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Comings & Goings
Leeds to open new bar; Penchina to chair Victory board
The ‘Comings & Goings’ column chronicles important life changes of Blade readers.
Comings & Goings recognizes the achievements of members of the LGBT community and highlights job openings in organizations working to advance LGBT rights. Please continue to share information about yourself and let friends know they can contact us at [email protected].
Daniel Penchina
Congratulations to Daniel Penchina, recently elected as co-chair of the Victory Campaign Board. VCB is a national group of community leaders dedicated to electing more openly LGBT candidates to public office by promoting the work of the Victory Fund in their communities. Elected by their peers to serve two-year terms, VCB members recruit qualified openly LGBT candidates to run for office and review and endorse Victory Fund’s candidates to ensure that LGBT voices are represented in government. From large cities to small towns, red states to blue, VCB members are helping to raise awareness of Victory Fund’s work and its mission.
Daniel is an active member of the LGBT community and a principal at the Raben Group. He previously served as president of “Q” Street, the organization of LGBT lobbyists, and worked on the Hill for a number of members of Congress, including Jan Schakowsky, Christopher Murphy and Jerrold Nadler.
We are also celebrating with Jamie Leeds, chef extraordinaire and owner of Hank’s Oyster Bar. Her new bar, The Twisted Horn, will open in two weeks in the Petworth neighborhood of D.C. at 819 Upshur St., N.W. It will be managed by Megan Coyle of Hank’s. It is a craft cocktail bar with a menu highlighting seasonally driven cocktails made with local ingredients, house infusions and innovative combinations, including such unique drinks such as Scarlet Billows, Blackwell Rum, Camparno Anitca and more. The menu will include classic cocktails and craft beers such as Day of the Dead Hefeweizen or Atlas Rowdy Rye and wines available by the glass or bottle.
Guests are invited to partake of a Jamie Leeds-designed snack menu consisting of bar favorites such as assorted pickles from their neighbors Gordy’s Pickle Jar, as well as a selection of cheese and charcuterie, among other items. The candlelit interior design and décor is edgy and industrial, while maintaining a neighborhood feel. The bar has 30 stools, with an additional 10 seats at high-top tables. There are also plans to house an outdoor patio with approximately 40 seats. Information at twistedhorndc.com. Congrats also go to Hank’s Dupont manager, Jeff Strine, who has been promoted to director of HR and training for Jaime’s growing business.
Jamie Leeds (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
Jeff Strine
Two good jobs are available at PFLAG National. PFLAG is the nation’s largest family and ally organization supporting the LGBT community. PFLAG has more than 400 chapters and 200,000 members.
Director of Development Amy Sauerwalt, a PFLAG parent with a teenager who is transgender, is looking to add managers of major gifts and corporate development to her team.
The Major Gifts Manager will have primary responsibility for planning, coordinating and implementing the major donor and planned giving programs to meet the organization’s major gifts fundraising goals and planned giving program objectives. They will also be responsible for coordination of other staff and board members to cultivate additional solicitation. The Corporate Development Manager will be responsible for soliciting, researching, cultivating and strengthening PFLAG’s corporate relationships resulting in gifts and grants to support PFLAG’s organizational and programmatic needs. To learn more, contact PFLAG at 202-467-8180.
District of Columbia
‘Queer Love’ campaign launched to address domestic violence
D.C. event set for LGBTQ+ Domestic Violence Awareness Day on May 28
The D.C.-based Wanda Alston Foundation, which provides housing and support services for homeless LGBTQ youth, announced earlier this month that it has joined partner organizations to launch a Queer Love Shouldn’t Hurt campaign aimed at addressing domestic violence within the LGBTQ community.
In a May 18 statement, the Alston Foundation said the campaign involves a public awareness initiative leading up to LGBTQ+ Domestic Violence Awareness Day scheduled for May 28.
“Domestic and family violence in LGBTQ+ communities is real and too often invisible,” Cesar Toledo, the Alston Foundation’s executive director, said in the statement. “As a community, we do not talk about it enough, and that silence can leave survivors feeling isolated and alone,” he said. “We must break that silence.”
He added that culturally competent care for those impacted by domestic violence is available through a newly launched website, queerlove.org, “where people can safely access vital resources, educational toolkits, and support networks they need on their healing journey.”
The website announces one of the project’s first events, a Queer Love Community Social, was scheduled for Thursday, May 28, from 6-8 p.m. at the D.C. LGBTQ+ Community Center at 1827 Wiltberger St., N.W.
“Join us this LGBT+ Domestic Violence Awareness Day for a community social dedicated to visibility and survivor resilience,” the website statement says. “Let’s gather to strengthen our bonds, honor the path to healing, and share free resources,” it says of the May 28 event.
The website also announces a June 1 workshop called Empowering Survivors of LGBTQ+ Intimate Partner Violence, which it says will be presented by Jesse Wedell, an official with the D.C. LGBT+ Counseling Collaborative. The website provides an online form to register for the workshop upon which its location would be disclosed.
It identifies the partner organizations working with the Alston Foundation on the Queer Love Public Awareness Campaign as the LGBT+ Counseling Collaborative, Whitman-Walker Health, the D.C. LGBTQ+ Community Center, and Equality Chamber.
The resources and information provided by the project can be accessed at www.queerlove.org.
District of Columbia
Man accused of threatening to shoot D.C. bar employee after making anti-gay slurs
May 24 incident took place near Black Pride events on U Street
D.C. police on Sunday, May 24, at around 4:20 p.m. arrested a Maryland man for allegedly threatening to shoot an employee while using anti-gay slurs at Ben’s Next Door restaurant and bar at 1211 U St., N.W.
According to a statement released by police and a police incident report, the arrested man, identified as Delonte Fraley, 32, of Accokeek, Md., made the threats after the employee told a bartender not to serve the man alcohol.
“The suspect overheard the employee and threatened to shoot the employee and used homophobic slurs against the employee,” the police statement says. “When the employee left the restaurant for the day, the suspect was standing near the employee’s vehicle,” it says.
“The employee returned to the restaurant and called the police,” the statement continues. “The suspect was apprehended by responding officers,” it says.
The police statement says the arresting officers charged Fraley with Felony Threats (Hate/Bias).
D.C. Superior Court records show prosecutors with the Office of the U.S. Attorney for D.C., which prosecutes D.C. criminal cases, escalated the charge to Threatening to Injure or Kidnap a Person (Bias-Related Hate Crime).
The incident occurred during Memorial Day weekend when thousands of visitors and D.C. area LGBTQ advocates and supporters were attending D.C. Black Pride events held in locations across the city, including Black Pride parties hosted by LGBTQ bars in the U Street entertainment area near Ben’s Next Door.
Among the nearby LGBTQ bars hosting D.C. Black Pride events were Nellie’s Sports Bar and Thurst Lounge. Ben’s Next Door is located next to the popular longtime U Street eatery Ben’s Chili Bowl.
Court records show that Judge Robert R. Rigsby at a May 25 presentment hearing released Fraley on personal recognizance with a stay-away order — the details of which were not publicly disclosed pending a June 4 preliminary hearing.
A more detailed arrest affidavit filed in court by D.C. police says Fraley allegedly confronted the employee at Ben’s Next Door with anti-gay slurs on the day prior to his arrest.
“The complainant told the defendant that because he used homophobic slurs towards himself previously on May 23, 2026, and his hostess, as well as making threats to the complainant and calling him a faggot, he was unable to stay in the establishment,” the affidavit states.
It adds, “The defendant became irate stating, ‘I know where your Tesla is at. See me outside faggot, I will slap your ass’ and ‘I will shoot your ass.’” The affidavit says the complainant confirmed to police the Tesla referred to by Fraley was his vehicle. It says as the victim walked toward his car after getting off work, he saw Fraley standing directly in front of the car.
“The complainant stated he felt unsafe while the defendant was standing in front of his vehicle because he felt the defendant was capable of carrying out those threats,” says the affidavit. It says the victim then decided to return to the restaurant and call police without the defendant having seen him.
“The defendant was placed under arrest for Felony Threats Hate/Bias and was transported to the Third District Station for processing,” the affidavit concludes.
It couldn’t immediately be determined whether the victim identifies as LGBTQ or whether any of the Ben’s Next Door patrons had been involved with D.C. Black Pride.
“Established in 2008, Ben’s Next Door is a family-owned and operated restaurant and bar on U Street, Northwest in Washington, D.C.,” a statement on its website says. “As a Black-owned establishment, it’s our goal to deliver a warm, welcoming, familiar, and communal vibe to all guests,” the statement says.
The Comings & Goings column is about sharing the professional successes of our community. We want to recognize those landing new jobs, new clients for their business, joining boards of organizations and other achievements. Please share your successes with us at [email protected].
Congratulations to Peter Schott on being honored by Delaware Gov. Matt Meyer on National Honor our LGBTQ Elders Day.
Schott is a prominent LGBTQ advocate and seasoned political strategist who has spent decades advancing civil rights at the national and state levels. Following a distinguished 25-year career as a staff assistant in the U.S. House of Representatives, Schott leveraged his extensive legislative expertise to help organize the National Stonewall Democrats, serving as an influential member of its national board.
After moving to Delaware in 2002, he became a foundational figure in the state’s LGBTQ political landscape, co-founding the Delaware Stonewall PAC, (now Stonewall Delaware) to champion the election of pro-equality candidates. His strategic lobbying and community organizing were instrumental in the successful passage of Delaware’s landmark non-discrimination, civil union, and marriage equality laws. A former member of the State Human Relations Commission, he remains a vital voice for the LGBTQ community in the Mid-Atlantic, continuing to document and drive social progress through his activism and writing. Schott currently serves as vice chair of the Delaware Democratic Pride Caucus, and a board member of Speak Out Against Hate (SOAH). He was a delegate to two Democratic National Conventions.
He earned a bachelor’s degree in Political Science, New York University; and a master’s of Public Administration degree from American University.
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