Local
Sarvis seeks to provide Virginia voters with ‘a better choice’
Libertarian gubernatorial candidate continues to take votes away from Ken Cuccinelli
Robert Sarvis and his family (Photo courtesy of Robert Sarvis)
“[I’m] somebody who’s talking about issues that would otherwise go untalked about,” he said during an interview before former Democratic National Committee Chair Terry McAuliffe and Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli squared off in their latest debate that took place at the Capital One Conference Center in McLean. “[I’m running] to make sure there’s a candidate that’s talking about freedom across the board — both economic freedom and personal liberty.”
Recent polls suggest that Sarvis, 37, has become a factor in Cuccinelli’s gradual loss of support among Virginia voters over the last several weeks.
A Washington Post-Abt SRBI poll released two days before the September 25 debate found 47 percent of likely Virginia voters support McAuliffe, compared to 39 percent who support Cuccinelli and 10 percent who back Sarvis. A survey that Quinnipiac University conducted between Sept. 9-15 found McAuliffe ahead of Cuccinelli by a 44-41 percent margin. Seven percent of respondents said they support Sarvis.
“When you look at all the polls together, it becomes pretty clear that a lot of my support is coming from independents,” Sarvis told the Blade. “There’s support coming from people who are very much dissatisfied with their party’s candidate. And it comes fairly equally from both sides.”
Sarvis, who lives in Annandale in Fairfax County with his wife Astrid and their two children, left the Republican Party in 2011 after he unsuccessfully challenged current Senate Minority Leader Richard Saslaw (D-Fairfax County.)
“I was a fairly explicitly moderate, libertarian Republican,” Sarvis said. “I learned that the Republican Party just isn’t a good vehicle for liberty candidates. The move to the Libertarian Party kind of frees me up to push hard on the things that I believe in.”
Sarvis ran his first television campaign ad during the September 25 debate between McAuliffe and Cuccinelli. He also highlighted his support of nuptials for gays and lesbians over the summer in an online spot that highlighted the landmark 1967 U.S. Supreme Court case that found the commonwealth’s ban on interracial marriages unconstitutional.
Sarvis said in the ad he may not have been able to marry his wife if Richard and Mildred Loving hadn’t challenged the Virginia law that deemed their D.C. marriage illegal.
“Today Virginia is still not for all lovers,” Sarvis said. “That’s why I want to honor the Loving legacy and lead the fight now in this election to recognize same-sex marriage in Virginia.”
Sarvis stressed to the Blade that some Virginia voters are “deathly afraid” of Cuccinelli becoming the commonwealth’s next governor. He further criticized the attorney general over his decision to appeal three-judge panel’s March ruling that found Virginia’s anti-sodomy law unconstitutional.
“When did he become a judicial activist, asking a court to rewrite the law from a morals legislation to child protection,” Sarvis said, referring to Cuccinelli’s claim the statute protects children. “He’s pretty not credible on that issue and it just goes to show he’s just out of the mainstream on it.”
Sarvis said he feels Republican lieutenant gubernatorial candidate E.W. Jackson is “fairly aligned” with Cuccinelli over their opposition to marriage rights for same-sex couples in Virginia and what he described as his anti-gay rhetoric. He added he feels McAuliffe would not prove an effective advocate for LGBT Virginians in spite of his public support for marriage rights for gays and lesbians in the commonwealth.
“I’m in a really unique position to push that forward, to reach out to people in the GOP and explain to them why it’s such an important issue and why the GOP is wrong,” Sarvis said, referring to strong opposition to the issue in the Virginia House of Delegates. “Starting from the premise that it’s not going to pass is a huge mistake.”
Sarvis said he also supports employment protections for gay employees and LGBT-inclusive discrimination provisions to any group that receives a state subsidy.
“People in public employment should not be discriminated against,” he said. “If you’re employed by the state, certainly the state shouldn’t be allowed to discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation.”
Maryland
‘Girlfriends’ wanted for murder in Silver Spring, Md.
Montgomery County police say two charged with killing mother of one of them
The Montgomery County, Md., Department of Police announced on June 4 that it is seeking the public’s help in locating two women, who they identify as a couple, who are charged with first-degree murder for allegedly killing the mother of one of them.
In a statement police identified the two women as Vanessa Tjongarero-Henderson of Clarksburg, Md., and her girlfriend Samantha Raebel of Phoenix, Ariz. The statement says the two are charged with the murder of Hilde Henderson, 67, the mother of Vanessa.
According to the statement, officers with the department’s 3rd District found Hilde Henderson deceased on Tuesday, May 26, 2026, at her home at the Charter House apartments in the 1300 block of Fenwick Lane in Silver Spring after being called to check on the resident’s welfare.
“Henderson was transported to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, where an autopsy was conducted,” the statement says. “The cause of death was ruled a homicide.”
It adds, “Through the course of the investigation, detectives identified Henderson’s daughter, Vanessa Tjongarero-Henderson and Vanessa’s girlfriend, Raeble, as the suspects.” It says detectives obtained an arrest warrant against the two women, charging both with first-degree murder.
“Anyone with information regarding the location of these suspects or this crime is asked to call 911 or to visit the Crime Solvers of Montgomery County, Md. website at crimesolversmcmd.org,” the statement says, or to call the tip line at 1-866-411-8477.
“Tips with information leading to an arrest may be eligible for a reward from $250 up to $10,000,” it says, adding that tips may remain anonymous.
A spokesperson for Montgomery County police didn’t immediately respond to a request from the Washington Blade for information not disclosed in the police statement, including the physical-medical cause of death for Hilde Henderson and whether detectives have determined a motive for the murder.
District of Columbia
D.C. Latinx Pride celebrates culture and heritage
Your guide to events throughout June
Organizers with the Latinx History Project have planned a host of events this Pride season with parties, poetry, drag and more.
The festivities begin with the DC Latinx Pride 2026 Kickoff at Crush Dance Bar (2007 14th Street, N.W.) on Friday, June 12 from 6-10 p.m. The party will include a coronation ceremony for the 2026 Royal Court: Ms. DC Latinx Pride Vida Rangel and Mx. DC Latinx Pride Steph Niaupari. RSVP at latinxhistoryproject.org. The event is free, though donations are accepted.
An outdoor event is planned for Sunday, June 14 from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. at Anacostia River Park (1500 Anacostia Dr., S.E.). Cultivating Queer Outdoor Joy is a “peaceful outdoor community event focused on grounding, connection, and queer joy in nature.” The event is free.
A panel discussion is planned for The Festival Center (1640 Columbia Rd., N.W., 2nd floor) on Monday, June 15 from 6-8 p.m. La Plática: The Future of 2 Spirits and Trans Natives will focus upon the “stories, leadership and vision of Two-Spirit, Indigiqueer and Trans Native people.” RSVP to the free event at latinxhistoryproject.org.
A sex-positive poetry workshop, “Hoetry: Writing Erotic Poetry,” is planned for Wednesday, June 17 from 6-8 p.m. at The Festival Center (1640 Columbia Road, N.W.). The event is free.
The workshop So You Wanna Do Drag? is planned for Thursday, June 18 from 5:30-8 p.m. at The Festival Center (1640 Columbia Road, N.W.). Featured guests Ricky Rose and Mari Con Carne will hold a style showcase to discuss the basics of developing a drag persona. RSVP to the free event at latinxhistoryproject.org.
The Latinx History Project is collaborating with Rumba Queer DC to produce an official Latinx Pride Party: Sin Vergüenza. The event is at the multi-level venue, Transmission (1353 H Street, N.E.) on Thursday, June 18 from 7 p.m.-1 a.m. There are dance lessons, vendors and three different music experiences in the sprawling venue. There will also be a drag showcase from 10-11 p.m. The event is 21+ and tickets are available at shotgun.live/en/events/sin-verguenza. Tickets are $15 for entry into the party. Tickets to participate in the dance lesson are $29.98. Participants may choose between a bachata lesson or a salsa lesson from 7-8 p.m.
La Fiesta: Official DC Latinx Pride Party is planned for Friday, June 19 from 10 p.m. – 2 a.m. at Bunker (2001 14th Street, N.W.). Serena Morena from “Drag Race México” and “Drag Race UK vs The World” is slated to headline the 21+ event. Early tickets are available for $15 (plus $0.38 service fee) until June 16. The door cover charge without early tickets is $20. Attendees can also purchase a meet and greet experience with Serena Morena for $30. Tickets are available at latinxhistoryproject.org.
The Latinx History Project plans to march in the Capital Pride Parade on Saturday, June 20 and to have a table at the Capital Pride Festival on Sunday, June 21. Visit latinxhistoryproject.org to register to march alongside LGP in the parade or to staff the table at the festival.
The DC Latinx Pride 2026 Closing Event is scheduled for Friday, June 26 from 6:30-8:30 p.m. at the Mexican Cultural Institute (2829 16th Street, N.W.). The free event is a panel discussion “centering the experiences of immigrants who have lived in Latin America and now call the United States home.”
Visit latinxhistoryproject.org for more information.
District of Columbia
JR.’s hosts meet & greet for mayoral candidate Janeese Lewis George
Event organized by Capital Stonewall Democrats, Queers for Janeese
D.C. mayoral candidate Janeese Lewis George spoke to a crowd of LGBTQ supporters on June 1 at a meet & greet event held at JR.’s on 17th Street in the Dupont Circle neighborhood.
The event, organized by Capital Stonewall Democrats, which has endorsed Lewis George for mayor, with support from a group called Queers for Janeese, was followed by a “get out the vote” canvassing endeavor in which several of those attending the meet & greet visited the homes of nearby residents known to be Lewis George supporters.
The purpose of the canvassing was to remind Lewis George supporters to return their mail-in ballots or go to the polls on June 16 to elect Lewis George as the city’s next mayor, according to Matthew Kavanagh, one of the leaders of Queers for Janeese who attended the meet & greet event at JR.’s.
Local political observers consider Lewis George, a Ward 4 D.C. Council member, and former At-Large D.C. Council member Kenyan McDuffie, to be the two leading candidates in this year’s race for mayor. The two are among seven mayoral candidates competing in the city’s June 16 Democratic primary.
Lewis George told those attending the meet & greet, which was held on the JR.’s outdoor patio, that she has a long record of advocating for and initiating city polices and laws in support of the LGBTQ community. She said large corporate donors were backing her opponents and urged her LGBTQ supporters to help raise funds for her in the remaining days of the campaign.
Among those attending the meet & greet was gay longtime Dupont Circle civic activist Randy Downs who last November opened a nearby eatery called Protest Pizza. “I am queer and I am a Janeese supporter,” Downs told the Blade.
Stevie McCarty, president of Capital Stonewall Democrats, who also spoke at the meet & greet event, said his group would organize events in support of Lewis George in the remaining days of the campaign. Among them, he said, was an LGBTQ bar crawl in which supporters of Lewis George, including the candidate herself, would visit LGBTQ bars to promote her candidacy.
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