuring a runway showcase, line dancing, food, and refreshments.
June 22nd at 7 pm
St. Mark’s Episocpal Church (301 A Street, SE, Washington, DC 20003)
Join this interfaith service celebrating affirming faith traditions and intertradition dialogue hosted by queer and trans faith leaders. The interfaith service has been hosted annually for over 40 years, and first began back in the 1980s with faith leaders and queer people of faith coming together to mourn and pray at the site of the AIDS Memorial Quilt on the National Mall. Learn more about the history of the interfaith service here.
June 23rd at 6 pm
Holy Trinity Catholic Church (3513 N St NW, Washington, DC 20007)
Holy Trinity will be hosting its 6th annual Pride Mass. After its debut this past summer, the Pride Mass choir will be singing at the Pride Mass in June, and following the Mass, there will be an annual reception with ice cream and other goodies. Learn more about attending the reception and Holy Trinity’s LGBTQ+ Ministry.
‘The Inheritance’ is most-nominated at this year’s Helen Hayes Awards
HIV Vaccine Awareness Day set for May 18
DC Black Pride is around the corner
United Night Out set for Saturday
Calendar: May 15-21
America’s broken pipeline of mental healthcare for trans youth
Senate Democrats press DOJ over anti-trans prison directives
Anti-LGBTQ violence prevention efforts highlighted at D.C. community fair
Celebrated performer Rose Levine plays Rehoboth on May 15
Washington Blade’s Pride on the Pier returns June 13 to kick off D.C. Pride week
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National4 days agoAmerica’s broken pipeline of mental healthcare for trans youth
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Federal Government5 days ago
Senate Democrats press DOJ over anti-trans prison directives
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District of Columbia5 days ago
Anti-LGBTQ violence prevention efforts highlighted at D.C. community fair
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Rehoboth Beach5 days ago
Celebrated performer Rose Levine plays Rehoboth on May 15
