District of Columbia
Most LGBTQ ANC candidates win races in D.C. election
Official outcome of four write-ins delayed until Nov. 15
At least 35 of the known roughly 44 LGBTQ Advisory Neighborhood Commission candidates running in the Nov. 8 D.C. election have won their races, according to voter returns released by the D.C. Board of Elections.
Another four LGBTQ ANC contenders who ran unopposed as write-in candidates were expected to emerge as winners when the election board discloses on Nov. 15 the names of winning write-in candidates, whose names did not appear on the ballot.
Whether the total number of LGBTQ ANC candidates who win remains at 35 or reaches 39 should the write-in candidates win, the number will surpass the 33 LGBTQ candidates who won election to ANC seats in 2020.
Twenty-two of the winning candidates this year ran unopposed.
Just five of the LGBTQ candidates appear to have lost their races. One of them, James Tandaris, an incumbent commissioner in ANC district 3F05, was trailing his opponent by just eight votes with a vote count of 210 to 202. With an undetermined number of mail-in ballots still to be counted it was possible that Tandaris could surpass his opponent, Andrew Koval, and win the election.
Among the LGBTQ write-in candidates believed to have won their races are Christopher Dyer in Logan Circle ANC 2F05 and Matt Fouracre in neighboring Logan Circle ANC 2F06. Board of Elections vote count returns show that an unnamed write-in candidate in Dyer’s district received 53 votes making up 100 percent of the write-in votes cast. In Fouracre’s district an unnamed write-in candidate received 39 votes comprising 100 percent of the write-in votes cast.
The unnamed candidates are believed to be Dyer and Fouracre, although voters could have cast their vote for other write-in candidates.
Another LGBTQ write-in candidate whose outcome was uncertain is Bradley Gallagher, who ran in ANC 1E01, which is the Park View neighborhood seat held by gay longtime ANC member Kent Boese. Boese withdrew his candidacy for re-election in October after he was nominated by the D.C. Council and later confirmed to be appointed as executive director of the D.C. Office of ANCs.
Board of Elections spokesperson Nicholas Jacobs said it was too late to remove Boese’s name from the ballot, but he said the board posted notices informing voters that Boese had withdrawn his candidacy. However, the election returns show that Boese received 412 votes and 87 write-in votes were cast. It wasn’t expected to be confirmed whether Gallagher will be declared the winner until Nov. 15, when the election board discloses the names of write-in candidates.
Elections board spokesperson Jacobs told the Washington Blade the board requires all write-in candidates to submit an Affirmation of Write-In Candidacy form by Nov. 15 to be certified as the winner of their respective race. Jacobs said the board will disclose the names of winning write-in candidates at that time.
Following is a list of the confirmed LGBTQ ANC candidates who won their election on Nov. 8:
1A04 Jeremy Sherman* (unopposed) – Columbia Heights
1A05 Stephen Coleman Kenny* (unopposed) – Columbia Heights
1A09 James Turner (unopposed) – Columbia Heights
1B01 Larry Handerhan (incumbent/unopposed) – LeDroit Park
1B02 Sean Holihan (Unopposed) – U Street/Shaw
1B03 Jamie S. Sycamore* (unopposed) – Columbia Heights/U Street
1C01 Howard Bauleke* (incumbent/unopposed) — Adams Morgan
1/e03 Michael Wray (incumbent/unopposed) – Park View/Pleasant Plains
1E07 Brian Footer * — Howard University/Pleasant Plains
2A04 Ed Comer * — Foggy Bottom
2B02 Jeffrey Rueckgauer (incumbent/unopposed) – Dupont Circle
2B03 Vincent E. Slatt* (unopposed) – Dupont Circle
2B06 Matt Johnson (unopposed) – Dupont Circle
2B09 Christopher Davis (unopposed) – Dupont Circle/U Street
2C01 Michael D. Shankle (incumbent/unopposed) – Penn Quarter
2C02 Rebecca Strauss* — Downtown
2F04 Brian McCabe* (unopposed) – Logan Circle
2F07 Brant J. Miller (unopposed) – Logan Circle
2G02 Alexander M. ‘Alex’ Padro (unopposed) — Shaw
2G04 Steven McCarty * — Shaw
3C01 Hayden Gise* (she/her) (unopposed) — Woodley Park
3F01 Ryan Cudemus-Brunoli* (unopposed) — Cleveland Park
4B04 Evan Yeats (incumbent/unopposed) — Takoma
5A01 Duvalier Malone* (he/him) — Lamond Riggs
5A09 Zachary Ammerman* (unopposed) — Lamond Riggs
5B02 Nandini Sen* (unopposed) — Brookland
5B04 Ra Amin* (incumbent) — Brookland
5D05 Salvador Sauceda-Guzman (incumbent/unopposed) — Trinidad
5F06 Joe Bishop-Henchman* (unopposed) — Eckington
6A06 Robb Dooling (incumbent/unopposed) – H Street/Capitol Hill
6B03 David Sobelsohn* (unopposed) — Capitol Hill
6D02 Ronald Collins (incumbent) –Southwest
7B02 Jamaal Maurice McCants-Pearsall* (he/him) (unopposed) — Good Hope
7B03 Travis Swanson* (incumbent/unopposed) — Randle Highlands
7C04 Anthony Lorenzo Green (incumbent/unopposed) — Deanwood
These LGBTQ write-in ANC candidates were expected to be certified as winners when they submit a required Affirmation of Write-In Candidacy to the D.C. Board of Elections by Nov. 15 if they have not already done so:
1E01 Bradley Gallagher (write-in/unopposed) – Park View
2F05 Christopher Dyer (write-in/unopposed) –Logan Circle
2F06 Matt Fouracre* (write-in/unopposed) – Logan Circle
6E02 Charles Panfil* (write-in/unopposed) — Mt. Vernon Square
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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