District of Columbia
Second gay candidate announces run for Ward 1 D.C. Council seat
Miguel Trindade Deramo among candidates seeking Brianne Nadeau’s seat
Gay Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner Miguel Trindade Deramo on Nov. 18 announced his candidacy for the Ward 1 D.C. Council seat being vacated by incumbent Councilmember Brianne Nadeau.
Trindade Deramo, 39, became at least the sixth Democratic candidate competing for the Ward 1 Council seat in the city’s June 16, 2026, Democratic primary. Among his competitors is fellow gay Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner Brian Footer, who announced his candidacy in July.
Footer serves as chairman of ANC 1E, which represents the city’s Howard University, Park View, and Pleasant Plains neighborhoods in Ward 1.
Trindade Deramo serves as chairman of ANC 1B, which, according to its website, represents the neighborhoods of lower Columbia Heights, Cardozo, LeDroit Park, North Shaw, Meridian Hill, the U Street Corridor, and lower Georgia Avenue. The U Street Corridor is where multiple nightlife establishments are located, including at least 10 gay bars.
“I’m running for D.C. Council because I believe this community deserves a leader who will roll up their sleeves and turn progressive policy into action,” Trindade Deramo said in a statement announcing his candidacy. “Together we can unlock Ward 1’s full potential by tackling affordability, reimagining public safety, and addressing local neighborhood concerns,” he said.
His announcement statement says he was born in Michigan, where his mother immigrated from Brazil. It says he came to D.C. in 2012 to train as a U.S. Foreign Service Officer at the State Department. It says he chose to make D.C. his home in 2016 and says he “now lives at 14th and Chapin with his partner, Luis.”
A biographic write-up on his education and career posted on his campaign website states, “Miguel attended Northeastern University, where he immersed himself in LGBTQ+ activism and established himself as a student leader.”
It says that after graduating with a degree in international relations and political science, he became a Foreign Service Officer at the State Department. According to the write-up, after serving a tour in São Paulo, he pursued a graduate degree in Islamic studies at McGill University in Montreal and he later began another federal job as an intelligence analyst at the Department of Homeland Security.
“However, after witnessing the erosion of democratic norms under the Trump administration, the hyper-militarized response to the Black Lives Matter movement, and the insurrection of Jan. 6, Miguel acted on his deep sense of civic duty by leaving the federal government and joining the pro-democracy movement,” his campaign write-up says.
It adds that he soon became involved in electoral reform organizations and a short time later emerged as one of the lead organizers of the D.C. Initiative 83 campaign, in which D.C. voters overwhelming approved a ranked choice voting system as well as open D.C. primary elections.
The June 16, 2026, D.C. Democratic primary in which Trindade Deramo and Footer will be competing against each other and at least four other candidates will be the first time the city’s ranked choice voting system will be in place for D.C. voters.
Under the system, in elections where there are more than two candidates competing, voters can mark their first choice and their second, third, or more choices if they wish to do so. In the Ward 1 Democratic primary next June LGBTQ voters as well as all other voters will have the option of voting for Trindade Deramo or Footer as their first or second choice.
When asked by the Washington Blade what message he has for LGBTQ voters in Ward 1 who will be choosing among two gay candidates, Trindade Deramo said, among other things, he will point out that he has represented the U Street Corridor in his role as an ANC member.
“A huge mission of mine is to make that space for everyone,” he said. “And U Street unites everyone. All the different people from all over the city come there for theater, for clubbing, for thinking, for eating, whatever,” he added. “And that includes LGBTQ+ people.”
Footer didn’t immediately respond to a request by the Blade for comment on Trindade Deramo’s candidacy.
Trindade Deramo’s campaign website can be accessed here:
Brian Footer’s campaign website can be accessed here:
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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