District of Columbia
Zachary Parker sworn in as new D.C. Council member
Restores out representation, vows to advocate for ‘overlooked’ communities
Former D.C. school board member Zachary Parker was sworn in on Monday as the first openly gay member of the D.C. Council since 2015 at an inaugural ceremony in which other elected officials, including D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser and six other Council members, were also sworn in.
Parker, a Democrat, won election in November to the Ward 5 Council seat by a wide margin after winning a hotly contested Democratic primary for the Ward 5 seat in June.
“I stand here today knowing what I can give toward my neighbors and District residents is directly related to what I am willing to risk,” Parker said in his inaugural speech at D.C.’s Walter Washington Convention Center where the inaugural ceremony was held.
“By one of the widest margins seen in this election cycle, Ward 5 neighbors elected an educator born on the south side of Chicago with a simple based vision that all District residents deserve good and accountable government,” he said in referring to his role as a teacher before running for public office.
“That means we must serve as responsible stewards of the District’s resources examining how we spend taxpayer money while also making sure we extend support to those in greatest need,” Parker said in is speech. “It also means making government more accessible and accountable to you, the people,” he said.
“What’s more, for the first time since 2015, there will be an out gay on the Council,” Parker continued. “And for the first time ever, that Council member will be black,” he said.
“With this honor comes the responsibility to address the ridiculously high rates of queer youth homelessness, fight to protect federal protections that are under assault by officials just down the street, and ensure that we’re investing in the people and organizations that are fighting every day for our LGBTQIA plus neighbors,” Parker told the gathering to loud applause.
Also taking the oath of office at the ceremony were D.C.’s newly elected Attorney General Brian Schwalb and newly elected Ward 3 Council member Matthew Frumin, both Democrats.
The others, in addition to Mayor Bowser, who was sworn in to her third term in office, included incumbent Council Chair Phil Mendelson (D-At-Large) and incumbent Council members Anita Bonds (D-At-Large), Kenyan McDuffie (I-At-Large), Brianne Nadeau (D-Ward 1), and Charles Allen (D-Ward 6).
Transcript of inaugural address:
Zachary Parker
Ward 5 D.C. Council member
Inaugural Address
Walter Washington D.C. Convention Center
Jan. 2, 2023
[His address immediately followed his swearing in by a D.C. Court of Appeals judge]
Thank you all for your patients. And good morning, D.C. I want to first start by extending congratulations to our mayor, Muriel Bowser, on an historic swing again that has yet to come. And Chairman Mendelson and Council members Bonds, McDuffie, Nadeau, and Allen on your re-election.
I also want to give a special congratulation to the other freshman, Council member Matt
Frumin. It will be great to have another education advocate. I for one, first and foremost, will always be an educator.
It’s always an honor to share the stage with our warrior on the Hill, Congresswoman Norton. Congratulations to you as well as to our newly minted Attorney General Brian Schwalb. Thanks to the judges who have joined us to officiate today’s swearing-in ceremony, particularly Chief Judge Anna Blackburne-Rigsby. And thanks to my family and friends who traveled near and far to be here today.
And every member of Team Zachary. You know who you are. Your unwavering commitment and support mean the world to me.
When I was here four years ago giving remarks after being sworn-in to the State Board of Education I referenced the classic line from Charles Dickins’ A Tale of Two Cities. “It is the best of times. It is the worst of times.”
And I have referenced that line to describe the disparities that exist within D.C. and within our schools. Where for many, it is the best of times. They are flushed with resources. But for many more, it is the worst of times. And people are holding on for dear life.
And I stand here knowing that despite the disparities that persist, Washington, D.C. is the greatest city in the world and one day will become the 51st state in the United States. So, speaking with that tradition I started in my tenure four years ago, today I want to call on another literary work. This time by the brilliant James Baldwin – The Fire Next Time.
One can give nothing with whatever without giving oneself. That is to say risking oneself, Baldwin writes. He said, If one cannot risk oneself then one is simply incapable of giving.
I stand here today knowing that what I can give toward my neighbors and District residents is directly related to what I am willing to risk. Neighbors have cast their votes, their sacred votes for me to risk standing alone for those things that are right and what’s good for the greater good. Our neighbors have cast their votes for me to take a risk and taking on the darts and arrows that are a common place in this business to fight for their interests.
And you know, and I agree, that we cannot mistake absolutism for principles or continue to put profit over people or bastardize words like equity while upholding systems that disadvantage black folks and brown folks and poor folks.
Baldwin also teaches us that change is renewal and that nothing is constant. I’m humbled that my election represents needed change in Ward 5 and on the D.C. Council as the District emerges from a global pandemic. By one of the widest margins seen in this election cycle, Ward 5 neighbors elected an educator born on the south side of Chicago with a simple based vision that all District residents deserve good and accountable government.
That means we must serve as responsible stewards of the District’s resources examining how we spend taxpayer money while also making sure we extend support to those in greatest need. It also means making government more accessible and accountable to you, the people.
What’s more, for the first time since 2015, there will be an out gay on the Council. And for the first time ever, that Council member will be black. With this honor comes the responsibility to address the ridiculously high rates of queer youth homelessness, fight to protect federal protections that are under assault by officials just down the street, and ensure that we’re investing in the people and organizations that are fighting every day for our LGBTQIA plus neighbors.
So today – and I’m wrapping – if you are feeling the same calling for renewal in the District that I do, where all our neighbors have a shared quality of life and can live in safe and healthy communities and where natives and residents who have long lived in the District can benefit from this city’s prosperity. If you feel the same responsibility that I do to give voice to communities that are often overlooked and to prioritize getting things done versus political points, then I invite you to join me on this journey.
For when times change, so must we. And the time has found us to chart a new path for the District’s renewal. Thank you again Ward 5. It is the honor of my life to represent this community that I love. Thank you.
[loud applause]
In an official statement released at the reveal event Capital Pride Alliance described its just announced 2026 Pride theme of “Exist, Resist, Have the Audacity” as a “bold declaration affirming the presence, resilience, and courage of LGBTQ+ people around the world.”
The statement adds, “Grounded in the undeniable truth that our existence is not up for debate, this year’s theme calls on the community to live loudly and proudly, stand firm against injustice and erasure, and embody the collective strength that has always defined the LGBTQ+ community.”
In a reference to the impact of the hostile political climate, the statement says, “In a time when LGBTQ+ rights and history continue to face challenges, especially in our Nation’s Capital, where policy and public discourse shape the future of our country, together, we must ensure that our voices are visible, heard, and unapologetically centered.”
The statement also quotes Capital Pride Alliance CEO and President Ryan Bos’s message at the Reveal event: “This year’s theme is both a declaration and a demand,” Bos said. “Exist, Resist, Have Audacity! reflects the resilience of our community and our responsibility to protect the progress we’ve made. As we look toward our nation’s 250th anniversary, we affirm that LGBTQ+ people have always been and always will be part of the United States’s history, and we will continue shaping its future with strength and resolve,” he concluded.
District of Columbia
Capital Pride board member resigns, alleges failure to address ‘sexual misconduct’
In startling letter, Taylor Chandler says board’s inaction protected ‘sexual predator’
Taylor Lianne Chandler, a member of the Capital Pride Alliance Board of Directors since 2019 who most recently served as the board’s secretary, submitted a letter of resignation on Feb. 24 that alleges the board has failed to address instances of “sexual misconduct” within the Capital Pride organization.
The Washington Blade received a copy of Chandler’s resignation letter one day after she submitted it from an anonymous source. Chandler, who identifies as transgender and intersex, said in an interview that she did not send the letter to the Blade, but she suspected someone associated with Capital Pride, which organizes D.C.’s annual LGBTQ Pride events, “wants it out in the open.”
“It is with a heavy heart, but with absolute clarity, that I submit my resignation from the Capital Pride Alliance Board of Directors effective immediately,” Chandler states in her letter. “I have devoted nearly ten years of my life to this organization,” she wrote, pointing to her initial involvement as a volunteer and later as a producer of events as chair of the organization’s Transgender, Gender Non-Conforming, and Intersex Committee.
“Capital Pride once meant something profound to me – a space of safety, visibility, and community for people who have often been denied all three,” her letter continues. “That is no longer the organization I am part of today.”
“I, along with other board members, brought forward credible concerns regarding sexual misconduct – a pattern of behavior spanning years – to the attention of this board,” Chandler states in the letter. “What followed was not accountability. What followed was retaliation. Rather than addressing the substance of what was reported, officers and fellow board members chose to chastise those of us who came forward.”
The letter adds, “This board has made its priorities clear through its actions: protecting a sexual predator matters more than protecting the people who had the courage to come forward. … I have been targeted, bullied, and made to feel like an outsider for doing what any person of integrity would do – telling the truth.”
In response to a request from the Blade for comment, Anna Jinkerson, who serves as chair of the Capital Pride board, sent the Blade a statement praising Taylor Chandler’s efforts as a Capital Pride volunteer and board member but did not specifically address the issue of alleged sexual misconduct.
“We’re also aware that her resignation letter has been shared with the media and has listed concerns,” Jinkerson said in her statement. “When concerns are brought to CPA, we act quickly and appropriately to address them,” she said.
“As we continue to grow our organization, we’re proactively strengthening the policies and procedures that shape our systems, our infrastructure, and the support we provide to our team and partners,” Jinkerson said in her statement. “We’re doing this because the community’s experience with CPA must always be safe, affirming, empowering, and inclusive,” she added.
In an interview with the Blade, Chandler said she was not the target of the alleged sexual harassment.
She said a Capital Pride investigation identified one individual implicated in a “pattern” of sexual harassment related behavior over a period of time. But she said she was bound by a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) that applies to all board members and she cannot disclose the name of the person implicated in alleged sexual misconduct or those who came forward to complain about it.
“It was one individual, but there was a pattern and a history,” Chandler said, noting that was the extent of what she can disclose.
“And I’ll say this,” she added. “In my opinion, with gay culture sometimes the touchy feely-ness that goes on seems to be like just part of the culture, not necessarily the same as a sexual assault or whatever. But at the same time, if someone does not want those advances and they’re saying no and trying to push you away and trying to avoid you, then it makes it that way regardless of the culture.”
When asked about when the allegations of sexual harassment first surfaced, Chandler said, “In the past year is when the allegation came forward from one individual. But in the course of this all happening, other individuals came forward and talked about instances – several which showed a pattern.”
Chandler’s resignation comes about five months after Capital Pride Alliance announced in a statement released in October 2025 that its then board president, Ashley Smith, resigned from his position on Oct. 18 after Capital Pride became aware of a “claim” regarding Smith. The statement said the group retained an independent firm to investigate the matter, but it released no further details since that time. Smith has declined to comment on the matter.
When asked by the Blade if the Smith resignation could be linked in some way to allegations of sexual misconduct, Chandler said, “I can’t make a comment one way or the other on that.”
Chandler’s resignation and allegations come after Capital Pride Alliance has been credited with playing the lead role in organizing the World Pride celebration hosted by D.C. in which dozens of LGBTQ-related Pride events were held from May through June of 2025.
The letter of resignation also came just days before Capital Pride Alliance’s annual “Reveal” event scheduled for Feb. 26 at the Hamilton Hotel in which the theme for D.C.’s June 2026 LGBTQ Pride events was to be announced along with other Pride plans.
District of Columbia
Capital Stonewall Democrats elect new leaders
LGBTQ political group set to celebrate 50th anniversary
Longtime Democratic Party activists Stevie McCarty and Brad Howard won election last week as president and vice president for administration for the Capital Stonewall Democrats, D.C.’s largest local LGBTQ political organization.
In a Feb. 24 announcement, the group said McCarty and Howard, both of whom are elected DC Advisory Neighborhood Commissioners, ran in a special Capital Stonewall Democrats election to fill the two leadership positions that became vacant when the officers they replaced resigned.
Outgoing President Howard Garrett, who McCarty has replaced, told the Washington Blade he resigned after taking on a new position as chair of the city’s Ward 1 Democratic Committee. The Capital Stonewall Democrats announcement didn’t say who Howard replaced as vice president for administration.
The group’s website shows its other officers include Elizabeth Mitchell as Vice President for Legislative and Political Affairs, and Monica Nemeth as Treasurer. The officer position of secretary is vacant, the website shows.
“As we look toward 2026, the stakes for D.C. and for LGBTQ+ communities have never been clearer,” the group’s statement announcing McCarty and Howard’s election says. “Our 50th anniversary celebration on March 20 and the launch of our D.C. LGBTQ+ Voter’s Guide mark the beginning of a major year for endorsements, organizing, and coalition building,” the statement says.
McCarty said among the organization’s major endeavors will be holding virtual endorsement forums where candidates running for D.C. mayor and the Council will appear and seek the group’s endorsement.
Founded in 1976 as the Gertrude Stein Democratic Club, the organization’s members voted in 2021 to change its name to Capital Stonewall Democrats. McCarty said the 50th anniversary celebration on March 20, in which D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser and members of the D.C. Council are expected to attend, will be held at the PEPCO Gallery meeting center at 702 8th St., N.W.
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