District of Columbia
Activists defend D.C. Jail’s treatment of trans inmates
Budd, Hughes say most choose to stay in men’s facility
Longtime local transgender advocates Earline Budd and Jeri Hughes, who have served for more than a decade on the D.C. Department of Corrections’ Transgender Housing and Transgender Advisory committees, say they have witnessed first-hand what they believe to be the D.C. Jail’s role in leading the nation in its policies in support of transgender inmates.
The two said that around 2009 the D.C. Jail became one of the nation’s first correctional facilities to adopt a policy allowing transgender inmates to choose whether to be placed in the men’s or the women’s housing units.
In a claim that will likely come as a surprise to LGBTQ activists, Budd and Hughes said more than 95 percent of female transgender inmates at the D.C. Jail chose to be placed in the men’s section of the jail.
Budd and Hughes said they were motivated to speak out about DOC’s trans policies following a class action lawsuit filed last year against the city by the ACLU of D.C. and the D.C. Public Defender Service on behalf of a female transgender inmate at the D.C. Jail.
The lawsuit charged that officials at the Department of Corrections and the jail violated the gender identity provision of the city’s Human Rights Act and the constitutional rights of equal protection for trans inmate Sunday Hinton by placing her in the men’s housing unit at the jail against her wishes in May 2021.
Hinton and five other former female trans inmates at the jail submitted sworn affidavits as part of the lawsuit claiming that their requests to be housed in the women’s section of the jail were either denied or jail officials coerced them into agreeing to be placed in the men’s section. The affidavits say the alleged improper action by jail officials against the six trans women took place between 2019 and 2021.
Hinton has since been released from the jail after a burglary related charge brought against her was dropped.
The Office of the D.C. Attorney General, which represents the city in lawsuits, and Hinton reached a settlement agreement last month to end the lawsuit. The DOC agreed in the settlement, among other things, to put in place policies that ensure that trans inmates can choose the section of the jail in which they are to be housed.
The agreement keeps in place existing DOC policies calling for the Transgender Housing Committee to review all trans housing requests and to make a recommendation on the request, with jail security officials making the final decision on where to place the trans inmate.
Hughes told the Washington Blade that for the past decade or longer DOC and jail officials have followed the recommendations of the Transgender Housing Committee, whose members include representatives of the trans community.
She points out that the objective of the committee is to confirm that a trans female inmate requesting housing in the women’s section of the jail is truly a transgender person and not a male inmate claiming to be trans with the possible motive of sexually assaulting or otherwise endangering cisgender female inmates.
According to Budd and Hughes, at the request of LGBTQ rights advocates, the DOC adopted a policy in 2009 that allowed transgender inmates to choose whether to be placed in the men’s or women’s section of the jail. They said the policy, which created the DOC’s Transgender Housing Committee as well as a Transgender Advisory Committee, called for the housing committee to review the inmates’ housing requests to assess the safety of the trans inmates and all other inmates.
“You cannot just say I’m transgender and go in the women’s jail,” Hughes said. “You’ve got to have an evaluation. You have to be determined – OK, you’re legit. You live as a woman. You’re transgender,” Hughes told the Blade.
Hughes and Budd said the allegations raised in the Sunday Hinton lawsuit, if true, appear to be a breach in the DOC and the D.C. Jail’s longstanding policy of allowing trans inmates to choose whether to be placed in the men’s or women’s section of the jail. Budd said restrictions put in place at the jail in response to the COVID pandemic resulted in the suspension of all meetings of the Transgender Housing Committee.
But she said it was her understanding that an official at the jail who is a member of the Transgender Housing Committee has been meeting individually with trans inmates to determine their preference for a housing assignment. Budd said the official, who she identified as Tracy Outlaw, was also helping transgender inmates obtain things they needed, such as women’s undergarments like bras and hormone treatments.
“What I can say is the jail does not and has not been mistreating transgender inmates coming in the jail, and that they get the utmost respect in terms of the population,” Budd said.
When asked to explain their claim that nearly all female trans inmates choose to be placed in the men’s section of the jail, Budd and Hughes said that the female trans inmates are treated with greater respect by fellow male inmates than by female inmates.
“In the male section of the jail, they have a certain status,” Hughes said. “They are desirable. In the female section, they are not desirable. So, there is no advantage for them to be there,” according to Hughes. “And nearly every [trans] girl that has ever asked to go to the female section is in there for about a week and asks to get back right away” to the male section, Hughes said.
Department of Corrections spokesperson Keena Blackmon provided the Blade with an update on the DOC’s transgender policies following the settlement of the lawsuit, but she did not respond to the Blade’s request for confirmation of Budd and Hughes’ assertion that nearly all transgender female inmates request to be housed in the men’s section of the D.C. Jail.
“While the DC Department of Corrections (DOC) does not comment on the specifics of litigation-related matters, DOC is committed to ensuring a safe, secure and inclusive environment for all our residents, including our transgender, intersex and gender non-conforming residents,” Blackmon said in an email. “DOC formed the Transgender Advisory Committee (TAC), which serves as a liaison for the DOC and the transgender community and also internally established the Transgender Housing Committee (THC),” she said.
“The COVID-19 pandemic necessitated a host of operational changes to ensure the health and wellbeing of all DOC residents and staff and affected the ability of the THC to operate in its normal capacity,” Blackmon said. “As we have navigated the challenges of the pandemic, we have continued to adopt both our policies and practices to ensure we meet our above stated commitment while addressing the public health needs of all in our DOC facilities and will continue to do so,” she said.
Scott Michelman, legal director of the ACLU of D.C. who served as the lead attorney representing Sunday Hinton in her lawsuit against the DOC, said the actions by officials at the D.C. Jail toward Hinton and the five trans female inmates who joined her in the class action lawsuit raised serious doubts about any claims that the DOC had in place trans supportive policies – at least during the years of 2019 through early 2021.
Michelman points out that Tracy Outlaw, one of the DOC officials serving on the Transgender Housing Committee that Budd said has been supportive of trans inmates, is accused in one of the sworn affidavits submitted by a trans inmate who was part of the Hinton lawsuit of refusing to help the inmate be placed in the women’s section of the jail. Michelman said another DOC official “coerced” Hinton into signing a form waiving her rights to be placed in the women’s section of the jail.
“These actions, among others, undermine the claim that DOC was doing right by trans folks as of 2021,” Michelman said. “If DOC wants to protect trans women, it can start by complying with the settlement terms reached in Sunday Hinton’s case,” he said.
Budd said that while any DOC staff member should be held accountable for violating the DOC’s transgender policies, she strongly disputes claims that Tracy Outlaw coerced a trans inmate into being housed in the men’s section of the jail.
“What I am not going to do is go back and forth about this case,” Budd told the Blade. “The fact is that the ACLU and the attorneys are only seeking one side of this story,” which she said was that of the trans inmates who were part of the Hinton lawsuit.
“It is not fair that these allegations are coming up and we are not able to share our side of the story, which is totally different,” she said. “I have been and continue to be a transgender advocate and will support even those who have sought to demean me.”
Critics of the DOC have pointed out that many of the problems faced by the D.C. Jail surfaced under the tenure of former DOC Director, Quincy Booth, who held the director’s position from 2016 to January of this year, when Mayor Muriel Bowser replaced him with former DOC Director Tom Faust. Faust served as director from 2011 to 2016 during the years that Budd and Hughes have said DOC put in place or strengthened its trans supportive policies.
Bowser’s decision to replace Booth came shortly after the Federal Bureau of Prisons transferred 400 inmates at the D.C. Jail to a federal prison in Pennsylvania after announcing an inspection of the jail by U.S. Marshals found “evidence of systematic failures” and unacceptable living conditions at the jail.
Budd said that shortly after Faust began as acting DOC Director, he invited her to meet with him to discuss trans issues at the jail.
District of Columbia
D.C. Black Pride 2025: Events, parties, and empowerment
Annual Black LGBTQ culture, community, and resilience celebration starts Wednesday
Beginning on Wednesday, Washington will host a weekend-long celebration of melanated LGBTQ talent, power, and resilience with the return of D.C. Black Pride. From glamorous balls and dance parties to drag performances and more, the weekend offers something for everyone looking to celebrate Black queer existence.
The Washington Blade sat down with Keyna Hutton, president and CEO of the Center for Black Equity and organizer of D.C. Black Pride, to discuss the event’s current significance and the programming they are most excited about.
While the weekend may appear to be all about parties and celebration, Hutton emphasized that the heart of D.C. Black Pride lies in the connections it fosters.
“I always try to remind people that Black Pride is a safe space for communities, for people that don’t have these kinds of safe spaces where they live,” Hutton said. “People that live in some rural parts of the country, some very conservative spaces, they don’t have a space to be Black and queer. Many don’t have a space that they are able to be their full authentic selves. So Black Pride is that space. D.C. Black Pride creates that space for folks to be able to come to and just be free and live at all your intersections, to be glorified and be appreciated for who you are, as diverse as you are.”
They continued, pointing to the importance of this year’s theme — freedom — especially amid a political climate that remains hostile toward marginalized groups, particularly the transgender community.
“The real root of D.C. Black Pride is about creating a safe space and supporting community,” Hutton said. “If you think about what’s going on right now politically, it is even more important for us to maintain these spaces.”
Despite the external pressures facing the Black LGBTQ community, Hutton made clear that the weekend is also about celebration, especially for those traveling from near and far to be part of it.
“I am very excited for the Mr. & Miss D.C. Black Pride Pageant,” she said. “We have Ts Madison, Monroe Alise, Kerri Colby, Ben Garson, Anthony Oakes, Heather Mahogany, Apple Brown Betty. We have so many Black queer folks and queer allied people that are going to be here taking up space with us, loving up on us, entertaining us, all for free!”
For the first time this year, a free shuttle will run between the Capitol Hilton and official D.C. Black Pride events all weekend long, making it easier than ever to join in the celebration.
D.C. Black Pride party roundup
Weekend-long parties
Supreme Fantasy Weekend Party
All weekend long, the D.C. Black Pride party Supreme Fantasy will be in full swing beginning on May 22. With 12 events across five days, there’s something for everyone! From drinking and dancing to drag and so much more, this five-day celebration will keep the D.C. Black Pride party pumping through May 26. Tickets and additional information for this 21+ event are available at xavierpartydc.com.
Bliss Party Lineup
Celebrate being a Black LGBTQ woman with the Bliss party lineup! From brunches to dance parties to panels, Bliss has something for everyone. For tickets and additional information for this 21+ party series, visit eventbee.com.
Wednesday, May 21
Cocktails & Conversations
Join hundreds of Black queer women as they kick off D.C. Black Pride with a cocktail reception. Grab a drink and settle in at one of Washington’s swankiest cocktail bars, ZOOZ (636 Maine Ave. S.W.), at 7 p.m., and mingle before the weekend gets going. This is a 21+ event. For tickets and more information, visit BlissPride.com.
Thursday, May 22
Welcome to D.C. Happy Hour
Celebrate the beginning of D.C. Black Pride with drinks in the heart of the Dupont gayborhood! From 5-10 p.m. on the rooftop of Decades (1219 Connecticut Ave. N.W.), take in the spring weather and mix with other Black queer folks. For tickets and more information about this 21+ event, visit BlissPride.com.
Mr. & Miss D.C. Black Pride Pageant
Get ready for the ultimate showcase of Black excellence and pride with the Mr. & Miss D.C. Black Pride Pageant! The competition begins at 6 p.m. at the Capital Hilton (1001 16th St. N.W.), celebrating the history, beauty, and diversity of the DMV’s Black drag and entertainment scene. For tickets, visit Eventbrite.
D.C. Black Pride Unity Free Ball
Join the Capitol Ballroom Council for their 9th annual Unity Free Ball at the Capital Hilton (1001 16th St. N.W.). From 9 p.m. to 1 a.m., show off how you embody this year’s theme of “Freedom.” With over 50 categories, there’s something for everyone. Hosts Icon East Coast Father Duante’ Balenciaga, Legendary East Coast Mother Daijah West, Legendary Domo Alpha Omega, and Empress Angel Rose Garcon will ensure the night is unforgettable. For categories, prizes, and free tickets, visit dcblackpride.org.
The Pre-Pregame Act I
Pregame D.C. Black Pride with Daryl Wilson at The Ugly Mug (723 8th St. S.E.). Expect food, drinks, hookah, and more starting at 10 p.m. For tickets, visit dcblackpride.org.
Friday, May 23
Shoot Your Shot & Drink
Date. Dance. Collaborate! Join Lamont White and Tyrice Johnson for a special in-person LGBTQ+ dating experience at North Gate Grill (1001 16th St. N.W.). Tickets available at dcblackpride.org.
D.C. Black Pride Opening Reception
Kick off the 34th annual D.C. Black Pride with award-winning comedian Anthony Oakes as he hosts an evening of music, drag, and more. Queer icons including Ts Madison, Kerri Colby, and Monroe Alise will be in attendance. Festivities begin at 5 p.m. at the Capital Hilton (1001 16th St. N.W.). Free tickets are available at dcblackpride.org.
Host Hotel Welcome Reception
Start the weekend with a party hosted by Daryl Wilson Events at the Capital Hilton, the official host hotel. Beginning at 3 p.m., guests can pick up VIP passes, connect with other attendees, and get into the Pride spirit. More info at dcblackpride.org.
The Pastel Party
Celebrate Black queer womanhood at the Pastel Party at STRAND Nightclub (1400 I St. N.W.). Beginning at 10 p.m., this event offers a vibrant, affirming space. For tickets to this 21+ event, visit BlissPride.com.
Saturday, May 24
D.C. Black Pride Writers Forum
Join Black LGBTQ writers from across the country for a discussion on storytelling, publishing, and politics. Special guests, including Volo Akili (Dear Universe), will be featured. The event begins at 1 p.m. at the Capital Hilton. More info at dcblackpride.org.
Mary Bowman Poetry Slam
Celebrate Black queer voices at the Mary Bowman Poetry Slam at the Capital Hilton. Open mic registration starts at 5:30 p.m., with the show beginning at 6 p.m. Cash prizes will be awarded. More info at dcblackpride.org.
PURE BLISS – The Main Event
Dance the night away with other Black queer women at PURE BLISS, starting at 10 p.m. at Next Level (15 K St. N.E.). Enjoy music, drinks, and community. Tickets are $25 at BlissPride.com.
D.C. Black Pride White Party
Put on your best white outfit and party with the Black queer community at the iconic White Party. Rapper KHIA performs live at Echostage (2135 Queens Chapel Road N.E.), starting at 10 p.m. Tickets available at dcblackpride.org.
Meatloaf Saturday
Join over 5,000 Black queer men across three dance floors with four DJs, go-go dancers, and live performances. Meatloaf Saturday kicks off at 10 p.m. at Public Nightclub (1214 18th St. N.W.). Tickets at dcblackpride.org.
Sunday, May 25
Euphoria: D.C. Black Pride 2025 Closeout – The Finale
Close out Pride weekend with one last rooftop party at Twelve After Twelve (1212 18th St. N.W.) from 4-10 p.m. Celebrate with drinks, dancing, and community in Dupont Circle. Tickets are $15 at dcblackpride.org.
Wet Dreamz Mega Day Party
Join hundreds of Black LGBTQ people at one of the biggest events of the weekend — Wet Dreamz Mega Day Party — at The Bullpen @ Nats Stadium (1201 Half St. N.E.), starting at 5 p.m. Hosted by Daryl Wilson Events. Tickets available at dcblackpride.org.
Sunday Night Super Party
Four floors. Multiple DJs. One unforgettable night. Daryl Wilson’s Sunday Super Party at The Park (920 14th St. N.W.) begins at 10 p.m. and keeps going late. This 21+ event is free to attend. Details at dcblackpride.org.
Tuesday, May 27
WorldPride Black Queer Film Festival
Celebrate the art and impact of Black queer filmmakers with D.C. Black Pride and WorldPride at the three-day Black Queer Film Festival, kicking off at 6 p.m. at Howard University’s Blackburn Digital Auditorium (2397 6th St. N.W.). Free tickets available at dcblackpride.org.
In addition to these events, Thurst Lounge (2214 14th St. N.W.) — D.C.’s only Black-owned LGBTQ lounge — will host nightly celebrations of Black queer excellence. The weeklong celebration, Thurstnik Reloaded, runs from Wednesday through Memorial Day Monday. No cover charge, but a 21+ ID is required.
District of Columbia
LGBT exhibition at D.C.’s Capital Jewish Museum opens May 16
‘LGBT Jews in the Federal City’ arrives for WorldPride and beyond
The D.C. Lillian and Albert Small Capital Jewish Museum is opening a special exhibition called “LGBT Jews in the Federal City” on Friday, May 16, that will remain at the museum at 575 3rd St., N.W. until Jan. 4, 2026.
Museum officials have said they are pleased that the LGBT exhibition will be open concurrently with WorldPride 2025 D.C., which takes place May 17-June 8. The exhibition also takes place during Jewish American Heritage Month in May and during LGBTQ Pride Month in June, the museum points out in a statement.
“This landmark exhibition explores a turbulent century of celebration, activism, and change in the nation’s capital led by D.C.’s LGBTQ+ Jewish community,” the museum statement says. “This is a local story with national resonance, turning the spotlight on Washington, D.C. to show the city’s vast impact on LGBTQ+ history and culture in the United States.”
LGBT Jews in the Federal City includes “more than 100 artifacts and photographs representing the DMV region’s Jewish LGBTQ+ celebrations, spaces, struggles, joys, and personal stories,” the stamen points out.
A pre-opening tour of the exhibition provided for the Washington Blade shows that among the displays are first-ever shown materials from Bet Mishpachah, D.C.’s LGBTQ supportive synagogue, which is the nation’s fourth-oldest LGBTQ friendly synagogue.
Also included is a prominent display about Barrett Brick, a longtime D.C. LGBT rights advocate and Jewish community leader who served as a board member and president of Bet Mishpachah in the 1980s and as executive director of the World Congress of Gay and Lesbian Jewish organizations from 1987 to 1992. Brick passed away following a 10-year battle with cancer in 2013.
Another display in the museum’s several rooms accommodating the exhibition includes the ability to listen to audio clips of local LGBTQ community members sharing in their own voices their oral histories provided by D.C.’s Rainbow History Project.
Other displays include campaign posters and photos of prominent gay rights icon Frank Kameny, who led efforts to end discrimination against LGBTQ people from the federal government; and a panel from the AIDS Memorial Quilt that includes the name of a prominent Jewish Washingtonian who died during the AIDS epidemic.
“Through prompts, questions, and thoughtful design throughout the exhibition, visitors will be encouraged to ponder new ways to understand Jewish teachings and values as they relate to gender and sexuality,” the museum’s statement says.
“After leaving the exhibition, visitors can contribute to the Museum’s collecting and storytelling by sharing photographs, personal archives, or by recording stories,” it says.
The museum is open for visitors to see the LGBT exhibition and other museum exhibits 10 a.m. through 5 p.m. Wednesdays through Sundays. Admission to LGBT Jews in the Federal City is $12.
District of Columbia
Rainbow History Project WorldPride exhibition to open May 18
‘Pickets, Protests and Parades’ to be on display at Freedom Plaza
D.C.’s Rainbow History Project is scheduled to open its WorldPride 2025 exhibition called “Pickets, Protests, and Parades: The History of Gay Pride in Washington” on Sunday, May 18, in Freedom Plaza.
Located on Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W. between 13th and 14th streets less than three blocks from the White House, the exhibition will be open to the public free of charge for 24 hours through July 6.
The exhibition “will chronicle the local LGBTQ+ Pride movement and how the pickets and protests of the 1960s led to the vibrant celebrations of the 2020s,” a statement released by Rainbow History Project says.
The statement notes that the exhibition’s displays will include photos and information about a 1965 protest in front of the White House by 10 gay men and lesbians carrying picket signs in what is believed to be one of the city’s and possibly the nation’s first public demonstrations in support of the then homosexual community.
“The exhibition disrupts the popularly held belief that the LGBTQ+ rights movement began with the Stonewall Riots in 1969 in New York,” the statement points out. It says the 1965 gay protest outside the White House, which took place four years before Stonewall, represents “the start of D.C.’s rich queer history.”
“Covering 1965 to the present, the exhibition explores the history of Pride in D.C. in 10 distinct thematic eras,” according to the statement. “Large hero images around the perimeter will draw people into the exhibit to explore a timeline wall with historic quotes from Pride’s organizers. Each of the 10 eras are detailed in thematic cubes rich with history and visuals.”
The statement says Rainbow History Project is seeking community members to serve as Exhibit Monitors to assist in operating the display in four shifts each day and night to be compensated from between $80 and $100 per shift depending on the time of the shift.
Information about applying to become an exhibit monitor can be accessed at Rainbow History’s website.
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