Local
5 lesbians attacked; police refuse to take report
Suspect released as cops threatened to arrest victims
UPDATE: Police Chief Lanier has responded to this incident and announced there could be terminations; read more here.
A man who shouted the words “dyke” and “bitches” as he and another man assaulted five lesbians outside the Columbia Heights Metro station at 3 a.m. on July 30 was released by D.C. police officers after they apprehended him on the scene, according to two of the victims.
A third man who accompanied the two attackers used his cell phone to make a video recording of the attack and continued to record the unfolding drama after the police arrived, said Yazzmen Morse, 21, who suffered a black eye and a swollen face from the assault.
According to Morse and the other victim, six or seven officers arrived on the scene in four police cars after responding to an apparent 911 call from a bystander. The two women said the officers, who are assigned to the Third District police station, refused to take a report of the incident, ignoring the women’s repeated requests to make a report.
“The police grabbed one of the attackers and restrained him,” Morse told the Blade. “Then they let him go. And then they said they didn’t want to hear our stories.”
An officer assigned to the D.C. police Gay & Lesbian Liaison Unit did make a report of the incident three days later, on Aug. 2. Morse said the GLLU became involved after her mother called police to complain about the refusal of the officers on the scene to report the attack.
The GLLU report lists the incident as an anti-gay hate crime.
Morse and the victim, who spoke on condition that she not be identified, said all five women are pleased with the thoroughness of GLLU Officer Joseph Morquecho, who interviewed Morse at her place of work and the other four by phone.
But the two said they are outraged that the officers on the scene refused to take a report and declined to arrest one of the two suspects. They said the second suspect fled as police arrived.
Morse and the other victim said they do not know the identities of any of the officers on the scene.
The two also said the man who recorded the incident on video with his cell phone appeared to be enjoying the spectacle and continued to record after police arrived.
“We’re all wondering if this is going to be on YouTube,” said the woman who asked not to be identified. She said the officers on the scene made no effort to stop the man from recording the incident or to take his cell phone to observe the recording as possible evidence in the case.
Although the GLLU filed the police report, Third District officers and detectives are responsible for investigating the incident since the crime took place within that district.
D.C. Police Chief Cathy Lanier released a statement on Friday saying she learned about the incident Thursday night.
“I was appalled when I heard about the incident and the conduct of the officers,” Lanier said. “Obviously, this is not the kind of service that the Metropolitan Police Department provides. I have spoken with victims in this case and I want to assure them and the public that the incident and the conduct of the officers are being investigated thoroughly,” she said.
“I have received an update on this case and I am confident that we will be making arrests,” she said.
A.J. Singletary, chair of the D.C. group Gays and Lesbians Opposing Violence, said GLOV would urge police officials to investigate the conduct of the officers on the scene and take disciplinary action if the account of the incident by the victims is confirmed.
“This is just unacceptable,” he said.
Singletary said GLOV members were scheduled to meet with Lanier on Friday over the group’s ongoing concern that the GLLU wasn’t getting sufficient support from police officials, including Lanier. He said he and other GLOV members would raise the issue of the police handling of the July 30 attack on the five lesbians.
The victim, who asked that her name be withheld, said she, Morse and the other three women targeted by the two men were horrified when the man that police released began to laugh and taunt the women as he walked away.
“He walked across the street laughing,” she said. “And I will never forget his face – he was just smiling. And we are five people who are in tears and he is just laughing at us.”
The police report made by the GLLU says the incident began when the two male suspects approached the five women as they were walking along the 3100 block of 14th Street, N.W. The block is in the heart of the shopping and entertainment area of the city’s Columbia Heights neighborhood.
The report says the two suspects began to “flirt” with two of the women. It says one of the women responded by telling the men she wasn’t interested and she was with her girlfriend.
“Suspect 1 became enraged and stated, “You fucking dyke bitches, I will kick that bitch’s ass,” the report says. “I will take that dyke bitch into the alley and kick her ass,” the report quotes suspect 1 as saying.
According to the two women who spoke to the Blade, the suspect was referring to Morse, who is the girlfriend of one of the two women that the two suspects approached. Morse said she walked over to the men to find out what was going on.
The police report, which lists Morse as Complainant 1, says suspect 1 punched her in the left eye. “Complainant 1 staggered back and Suspect 1 punched C-1 twice more with a closed fist. It says that when the other women tried to assist C-1, they were hit by both suspects.
The suspects punched each of the women in the head and face, the report says.
The report describes suspect 1 as a black male between the ages of 20 and 25; 5-feet-seven inches to 5-feet-eight-inches tall, weighing between 150-160 pounds, with a dark complexion and athletic build.
It describes suspect 2 as a black male, between 20 and 25 years old, between 5-feet-eight and five-feet-nine inches tall, weighing between 150 and 160 pounds, having a medium brown complexion and medium or average build. It says suspect 2 had a mustache and both suspects wore blue pants and a white shirt.
The report lists all five victims as black females.
The victim who asked not to be identified said the officers on the scene gave no explanation for refusing to take a report. But she said some of the officers told them they were too agitated.
“They were telling us if you guys don’t calm down we’re going to lock you guys up,” the woman said. “One officer said I’m not talking to you because you guys don’t know how to act,” she said.
“And yes, we were panicking. Yes, we were crying. Yes, we were going off,” she said. “But the fact is these men had just hit us.”
The attack on the five lesbians comes less than two weeks after a D.C. transgender woman was shot to death in Northeast D.C. and one day after a second transgender woman was targeted by a suspect who fired a gun at her but missed hitting her just one block from where the first victim was killed.
GLOV joined transgender activists in criticizing police for not adequately releasing information to the LGBT community and public about the July 20 shooting near the 6100 block of Dix Street, N.E., that left transgender woman Lashai Mclean dead. Both cases remain open, with police looking into anti-transgender hatred as a possible motive.
District of Columbia
D.C. parties with a purpose for Cherry Weekend
LGBTQ community to benefit from money raised
Washington’s queer community will have the opportunity to party with a purpose this weekend as Cherry Weekend returns to raise money for LGBTQ organizations in D.C.
Cherry Weekend is an annual celebration of parties, DJs, and drag that gives the LGBTQ community a chance to let their hair down, dance, drink and be merry-while supporting some of the city’s most vulnerable queer residents through the Cherry Fund.
This year’s Cherry Weekend runs April 11-13, with four parties, eight DJs and one iconic drag performance from Detox, a former “RuPaul’s Drag Race” contestant, all in support of the Cherry Fund.
Founded in 1996 by local LGBTQ residents, the Cherry Fund raises money to make Washington a safer and more inclusive place for LGBTQ people to live, grow and thrive. Cherry Weekend is the nonprofit’s flagship fundraising event, supporting LGBTQ community members living with HIV and those struggling with mental health challenges.
The Cherry Fund has donated to a wide range of D.C.-based organizations over the years. This year, proceeds will support the DC LGBTQ+ Community Center, and the ReelAbilities Film Festival of Greater Washington, which promotes “awareness and appreciation of the lives, stories and artistic expressions of people with disabilities.”
As the longest-running 501(c)(3) nonprofit circuit party organization in the U.S., the Cherry Fund has a reputation to uphold-and in 2025, it’s doing so with four “CHERRY ELEMENT”-themed dance parties across the city.
The weekend kicks off at 11 p.m. Friday with the “AIR” party at DC9 Nightclub (1940 9th St., N.W.) in Shaw. DJs Orel Sabag (Israel) and Jake Maxwell (U.S.) will spin music to “elevate your spirit and unite your soul in a celebration of the CHERRY element.”
Saturday night brings the main event: The “FIRE” party at Betty in Brentwood (1235 W St., N.E.), featuring Detox, along with DJs Tezrah (U.S.) and Las Bibas from Vizcaya (Brazil). From 10 p.m. to 4 a.m., “scorching beats” and a fiery atmosphere will heat up the dance floor.
After the smoke clears, Flash Nightclub in Shaw (645 Florida Ave., N.W.) will host the “EARTH” after-party from 4-8 a.m. Sunday, with DJs Calagna (U.S.) and Ed Wood (Puerto Rico) providing the soundtrack.
The weekend wraps Sunday night with the “WATER” party at Bunker (2001 14th St., N.W.), where DJs Chord (U.S.) and Jesus Montanez (Mexico) will play “cool, flowing beats” from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m.
Tickets and a full schedule are available at CherryDC.com. To learn more about the Cherry Fund, visit CherryFund.org.
District of Columbia
WorldPride organizers may warn trans people from abroad not to attend event
Capital Pride official cites anti-trans policies of Trump administration
One of the lead organizers of WorldPride 2025, set to take place in D.C. May 17-June 8, told members of the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments, known as COG, on April 9 that due to the recently implemented anti-trans policies of the Trump administration, it may be dangerous for trans people traveling from abroad to attend WorldPride in D.C, according to a report by WTOP News.
The WTOP report says the message of concern was delivered by Ryan Bos, executive director of D.C.’s Capital Pride Alliance, which is the lead organizer of WorldPride 2025. The news report says Bos spoke at a meeting of COG, which consists of local government officials from D.C. and the surrounding suburban counties in Maryland and Virginia.
“It’s possible that we may actually issue a statement telling trans folks internationally not to come, or if they come, they come at their own risk,” WTOP quoted Bos as saying.
“So, these are the things that we will be discussing with the D.C. government and our partners to determine how best to communicate that to ensure that we’re getting the resources to the folks that need it,” Bos said according to the WTOP report.
WTOP reported that some members of the COG board expressed concern over the news that it may be harmful for trans people to travel to the D.C. area for WorldPride.
“It’s really shameful that you all are having to consider making statements like that,” WTOP quoted Frederick County, Md., Executive Jessica Fitzwater as saying. “It’s really heartbreaking.”
D.C. Council member Charles Allen (D-Ward 6), who attended the COG meeting, told Bos, “I’m disheartened to hear that, but I hope you also recognize you’ve got partners in this room that want to be right there with you to make sure this is a wonderful, successful event, a safe event, that’s going to take place across the whole region,” WTOP reports.
Capital Pride Alliance, in response to a request for further comment on Bos’s remarks at the COG meeting, said in a brief statement that Bos’s presentation was limited to what “may happen.” The statement said no official decision has been made regarding a possible warning for trans people considering attending WorldPride.
District of Columbia
Capital Jewish Museum announces LGBT exhibition
‘LGBT Jews in the Federal City’ set to open during WorldPride
D.C.’s Capital Jewish Museum has announced plans to open a special exhibition called “LGBT Jews in the Federal City” on May 16 that will remain at the museum at 575 3rd St., N.W. until Jan. 4, 2026.
“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,” according to a statement released by the museum.
“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,” the statement says.
The statement notes that the exhibition will take place as D.C. hosts WorldPride 2025, which is scheduled to be held in locations across the city from May 17 through June 8. It points out that the LGBT exhibition will also take place during Jewish American Heritage Month in May and Pride Month in June.
“‘LGBT Jews in the Federal City’ will present more than 100 artifacts and photographs, representing the DMV region’s Jewish LGBTQ+ celebrations, spaces, joys, and personal stories,” the statement adds.
It says a centerpiece of the exhibition will be The Bet Mishpachah Collection, a new museum acquisition focusing on the LGBTQ supportive synagogue founded in D.C. in 1975 that is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year.
“This assemblage represents one of the most extensive archives of an LGBTQ+ Jewish congregation in the nation,” the statement says. “Selections from the collection will be on view for the first time.”
Other aspects of the exhibition, the statement says, include campaign posters and photos related to D.C. gay rights pioneer Frank Kameny; archival records from the Washington Blade, the exploring of “the wide variety of changes made at area synagogues,” and a panel from the AIDS Memorial Quilt that features a prominent Jewish Washingtonian who was lost 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 statement points out.
“After leaving the exhibition, visitors can contribute to the Museum’s collection and storytelling by sharing photographs, personal archives, or by recording stories,” it says.
“As board president at the Capital Jewish Museum and longtime member of both the Jewish and the LGBTQ communities in D.C., I am very proud that we are the first museum to bring to life the stories of the LGBTQ Jewish community in the federal city,” said Chris Wolf, president of the museum’s board of directors.
“We are deeply honored to present this show, our first self-curated special exhibition – adding Jews into the rich, proud history of LGBTQ+ D.C.,” said Beatrice Gurwitz, the museum’s executive director. “This exhibition will help write the local, regional, and national history of the Jewish LGBTQ+ community.”
Among the “Premier Sponsor” financial supporters of the LGBT exhibition, according to the museum statement, is Jeffrey Slavin, who’s gay, and has served as the mayor of Summerset, Md., in Montgomery County, since 2008.
“I think it’s so important for us to tell our stories,” said Slavin, who said he was honored to help support the exhibition in his role as a gay elected official who grew up in the Jewish community in the D.C. area.
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