Local
D.C. cop convicted of assault with dangerous weapon in trans shooting case
Suspended officer acquitted on more serious charge of assault with intent to kill while armed
In a development likely to raise concern among LGBT activists, the jury found D.C. police officer Kenneth Furr not-guilty of all charges related to the firing of his gun through the windshield of a car with the five people inside. (Washington Blade photo by Phil Reese)
An off-duty D.C. police officer accused of firing his service revolver into a car occupied by three transgender women and two male friends in August 2011 was convicted Friday of assault with a dangerous weapon and solicitation for prostitution.
But a D.C. Superior Court jury also found Officer Kenneth Furr, 48, not guilty of six other charges, including the more serious offense of assault with intent to kill while armed.
In a development likely to raise concern among LGBT activists, the jury found Furr not-guilty of all charges related to the firing of his gun through the windshield of the car with the five people inside.
Although three of them suffered non-life-threatening bullet wounds and two weren’t hit, prosecutors said any of the five could have been killed.
“I really wonder what the jury heard and how they could decide not to find intent to kill,” said transgender activist Jeri Hughes. “You don’t fire a gun several times at people and not have intent to kill.”
“It sounds like the defense did a good job in demonizing the victims,” said Hughes, who was among many LGBT activists who viewed the incident as another in series of violent attacks against LGBT people in the city over the past several years.
Police and prosecutors said the incident started with a verbal dispute between Furr and one of the transgender women and her friends when Furr became angry and “aggressive” after the woman refused his offer of money for sex in the area of 5th and K St., N.W.
An increase in violence against trans individuals have prompted activists to become more visible. (Washington Blade file photo by Michael Key)
Superior Court Judge Russell Canan scheduled a sentencing hearing for Jan. 10, 2013. At the request of Furr’s attorneys, Canan released Furr into the court’s high intensity supervision program, which requires that he wear an electronic ankle bracelet and undergo alcohol and drug tests. He had been held in jail since the time of his arrest.
The verdict came after the jury deliberated for nearly nine hours over a two-day period and followed a five-day trial in which the defense disclosed information not previously made public that appears to have strengthened its claim that Furr acted in self-defense.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Lara Worm, the lead prosecutor, argued that Furr acted in a reckless manner and in anger by firing his gun into a car with five unarmed people inside.
A police arrest affidavit says the people in the car reported that Furr shouted, “You’re going to die” seconds before he began shooting. The affidavit says Furr had a blood alcohol level twice the legal limit at the time he was arrested. D.C. police charged him with driving while intoxicated, but that charge was later dropped.
“His actions that day were not okay for a police officer, a teacher or a construction worker,” the Washington Post quoted Worm as telling the jury in opening arguments.
Dispute unfolded prior to shooting
However, in a statement released after the verdict on Friday, the U.S. Attorney’s office acknowledged that the three transgender women and their two male friends chased after Furr in their car after the dispute between the two parties continued to unfold.
At one point, one of the men assaulted Furr, prompting Furr to flee in his car with the trans women and their male friends following him again, according to the U.S. Attorney’s statement.
Fearing for his life, Furr pulled out his gun and began to shoot after seeing the other car in hot pursuit, said David Knight, one of two Public Defender Service lawyers that represented Furr.
“He was alone, outnumbered and under attack,” the Post quoted Knight telling the jury. “He was threatened, assaulted and pursued by a car full of people who wanted to do him harm,” the Post quoted him as saying.
In its statement released after the verdict, the U.S. Attorney’s office said the incident began in the early morning hours of Aug. 26, 2011 when Furr, who was off duty, attempted to pick up transgender prostitutes in an area near 5th and K Streets, N.W., which has long been known as a hangout for transgender sex workers.
“His initial attempts to pick up one transgender woman were rejected by her,” the statement says. “He nonetheless followed her into a drug store at 400 Massachusetts Avenue. Once inside, he continued to solicit her in front of two of her acquaintances,” the statement says.
It says Furr got into a “verbal altercation” with one of the male acquaintances. The statement says a short time later Furr confronted the two acquaintances outside the store and, after more words were exchanged, reached into the glove compartment of his car and pulled out a semi-automatic pistol and pointed it at them.
“[T]his is the offense that led to the guilty verdict on the charge of assault with a dangerous weapon,” the U.S. Attorney’s statement says.
It says that about 20 minutes later three of the complainants from the incident at the drug store and two of their friends crossed paths with Furr in the area of 5th and K Streets, N.W.
“Furr once again was attempting to solicit a transgender prostitute,” the statement says. “The complainants pulled their car next to Furr’s, and at least one of the occupants in the complainants’ car assaulted Furr. Furr sped off and the complainants’ car followed.”
With the complainants following him, Furr drove to the intersection of First and Pierce Streets, N.W., parked his car and began firing his gun at the complainants’ car, the statement says.
“The driver of the victims’ car ducked and hit the accelerator, crashing into the side of Furr’s vehicle,” it says. “Furr then jumped on the hood of the occupied vehicle and continued shooting, firing a total of five rounds. Three of the occupants of the car suffered injuries.”
According to court records and a police report, D.C. police officers who had been on patrol in the area heard the shots being fired and rushed to the scene and placed Furr under arrest.
Furr was held in jail from the time of his arrest to the day of the verdict in his trial, when Canan agreed to release him into the high intensity supervision program while he awaits his Jan. 10 sentencing.
He faces a possible maximum sentence of ten years in prison on the assault with a dangerous weapon charge and up to 90 days on the prostitution charge.
A police spokesperson said Furr has been on indefinite unpaid leave since shortly after his arrest.
On March 7 of this year, a D.C. Superior court grand jury handed down a 9-count indictment against Furr, which included six counts of assault with a dangerous weapon, one count of assault with intent to kill while armed, and two counts of solicitation for prostitution.
At the conclusion of the trial but prior to the case going to the jury, Canan agreed to a defense motion to have the second prostitution charge dismissed, according to court records.
Court records show that the jury acquitted Furr on five counts of assault with a dangerous weapon and one count of assault with intent to kill while armed.
Defense attorney raises issue of victims’ criminal records, conflicting statements
At least two of the five victims were subjected to intense questioning from defense attorney Knight, who pointed to discrepancies between their trial testimony and testimony before the grand jury.
Chloe Alexander Moore, one of the transgender women involved in the case, testified that Furr solicited her for sex for money at the 5th and K Street, N.W. location and inside a CVS drug store nearby. In response to questioning by Knight, she acknowledged that she failed to tell the grand jury that one of her male friends assaulted Furr on the night of the incident prior to the shooting, according to the Washington Post.
Knight also brought up a solicitation charge pending against her in D.C. and asked if prosecutors in the Furr case promised her special consideration in her pending case if she cooperated by testifying against Furr.
“Of course,” the Post quoted her as saying. “Who wouldn’t want a case dropped for something you weren’t guilty of,” the Post quoted her as saying.
John Brand, one of the two male friends in the car with the three transgender women at the time of the shooting, testified that he was drunk at the time of the incident and could not remember whether he assaulted Furr.
Asked by Knight whether it is possible that he did commit the assault, Brand said, “Yes.”
Knight also asked Brand about his own past criminal record, which includes arrests for marijuana possession and distribution and an illegal gun possession charge.
Observers of criminal trials say it’s a common practice for defense attorneys to raise questions about the credibility of prosecution witnesses. It’s the job of prosecutors to remind jurors that a prior criminal record doesn’t mean a witness’s credibility should be automatically discarded, court observers have said.
Jeffrey Light, an attorney for the D.C. Trans Coalition who attended part of the trial, couldn’t immediately be reached for comment.
“This verdict does not seem unreasonable to me, especially considering the credibility issues of the government’s witnesses and the obvious strong self-defense component to the case,” said D.C. area attorney Dale Edwin Sanders.
“No one would have been injured if the victims had not chased down Furr in their vehicle after first assaulting him in an altercation in which apparently Furr did not respond aggressively…and left the scene,” said Sanders in speculating on how jurors may have viewed the incident.
District of Columbia
Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington to celebrate Spring Affair honorees
‘Their work inspires our music and deepens our mission’
For 44 years, the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington (GMCW) has served as a powerful voice for love, unity, and pride among Washington’s LGBTQ community and its allies. Since its first performance in 1981—at the opening of the National Gay Task Force’s Washington office (later becoming the National LGBTQ Task Force)—GMCW has built a politically engaged and culturally significant legacy as one of the nation’s foremost LGBTQ performing arts organizations.
As its music and mission evolved, GMCW deepened its involvement in supporting LGBTQ individuals and allies alike. In 2004, the chorus launched its first Spring Affair fundraiser. This annual event not only generates financial support for the inclusive choral group, but also honors individuals and organizations in the Washington community who exemplify GMCW’s mission of unity, equity, and empowerment through music.
Each year at the Spring Affair gala, the chorus honors one community leader, one external organization, and one GMCW member. For the 2025 gala, GMCW will recognize Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde, Atlas Performing Arts Center, and GMCW member Keygan Miller.
“These honorees remind us why we sing,” said Thea Kano, artistic director of the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington, DC, in an email. “In moments when our community has needed strength, they’ve offered hope. Whether it’s a brave voice from the pulpit, a tireless advocate for our youth, or an organization that opens its doors to every story—each has chosen to lead with love, truth, and courage. Their work inspires our music and deepens our mission.”
GMCW will honor Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde, the first woman elected to lead the Episcopal Diocese of Washington, as its 2025 individual award recipient. A longtime champion of equity and inclusion, Bishop Budde gained national prominence during the Inaugural Prayer Service at Washington National Cathedral, where she spoke directly to newly sworn-in President Donald Trump.
“Have mercy, Mr. President,” she implored, lifting the hopes of the most vulnerable Americans targeted by Trump’s policies—particularly LGBTQ and immigrant communities. Her bold words signaled to the nation that she remains a genuine and outspoken voice for justice, unity, and truth, inspiring compassion and faith within and beyond her religious community.
GMCW will present the Harmony Award for an Organization to the Atlas Performing Arts Center, located in the historic H Street, N.E. corridor. In 2024 alone, Atlas hosted more than 400 events and provided $1.6 million in free and discounted tickets, arts education, community programming, and space use. Through this work, Atlas has amplified “artistic voices that reflect the full diversity of our community.”
The center has long partnered with GMCW, offering space for open mic nights, cabarets, GenOUT Chorus events like the Youth Summit, and even memorial services such as that for Bobby T. Boaz. Atlas exemplifies GMCW’s mission of storytelling, equity, and civic connection through programs like the INTERSECTIONS Festival and City at Peace.
“We are absolutely thrilled and deeply honored that the Atlas Performing Arts Center has been named a recipient of the GMCW Harmony Award! This recognition is a powerful affirmation of our commitment to uplifting voices, fostering inclusive creative expression, and building a space where everyone feels seen, heard, and celebrated,” said Jarrod Bennett, Executive Director of the Atlas Performing Arts Center.
“At the Atlas, our mission is rooted in the belief that the arts are for everyone—and that through performance, dialogue, and community, we can help shape a more just, compassionate world. To be acknowledged by the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington, DC—an organization that has long stood at the forefront of championing equality and advancing the well-being of the LGBTQ+ community—is a profound and humbling honor. We continue to be inspired by GMCW’s work and are proud to stand alongside them in this shared vision. Thank you, GMCW, for this beautiful recognition. We carry it forward with gratitude and renewed energy for the work ahead.”
Finally, GMCW will honor Keygan Miller, a chorus member since 2017, for their leadership, advocacy, and commitment to equity both onstage and off. Within GMCW, Miller served as Vice President of Diversity and Inclusion, led conversations to expand trans inclusion, authored the “Day One” pledge, and played a critical role in shaping inclusive programming.
Outside the chorus, Miller serves as Director of Public Training for The Trevor Project, a national nonprofit focused on crisis intervention and suicide prevention services for LGBTQ youth under 25. They previously worked as an Advocacy Manager at the Trevor Project, where they championed policies protecting LGBTQ+ youth at every level of government.
As GMCW continues its mission to uplift and unite through music, the organization encourages new voices to join its ranks. GMCW welcomes all singers—regardless of gender identity or sexual orientation—who can sing in the lower vocal registers.
The 2025 Spring Affair Gala will take place on May 17, 2025, at The Ritz-Carlton, Washington, D.C. This annual benefit supports GMCW’s artistic and educational programming. For tickets, audition information, and more, visit GMCW.org.
District of Columbia
Activists stage reenactment of 1965 gay rights protest at White House
Event marked 60th anniversary of historic picketing
With dozens of tourists watching, a little over two dozen LGBTQ activists walked in a circular picket line carrying “homosexual rights” signs on the sidewalk in front of the White House on April 17 in a reenactment of the historic 1965 first gay rights protest outside the White House.
Organized by D.C.’s Rainbow History Project, the event marked the 60th anniversary of the 1965 protest, which was organized by gay rights pioneers Frank Kameny and Lilli Vincenz on behalf of the Mattachine Society of Washington, one of D.C.’s first gay rights groups that Kameny co-founded in the early 1960s.
“The White House picket is the origin story for public demonstrations for gay rights in the U.S., and the origin story for Pride marches and the annual LGBTQ Pride celebrations which occur across the globe,” according to a leaflet prepared by Rainbow History Project that participants in the reenactment handed out to passersby and tourists.
Among those participating in the reenactment protest was longtime D.C. LGBTQ rights advocate Paul Kuntzler, who is the last known survivor of the 1965 White House gay rights protest. Kuntzler carried a replica of the sign he said he carried at the 1965 protest, which states, “Fifteen Million U.S. Homosexuals Protest Federal Treatment.”
Other signs carried by participants stated, “Homosexuals Died for Their Country, Too;” “White House Refuses Replies To Our Letters – Afraid Of Us?”; “Cuba’s Government Persecutes Homosexuals, U.S. Government Beats Them To It;” “Homosexuals are American Citizens, Too.”
The leaflet that participants distributed at the April 17 reenactment, which includes a photo of the 1965 event, lists what it says were the four main demands issued by the Mattachine Society of Washington in 1965.
They called for an end to “the exclusion of homosexuals from federal employment,” an end to the ban on gays from serving in the U.S. military, an end to the “blanket denial of security clearances for gay people,” and an end to the government’s refusal to meet with the LGBTQ community or to reply to their letters.
The leaflet includes an excerpt from a letter that Kameny wrote to then-President Lyndon B. Johnson around the time of the 1965 protest.
“We ask you, Mr. President, for what all American citizens – singly and collectively – have the right to ask,” the letter states. “That our problems be given fair, unbiased consideration…consideration in which we, ourselves, are allowed to participate actively and are invited to do so.”
The leaflet notes that although Kameny died in 2011 and Vincenz died in 2023, “their legacy is carried on by modern LGBTQ+ rights activists, who continue to advocate for employment opportunities, legal protections, inclusive health services, and more.”
Rainbow History Project official Vincent Slatt, one of the lead organizers of the reenactment protest, said his group had no trouble obtaining a permit from the National Park Service to hold the event outside the White House.
“I think the picket is going very, very well today,” he said while watching the picketers on the White House sidewalk. “We have a couple of dozen people participating. And there are lots of tourists engaging,” he said. “We’re handing out pamphlets to let them know about the historic picket and the importance of learning LGBT history.”
Slatt added, “But the highest impact is really that the media showed up to spread awareness of this.”
Lesbian activist Leticia Gomez, while walking on the White House picket line at the reenactment event, said she was among those who benefited from the 1965 protest and those that followed in support of LGBTQ rights.
“I’m blessed,” she said. “I got to work 34 years for the federal government as an out lesbian in the Department of the Navy,” she told the Blade. “So, because of what they did and all the other protests that came after that, it allowed me to have the career that I had.”
Also walking the picket line at the April 17 reenactment event was Deacon Maccubbin, owner of the former D.C. LGBTQ bookstore Lambda Rising and organizer of D.C.’s first Gay Pride Day event in 1975.
“It was really wonderful to be here today after 60 years,” he said. “I wasn’t at the first one,” he told the Blade. “But it’s just wonderful that this happened in 1965. It started the ball rolling, and all the progress that we’ve made, the fact that we do gay Pride every year in D.C. – all of those are dependent on this demonstration that got started in 1965.”
District of Columbia
Capital Pride wins $900,000 D.C. grant to support WorldPride
Funds not impacted by $1 billion budget cut looming over city
Capital Pride Alliance, the nonprofit D.C. group organizing WorldPride 2025, this week received a $900,000 grant from the city to help support the multiple events set to take place in D.C. May 17-June 8.
According to an announcement by D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser and Events D.C., the city’s official convention, sports, and events authority, Capital Pride Alliance was one of 11 nonprofit groups organizing 2025 D.C. events to receive grants totaling $3.5 million.
The announcement says the grants are from the city’s Large Event Grant Program, which is managed by Events D.C. It says the grant program is funded by the Office of the D.C. Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development through a grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce Economic Development Administration.
Nina Albert, the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development, told the Washington Blade that because the grants consist of federal funds already disbursed to the city, they are not impacted by the billion dollar budget cut imposed on the city by Congress earlier this year.
“WorldPride is one of the 11 grantees, and we’re really just excited that there’s going to be generated a large crowd and introducing the city to a national and international audience,” Albert said. “And we think it is going to be a real positive opportunity.”
The statement from the mayor’s office announcing the grants says funds from the grants can be used to support expenses associated with hosting large events such as venue rental fees, security, labor costs, equipment and other infrastructure costs.
“All of those things are things that we do for our major events, including WorldPride,” said Ryan Bos, executive director of Capital Pride Alliance. “So, the resources from this grant will be extremely helpful as we approach the final weeks of preparation of WorldPride Washington, D.C.,” he said.
Bos said Events D.C. has been an important partner in helping to promote WorldPride 2025 since the planning began more than two years ago. “And we’re excited to have them now support us financially to get us over the finish line and have an amazing event.”
Both Bos and Deputy Mayor Albert said WorldPride organizers and D.C. government officials were doing all they can to inform potential visitors from abroad and other parts of the U.S. that the local D.C. government that is hosting WorldPride is highly supportive of the LGBTQ community.
The two said WorldPride organizers and the city are pointing out to potential visitors that the local D.C. government is separate from the Trump administration and members of Congress that have put in place or advocated for policies harmful to the LGBTQ community.
“D.C. is more than the federal city,” Bos told the Blade. “It’s more than the White House, more than the Capitol,” he said. “We have a vibrant, progressive, inclusive community with many neighborhoods and a great culture.”
Marcus Allen, an official with Broccoli City, Inc., the group that organizes D.C.’s annual Broccoli City Music Festival, reached out to the Blade to point out that Broccoli City was among the 11 events, along with WorldPride, to receive a D.C. Large Event Grant of $250,000.
Allen said the Broccoli City Festival, which includes performances by musicians and performing artists of interest to African Americans and people of color, is attended by large numbers of LGBTQ people. This year’s festival will be held Aug. 8-10, with its main event taking place at Washington Nationals Stadium.
“Visitors from around the world come to D.C. to experience our world-class festivals and events,” Mayor Bowser said in the grants announcement statement. “These grants help bring that experience to life, with the music, the food, and the spirit of our neighborhoods,” she said. “Together with Events D.C., we’re creating jobs, supporting local talent, and showcasing the vibrancy of our city.”
The full list of organizations receiving this year’s Large Event grants are:
• Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington
• National Cherry Blossom Festival, Inc.
• Asia Heritage Foundation
• Capital Pride Alliance
• U.S. Soccer Federation
• Broccoli City, Inc.
• U.S.A. Rugby Football Union
• Washington Tennis and Education Foundation
• D.C. Jazz Festival
• Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company
• Fiesta D.C., Inc.
“Events DC is focused on creating unique experiences that result in jobs, economic impact, and lasting memories for residents, tourists, and guests,” said Events DC President and CEO Angie M. Gates in the announcement statement. “Through the Large Event Grant Program, we will support even more remarkable events this year that build community connections, celebrate our distinctive culture, and contribute to our economy.”
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