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]
District of Columbia
GLAA releases ratings for 18 candidates running for D.C. mayor, Council, AG
Mayoral contender Janeese Lewis Geroge among those receiving highest score
D.C. mayoral candidate Janeese Lewis George, a Democrat, is among just four candidates to receive the highest rating score of +10 from GLAA D.C. who are competing in the city’s June 16 primary election.
GLAA, formally known as the Gay and Lesbian Activists Alliance of Washington, has rated candidates for public office in D.C. since the 1970s. It rated 18 of the 36 candidates on this year’s primary ballot for mayor, D.C. Council, and D.C. attorney general based on its policy of only rating candidates who return a GLAA questionnaire asking for their positions on a wide range of issues, most of which are not LGBTQ-specific.
Among the candidates who did not return the questionnaire and thus did not receive a rating, according to GLAA, was Democratic mayoral contender Kenyan McDuffie, who along with Lewis George, is considered by political observers to be one of the two leading mayoral candidates running in the Democratic primary.
Lewis George and McDuffie, who each have long records of support for the LGBTQ community, are among a total of eight candidates running for mayor on the June 16 primary ballot: seven Democrats and one Statehood Green Party candidate. In addition to Lewis George, GLAA rated just two other mayoral candidates. Rini Sampath, a Democrat who self identifies as queer, received a +6.5 rating, and Ernest E. Johnson, also a Democrat, received a +4.5 rating
Under the GLAA rating system, candidate ratings range from a +10, the highest score, to a -10, the lowest possible score. In its ratings for the June 16 primary, the lowest score issued was +4.5. GLAA said in a statement that each of the 18 candidates it rated expressed strong support for LGBTQ-related issues in their questionnaire responses, indicating that the overall rating scores reflect the candidates’ positions on mostly non-LGBTQ-specific issues.
The three other candidates who received a +10 GLAA rating are each running as Democrats for the Ward 1 D.C. Council seat. They include gay candidate Miguel Trindade Deramo; Aparna Raj, who identifies as bisexual; and LGBTQ ally Rashida Brown. The only other Ward 1 candidate rated by GLAA is LGBTQ ally Terry Lynch, who received a +5.5 rating.
Ward 5 D.C. Councilmember Zachary Parker, the Council’s only gay member who is facing two opponents in the Democratic primary, received a +7 GLAA rating. The two challengers did not return the questionnaire and were not rated.
“In seven out of 10 of our priorities, every candidate indicated agreement,” GLAA said in its statement to the Washington Blade in referring to the candidates it rated. “Total consensus on core issues signals that whomever is elected to Council and mayor, we should expect to hold our elected officials accountable to our goals of protecting home rule, resisting federal overreach, advancing transgender healthcare rights, and eliminating chronic homelessness in the District,” the statement says.
“While candidates agree on the basics, they distinguish themselves in the depth and creativity in their responses, and their record on the issues,” according to the statement, which adds that candidates’ full questionnaire responses and ratings can be accessed on the GLAA website, glaa.org.
Like past election years, GLAA does not rate candidates running for the D.C. Congressional Delegate seat or the so-called “shadow” U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate seats.
With the exception of one question asking about transgender rights, none of the other nine of the 10 questionnaire questions are LGBTQ-specific. But most of the questions mention that LGBTQ people are impacted by the issues being raised, such as affordable housing, federal government intrusion into D.C. home rule, and access to healthcare and public benefits for low-income residents.
One of the questions asks candidates if they support decriminalization of sex work in D.C. among consenting adults, which GLAA supports. Lewis George is among the candidates who said they do not support sex work decriminalization at this time. The other two mayoral candidates that GLAA rated, Sampath and Johnson, said they support sex work decriminalization.
In the race for D.C. attorney general, GLAA issued a rating for just one of the three candidates running: Republican challenger Manuel Rivera, who received a +4.5 rating. Incumbent Democrat Brian Schwalb and Democratic challenger J.P. Szymkowicz were not rated because they didn’t return the questionnaire.
D.C. Council Chair Phil Mendelson (D), who is running unopposed in the primary, received a +6.5 rating. Ward 6 Councilmember Charles Allen, who is facing three Democratic challengers in the primary and who is a longtime LGBTQ ally, received a +6.5 rating.
In the special election to fill the at-large D.C. Council seat vacated by the resignation of then-Independent Councilmember McDuffie to enable him to run for mayor as a Democrat, GLAA has rated two of the three Independent candidates competing for the seat. Elissa Silverman received a +5.75 rating, and Doni Crawford received a +5.6 rating.
Finally, in the At-Large D.C. Council race GLAA issued ratings for five of the 11 candidates running in the primary, each of whom are Democrats. Oye Owolewa received a +9; Lisa Raymond, +7.5; Dwight Davis, +6.5; Dyana N.M. Forester, +6; and Fred Hill, +6.6.
The full list of GLAA-rated candidates and their detailed questionnaire responses can be accessed at glaa.org.
District of Columbia
Anti-LGBTQ violence prevention efforts highlighted at D.C. community fair
Mayor’s Office of LGBTQ Affairs organized May 8 event
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.
District of Columbia
Maren Morris to headline Capital Pride Concert
Grammy award-winning singer/songwriter came out as bisexual in 2024
Capital Pride Alliance, the group that organizes D.C.’s annual LGBTQ Pride events, announced on May 7 that nationally acclaimed singer-songwriter Maren Morris, who identifies as bisexual, will be the headline performer at this year’s Capital Pride Concert scheduled for June 21.
The concert takes place as part of the annual Capital Pride Festival held on Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., usually between 3rd Street near the U.S. Capitol and 9th Street.
“Morris, known for her genre-blending sound and outspoken support of LGBTQ+ rights, will be joined by a standout lineup, including acclaimed queer rapper Leikeli47, pop icon Lisa Lisa, Juno-nominated producer and DJ from the ‘Heated Rivalry’ soundtrack, Harrison, and ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ Season 18 winner Myki Meeks,” according to a statement released by Capital Pride.
“In a moment when LGBTQ+ people are being challenged across the country, the Capital Pride Concert is a space where our community is fully seen and heard,” Ryan Bos, the Capital Pride Alliance CEO and president, said in the statement. “Bringing Maren Morris to the stage reflects this year’s theme: Exist, Resist, Have the Audacity,” Bos said.
The statement notes that the concert takes place as part of the annual D.C. Pride Festival, which is open to the public free of charge, with tickets available for purchase for specific areas listed as the Capital Stage Pit Zone and the VIP Concert Zone.
It says the festival takes place from 12 –10 p.m. and points out that in addition to the music performed by multiple other performers on several stages, festival attendees “can explore hundreds of exhibitors, community organizations, and artisans, along with multiple food courts and beverage gardens throughout the festival footprint.”
Information on the Capital Pride Alliance website shows that the festival takes place one day after the annual Capital Pride Parade, scheduled for June 20 and which is expected to travel from 14th and T Streets, N.W., to Pennsylvania Ave., N.W., where it is expected to end at 9th Street.
The statement adds that following the stage performances during the June 21 festival, which are expected to conclude around 8 p.m., “the celebration will continue with the Capitol Sunset Dance Party, closing out the evening against the backdrop of the U.S. Capitol.”
The online publication Today, which is part of the NBC “Today” television show, reported that Morris came out as bisexual in a 2024 during Pride. It reports Morris “shared several images of herself holding a Pride flag to mark the occasion, writing, ‘Happy to be the B in LGBTQ+’”
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Comings & Goings
