Local

Judge sets $50,000 bond for release of Brett Parson

Former D.C. police lieutenant must remain in Florida while case is pending

Published

4 years ago

February 22, 2022

A Broward County, Fla., judge on Feb. 18 set a $50,000 bond for the release of former D.C. police lieutenant Brett Parson six days after Parson was arrested in Boca Raton on Feb. 12 for allegedly having sex with a 16-year-old boy in violation of Florida’s age of consent law, which is 18.

Online court records show that Broward County Judge Phoebee Francois set bond at $25,000 for each of the two charges of Unlawful Sexual Activity with a Minor filed against Parson by Coconut Creek, Fla., police. The court records do not show whether Parson paid the required 10 percent of the bond at $5,000 to secure his release.

But a court clerk said a public record check with the Broward County Jail to determine whether Parson was still incarcerated would determine whether he had secured his release on bond. A check with the jail on Monday afternoon found that Parson was not an inmate there at that time.

The online court records show that Judge Francois issued an order prohibiting Parson from having any contact with the 16-year-old he is charged with having sex with and prohibiting Parson from having any contact “with minors under 18 years old.”

In addition, the judge ordered that Parson must reside at the Boca Raton apartment owned by his parents and where he had been staying at the time of his arrest “until further order of the court.”

The online court records as of Monday had no information about whether Parson has retained an attorney or when his next court appearance was to take place. A Pretrial Services Supervision Order issued by the judge says Parson must report two times per week by phone to a designated Pretrial Services office.

An arrest affidavit filed by Coconut Creek police says the 16-year-old told police investigators he and Parson met on the gay online dating app Growlr and agreed to meet for a sexual encounter in a Coconut Creek location after exchanging “explicit” photos of each other. The affidavit says the 16-year-old, who was driving a car, met Parson at a location they arranged through a series of text messages.

After meeting at an initial location, the affidavit says the 16-year-old told police the two drove in their separate cars to another location at the site of a secluded parking lot at about 1 a.m. on Feb. 12 where the 16-year-old entered the car Parson was driving and the two performed oral sex on each other.

Without giving a reason, the affidavit says the 16-year-old provided police with full details of his interaction with Parson that police would otherwise not have known after police stopped him when he and Parson were following each other in their cars to find another secluded location. The affidavit says police stopped the 16-year-old after he drove his car into a restricted space owned by Comcast.

It says police also stopped Parson’s car but allowed Parson to drive away after he said he was a D.C. police officer who was lost and did not know who the 16-year-old was in the other car. After obtaining Parson’s identification from the text messages in the phone of the 16-year-old, who turned his phone over to police, Coconut Creek police arranged for Boca Raton police to arrest Parson later that day on Feb. 12 at the site of his parents’ apartment in Boca Raton.
The Growlr site where the 16-year-old and Parson met has a policy of requiring anyone using the site to be at least 18 years old, which is the legal age of consent in Florida. But according to attorneys familiar with Florida law, not knowing someone’s real age may not be legal grounds for a defense.

“In Florida, laws governing sexual activity with minors are ‘strict liability’ offenses,” said Fort Lauderdale criminal defense attorney Norm Kent, who is the owner of the South Florida Gay News, an LGBTQ community newspaper.

“This means that a person can be charged where they do not know the age of the person that they engaged in sexual activity with, or even worse, where the other person has lied about his or her age,” Kent told the Washington Blade. “Laws like these can obviously lead to very unfair results.”

Kent noted that in Parson’s case, the alleged victim used a dating app that limits its users to individuals over the age of 18. He said it also appears from the police reports that the 16-year-old never told Parson he was under 18.

“These are troubling facts that could be presented to a prosecutor or judge in support of mitigation, but the law does not allow them to operate as a complete defense to the crimes charged,” Kent said. “It’s a challenging case requiring experienced counsel for the officer’s defense.”

Parson’s arrest comes about two years after he retired from the Metropolitan Police Department of D.C. after a 26-year career in which among other duties, he served as supervisor of the department’s LGBT Liaison Unit.

Reaction to the news of his arrest by members of D.C.’s LGBTQ community has been mixed, with several prominent activists expressing support for Parson by saying his side of the story should be told and he should be presumed innocent until proven guilty at a trial. Others, however, have posted Facebook messages calling Parson a “predator” targeting an underage victim who should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

At a Feb. 16 press conference on an unrelated subject, the Blade asked D.C. Police Chief Robert Contee for his thoughts on Parson’s arrest.

“I worked closely with him during his time here at the Metropolitan Police Department,” Contee said. “He served the citizens of the District of Columbia well,” the chief said.

“This investigation is taking place in Florida. I’m sure he’s entitled to due process and whatever the facts are in that case will be revealed. But I really have nothing beyond that,” Contee said. “I don’t know a whole lot about that case.”

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District of Columbia

Anti-LGBTQ violence prevention efforts highlighted at D.C. community fair

Mayor’s Office of LGBTQ Affairs organized May 8 event

Published

4 hours ago

May 11, 2026

Lou Chibbaro Jr.

(Washington Blade photo by Ernesto Valle)

Detailed advice on how LGBTQ people can avoid, defend themselves against, and prevent themselves and loved ones from becoming victims of violence, with a focus on domestic and intimate partner violence, was presented at a May 8 LGBTQIA+ Safety in Numbers Community Fair.

The event, organized by the D.C. Mayor’s Office of LGBTQ Affairs, included five workshop sessions and information tables set up by 14 LGBTQ-supportive organizations and D.C. government agencies or agency divisions, including the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department’s LGBT Liaison Unit and the D.C. LGBTQ+ Community Center.

Also playing a lead role in organizing the event was the D.C. LGBTQIA+ Violence Prevention and Response Team, or VPART, a coalition of D.C. officials and leaders of community-based organizations that work with the Office of LGBTQ Affairs.

The event was held in meeting space in the building where the Office of LGBTQ Affairs is located at 899 N. Capitol St., N.E.

The workshop topics included de-escalation training on healthy relationships, bystander intervention, self-defense training, violence prevention grants, and suicide prevention.

“This will be a public safety and violence prevention event where community partners will educate attendees on various methods of violence intervention and trauma-informed practices,” according to a statement released by the Mayor’s Office of LGBTQ Affairs prior to the start of the event.

The statement adds, “We will have live demos, interactive games, and workshops focused on strategies for self-defense, protecting vulnerable communities, increasing access to mental health resources, providing tools for recognizing domestic violence/intimate partner violence signs in intimate relationships, and assistance for substance abuse.”

Sonya Joseph, associate director of engagement for the Office of LGBTQ Affairs, told the Washington Blade that studies have shown rates of domestic or intimate partner violence are higher in the LGBTQ community than in the community at large.

“Domestic violence and intimate partner violence are two very big prevalent issues in the LGBTQ community,” she said, adding that some of the workshops at the event would be providing “training on healthy relationships and how to recognize and prevent intimate partner violence and the signs of it.”

About 35 to 40 people attended the workshop sessions.

Experts specializing in violence impacting the LGBTQ community have said domestic violence refers to violence among people in domestic relationships that can include spouses but also siblings, parents, cousins, and other relatives. Intimate partner violence, according to the experts, refers to violence perpetuated by a partner in a romantic or dating relationship.

These D.C. based organizations or agencies that participated in the LGBTQIA+ Safety in Numbers event, and which can be contacted for assistance, include:

• Defend Yourself

• DC LGBTQ+ Community Center

• American Foundation for Suicide Prevention

• Joseph’s House

• Us Helping Us, People into Living, Inc.

• MCSR (formerly known as Men Can Stop Rape)

• MPD LGBT Liaison Unit

• Volunteer Legal Advocates

• DC SAFE

• Destination Tomorrow

• D.C. Office of Victims Services and Justice Grants

• Life Enhancement Services

• ONYX Therapy Group

• U.S. Attorney’s Office for D.C.

Rehoboth Beach

Celebrated performer Rose Levine plays Rehoboth on May 15

Freddie’s to host Fire Island legend

Published

6 hours ago

May 11, 2026

Staff reports

Rose Levine performs May 15 at Freddie’s in Rehoboth Beach.

Rose Levine is a celebrated entertainer best known for her longstanding performances in Cherry Grove, Fire Island, since 1955 where she has become a beloved fixture of the community’s vibrant arts and nightlife scene. With a career spanning decades, Levine has captivated audiences with her cabaret singing shows full of charisma, classic numbers, humor, and unmistakable stage presence—proving that some stars don’t fade, they simply get better lighting.

Levine is also closely associated with the legendary Fire Island Invasion of the Pines, the annual Fourth of July spectacle in which performers and revelers make their grand (and gloriously over-the-top) entrance by boat from Cherry Grove to Fire Island Pines, now a 50-year tradition. Her role in launching and sustaining this tradition has helped make it one of the most iconic—and entertaining—events of the summer season.

A consummate storyteller, Levine brings audiences along for a glittering ride through entertainment history. Rose will sing her Broadway melodies by Jerry Herman, Irving Berlin, Cy Coleman, Cole Porter, and others. With music direction by Mark Hartman the one-night-only event will celebrate Levine’s legendary life in drag, featuring signature crowd-pleasers and celebrity stories. A friend of Broadway composer Jerry Herman, she shares delicious stories of legends like Ethel Merman and recalls a young Barbra Streisand before she became Barbra Streisand while both performing at the famed singing contests at Greenwich Village’s famed Lion nightclub before her big break at the Bon Soir. Her shows are a mix of music, mischief, and memories of old New York and Fire Island — back when Cherry Grove didn’t even have electricity, but somehow still had better nightlife than most cities today.

Her legendary Fire Island home, Roseland, has hosted its fair share of unforgettable gatherings (and likely a few stories that can’t be printed in a family newspaper), making it a cornerstone of the community’s social scene. Levine splits her time between Manhattan and her summer perch on Fire Island—though audiences across the country are grateful she travels.

In fact, she performs at The Green Room and 54 Below in Manhattan, Cherry Grove in Fire Island, Act 2 and The Palm in Puerto Vallarta, Red Dot Cabaret in Hudson, N.Y., and now Freddie’s in Rehoboth Beach—because retirement, frankly, sounds boring. Her place in the Guinness Book of World Records as the oldest continuously performing drag queen in the world only adds to the legend and gives her bragging rights she fully intends to use.

And now, Rehoboth—consider yourself warned.

Don’t miss Rose Levine live on May 15 at Freddie’s Beach Bar. Dinner begins at 6:30 p.m., with the show at 7 p.m. Come for the cocktails, stay for the stories, and leave wondering how one person can have that many fabulous decades.

Levine’s legacy is defined not only by her remarkable career, but by her ability to connect with audiences across generations—usually while making them laugh, gasp, and occasionally blush. Don’t miss this show.

Arts & Entertainment

Washington Blade’s Pride on the Pier returns June 13 to kick off D.C. Pride week

Pride on the Pier officially launches Pride Week in D.C.

Published

7 hours ago

May 11, 2026

Staff reports

The Washington Blade’s annual Pride on the Pier celebration returns to The Wharf on Saturday, June 13, 2026 from 4-9 p.m., bringing thousands of LGBTQ community members and allies together for an unforgettable waterfront celebration to kick off Pride week in Washington, D.C.

Now in its eighth year, Washington Blade Pride on the Pier extends the city’s annual celebration of LGBTQ visibility to the bustling Wharf waterfront with an exciting array of activities and entertainment for all ages. The District Pier will offer DJs, dancing, drag, and other entertainment. Alcoholic beverages will be available for purchase for those 21 and older.

“Pride on the Pier has become one of the signature moments of Pride in D.C.,” said Lynne Brown, publisher of the Washington Blade. “There’s nothing like watching our community come together on the waterfront with live music and incredible energy as we kick off Pride week.”

Pride on the Pier is free and open to the public, with VIP tickets available for exclusive pier access to the Dockmaster Building. To purchase VIP tickets visit www.prideonthepierdc.com/vip.

Additional entertainment announcements, sponsor activations, and event details will be released in the coming weeks.

Event Details:

📍 Location: District Pier at The Wharf (101 District Sq SW, Washington, DC)
📅 Dates: Friday, 13, 2026

⏱️ 4-9PM
🎟️ VIP Tickets: www.PrideOnThePierDC.com/VIP