District of Columbia
D.C. police investigating bomb threat targeting mayor’s Pride event
In Tweet, user says ‘I’m gonna bomb it’
D.C. police are investigating a short message posted on the Twitter page of Mayor Muriel Bowser’s Office of LGBTQ Affairs that appears to threaten to place a bomb at the annual District Pride concert scheduled to take place June 29 at the Lincoln Theatre.
A person who self-identifies as Alfie Tingay posted on the LGBTQ Affairs Office post, “i’m gonna bomb it.” The person was referring to the District Pride event that the LGBTQ Affairs Office Twitter page was promoting.
“Join the Mayor’s Office of LGBTQ Affairs for our #District of Pride Showcase on June 29th at 7 p.m.,” the office’s Tweet says. “This show-stopping event will highlight some of our amazing talent who live right here in DC,” the Twitter message says.
The message includes a web address for people to RSVP to attend the event.
The person who self-identifies as Alfie Tingay @alfie_tingay on the mayor’s Tweet posted the “I’m gonna bomb it” message underneath a printed ad in a box on the site promoting the District Of Pride event.
“Tingay” posted the message at the bottom of a list of Twitter addresses to which he sent his Twitter message. They include agencies in the mayor’s office and LGBTQ organizations and media outlets, including the Washington Blade, Tagg magazine, Metro Weekly, D.C. Black Pride, and Capital Pride, the organization sponsoring the upcoming Capital Pride parade and festival on June 10 and 11.
The Blade forwarded the threatening Twitter post to the D.C. police Public Information Office and to the mayor’s office for comment.
In a brief statement sent to the Blade on Friday, May 19, Japer Bowles, director of the Mayor’s Office of LGBTQ Affairs, said his office “reported the tweet and account using Twitter’s reporting system.”
He said his office also reported the threatening tweet to D.C. police and the D.C. Homeland Security And Emergency Management Agency (HSEMA). “No credible threat at this time has been made,” Bowles said in his statement.
“The Mayor’s Office of LGBTQ Affairs, like many of the other community affairs offices that host events in this city, are proud to provide safe and inclusive spaces for our entire community,” Bowles said. “We have and will continue to work with MPD, HSEMA, and our public safety agencies to ensure that we are protected as we celebrate almost 50 years of our strong and diverse LGBTQIA+ community,” he told the Blade in his statement.
A spokesperson for the Lincoln Theatre couldn’t immediately be reached for comment.
D.C. police spokesperson Sean Hicks responded with an email message.
“I have sent this to our Intel Unit and Special Liaison Branch to review,” Hickman told the Blade in an email message. “We will get back to you once we’ve had a chance to look into it,” he said. The Special Liaison Branch includes the department’s LGBT Liaison Unit.
Hickman on Wednesday, May 17, sent the Blade a copy of the police incident report on the Twitter posting matter that the Blade had requested.
The report states, “R-1 [Respondent 1] reports that he observed a Tweet on Twitter that stated, ‘I’m going to bomb it.’ R-1 believes that the subject that posted the Tweet was targeting members and organizations that are a part of and support the LGBTQ community,” the report concludes.
The report states that the identity of R-1 is “CONFIDENTIAL.” Hickman told the Blade R-1 “wished to remain anonymous.” Hickman said police investigators have a copy of the threatening Tweet. He did not say whether someone from the mayor’s office reported the threatening Twitter post to police or whether the police first learned about it from the Blade’s inquiry.
District of Columbia
Campaign launched to elect more LGBTQ candidates to ANC seats
Capital Stonewall Democrats behind Queering ANCs effort
The Capital Stonewall Democrats, D.C.’s largest local LGBTQ political group, announced on July 7 it has launched a campaign to help elect large numbers of LGBTQ candidates to the city’s Advisory Neighborhood Commissions.
The D.C. local government is believed to be unique among U.S. cities in currently having 46 Advisory Neighborhood Commissions consisting of 345 single-member districts in neighborhoods throughout the city in which unpaid Advisory Neighborhood Commissioners are elected for two-year terms.
The commissions are charged with considering a wide range of policies and programs impacting their neighborhoods, including traffic, parking, recreation, street improvements, liquor licenses, zoning, economic development, police protection, sanitation and trash collection, and D.C.’s annual budget, according to the ANC website.
Although the ANCs do not have authority to set or reject policies or proposals, such as applications for liquor licenses, city agencies are required to give “great weight” to ANC recommendations, according to the law creating the ANCs.
Kent Boese, a gay former ANC commissioner, currently serves as executive director of the D.C. Office of ANCs.
“We are launching the most ambitious hyperlocal LGBTQ+ candidate pipeline initiative in the country,” said Stevie McCarty, the Capital Stonewall Democrats president, in a July 7 statement that announced the Queering ANCs campaign.
“As an ANC member, I know firsthand how these seats shape our neighborhoods, from housing and public safety to sanitation,” McCarty says in the statement. “I’m proud to lead this effort to ensure more LGBTQ+ Washingtonians see themselves as leaders in their communities,” he said.
The ANC Rainbow Caucus, which was created by LGBTQ ANC members, shows on its website that there are currently 38 caucus members consisting of elected LGBTQ ANC commissioners serving in the current 2025-2026 two-year term.
The website shows there are LGBTQ commissioners who are caucus members in each of the city’s eight wards, with six in Ward 1, eight in Ward 2, one in Ward 3, six in Ward 4, five in Ward 5, three in Ward 6, eight in Ward 7, and one in Ward 8.
The Washington Blade couldn’t immediately determine how many of them will be running for re-election in D.C.’s general election in November. But McCarty said Capital Stonewall Democrats hopes to recruit many more LGBTQ candidates to run for ANC seats.
The D.C. Board of Elections website shows the deadline for filing 25 required petition signatures to be placed on the ballot is Aug. 5.
A Queering ANCs website launched this week by Capital Stonewall Democrats provides details on how to run for an ANC seat and offers help for those interested in running.
“Think of someone in your building, neighborhood, friend group, community organization, or professional network who cares deeply about D.C. and would make a strong leader,” McCarty says in his statement. “Send them QueeringANCs.org and personally ask them to consider running,” he said.
The website can be accessed at QueeringANCs.org.
District of Columbia
Mary’s House founder, CEO retires
Dr. Imani Woody played leading role in opening DC’s first home for LGBTQ seniors
The board of directors for Mary’s House for Older Adults, DC’s first official home dedicated to providing affordable housing for LGBTQ seniors, announced on July 7 that its founding president and CEO, Dr. Imani Woody, has retired.
Woody, who holds a PhD in Human Services, is credited with playing a leading role over many years in arranging both city and private funding needed to construct and operate the Mary’s House three-story building located at 401 Anacostia Road, S.E., in the city’s Fort Dupont neighborhood.
The house, which opened in March 2025, with a grand opening ceremony held in May 2025, includes 15 single-occupancy residential units and more than 5,000 square feet of shared communal living space.
“It is with profound gratitude and hearts full of celebration that the board of directors of Mary’s House for Older Adults, DC (MHFOA) announces the retirement of our visionary founder, Dr. Imani Woody, from her role as president and CEO,” the Mary’s House board says in a statement.
“Dr. Woody’s journey with Mary’s House began with her vision and a kitchen table gathering of women with a bold, urgent, and loving vision: to create safe, affirming, affordable housing for LGBTQ/SGL older adults in Washington, DC,” the statement says.
It adds, “What started as a dream has grown into DC’s first affordable LGBTQ+/SGL affirming communal living space for adults 60 and over, a 15-room community residence at 401 Anacostia Road in Southeast Washington.”
The statement says Woody will continue to serve on Mary’s House board.
“The board will be sharing information about the leadership transition process in the coming weeks,” the statement continues. “We are committed to honoring Dr. Woody’s legacy by ensuring Mary’s House continues to thrive and grow in faithful service to LGBTQ/SGL elders experiencing housing insecurity and isolation.”
District of Columbia
SMYAL receives $25,000 award for ‘courageous acts’
D.C. group provides support services for LGBTQ youth
The D.C.-based organization SMYAL, which provides services for LGBTQ youth in the D.C. metro area, including housing for homeless LGBTQ youth, announced on June 30 that it received a $25,000 award for its “courageous acts” in support of the community it serves.
The award was a monetary grant from The Courage Project, which describes itself as a “national initiative investing in acts of courage and compassion that strengthens our communities and democracy.”
A statement on its website says it was launched in May 2025 and is funded and backed by leading national foundations in the U.S.
“At SMYAL, we are deeply grateful to receive support from The Courage Project and are inspired by their bold investment in LGBTQ+ youth at such a critical moment,” SMYAL CEO Erin Whelan said in a statement. “For queer and trans young people, simply showing up as themselves each day requires immense courage, and that courage is strengthened when organizations like The Courage Project stand behind them loudly, proudly, and without hesitation,” Whelan said.
In its statement announcing the award SMYAL says The Courage Project will recognize SMYAL and other awardees and their work on July 3 at the Washington National Cathedral as part of a special interfaith service marking the U.S. 250th anniversary.
“The Courage Project is a bold initiative honoring everyday acts of bravery – the quiet, often unseen acts of heroism that reflect the best of the American spirit and strengthen democracy at the community level,” the project states on its website.
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