District of Columbia
New D.C. police chief pledges ‘fair and equal treatment’ for LGBTQ community
Says role as ordained minister won’t impact efforts to provide services for everyone
Acting D.C. Police Chief Pamela Smith, whose nomination to become permanent chief is pending before the D.C. Council, said she is committed to providing “fair and equal treatment” for all the city’s diverse communities, including the LGBTQ community, in her role as the city’s chief law enforcement officer.
In an Aug. 9 interview with the Washington Blade, Smith responded to questions raised by some in the LGBTQ community about whether due to her background as an ordained minister she may have biased views toward LGBTQ people based on her religious beliefs.
“Thank you for that question, and I certainly welcome any questions that members of any community may have with respect to my faith,” Smith told the Blade. “What I will tell you is I’ve been in law enforcement for 25 years. And I’ve always and will continue to provide fair and equal treatment to anyone who is subjected to any kind of threat or crime,” Smith said.
“And since we’re specifically speaking about the LGBTQ community, that translates to the LGBTQ community as well,” she said. “And my faith has nothing to do with me treating anyone differently,” she added.
“I served when I came into the Metropolitan Police Department as the Chief Equity Officer,” she said. “And my role was certainly about fair and equitable treatment for every employee of the Metropolitan Police Department,” said Smith. “And for me, that transfers to the members of our community – our businesses, our visitors, our tourists here in the District of Columbia.”
Asked whether that policy would apply to members of the LGBTQ community as well, Smith replied: “Absolutely. Listen, we have many members from the LGBTQ community here in MPD, including a transgender sworn member currently up to the rank of a lieutenant.”
Smith added, “We also have LGBTQ members in the reserve and volunteer corps supporting many functions in the department, including support of the LGBTQ Liaison Unit. We have a nationally recognized LGBTQ Liaison Unit.”
According to Smith, that unit, listed on the MPD website as the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Liaison Unit (LGBTLU), provides services to crime victims, outreach to community meetings, and “training and support to the rest of the department as well as the community.”
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser on July 17 nominated Smith to become the city’s next police chief. At the time her nomination was announced Smith was serving as an assistant chief. A short time later, the mayor named her acting chief while her nomination was pending before the D.C. Council, which is expected to approve the nomination when the Council returns from its summer recess.
If her nomination is approved by the Council, Smith would make history by becoming the first African-American woman to serve as the permanent D.C. police chief since the department was founded in 1861.
Smith joined the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department in May 2022 after having served as Chief of Police for the United States Park Police in the nation’s capital. Her more than 20 years of service with the Park Police included assignments at Park Police offices in New York, Atlanta, and San Francisco.
Among the topics the Blade raised with Smith during her interview was concern raised by some LGBTQ activists and other community activists that the shortfall of police officers that the department is currently facing has prevented the department from replacing members of the community liaison units, including the LGBT Liaison Unit, when members of those units retire or take other jobs.
Smith said she is committed to retaining the liaison units and doing all she can to keep them fully staffed.
“While we have no officers who have been reassigned away from those units, we do realize that attrition takes a toll on any area of the organization,” she told the Blade. “And what I want you to know is the Special Liaison Branch, which includes the teams servicing the LGBTQ plus community as well as our immigrant, our interfaith, deaf and hard of hearing communities – they play an important role in servicing and connecting with our diverse community,” Smith said.
“And this is especially true now as D.C. prepares to host World Pride in 2025,” she said, referring to D.C. having been selected to host the 2025 international LGBTQ Pride event, which draws hundreds of thousands of visitors from throughout the world.
“And so, what I have done as an initial step within the last couple of weeks is that I’ve approved four vacancies to be filled in the Special Liaison Branch,” Smith said. “And two of those vacancies will be for our LGBTQ unit.”
The Blade also asked Smith how she plans to address the issue of hate crimes at a time when D.C. police crime statistics show that over the past 10 years, the largest number of reported hate crimes in the city are those that have targeted LGBTQ people as victims.
“What I can say is in the department, we certainly have strong policies and training to make sure members can recognize hate crimes,” Smith said. “And officers have to report whether there are any indicators of a possible hate crime whenever they’re investigating or engaged in a case,” she added. “We have a multidisciplinary team that works together on reported hate crimes.”
The Blade asked Smith for her thoughts on calls by some community activists, including LGBTQ activists, for the decriminalization of prostitution involving consenting adults and for the police to de-prioritize making prostitution-related arrests for consenting adults.
“Well, I think our position today and our position has always been that we continue to enforce the laws of the District of Columbia,” she said, adding that in the past several years D.C. police have focused more on targeting sex worker customers or “Johns” in making prostitution-related arrests.
Smith said she was not familiar with the specifics of the D.C. police investigation into the unexplained death of D.C. gay resident Ernest Terrell Newkirk, 55, whose body was found May 28 on a Southeast D.C. street several hours after he attended an LGBTQ Black Pride dance party at a Capitol Hill gay bar. His partner of 21 years, Roger Turpin, said Newkirk’s wallet, phone, jewelry, and car were all missing at the time he was found.
Turpin has expressed concern that the detective initially assigned to the case declined to look for fingerprints on Newkirk’s car that was found two days later and was not interested in tracking down calls made by someone on Newkirk’s phone shortly after his body was found.
D.C. Police have said they have ruled out a homicide in the case because there were no signs of injuries on Newkirk’s body, but the cause of death has yet to be determined due to delays in chemical toxicology tests by the Office of the D.C. Chief Medical Examiner. A police spokesperson said the case remains under investigation.
Turpin said a new detective was assigned to the case and he is hopeful that police would aggressively investigate the case.
“What I can do is see if I can obtain some additional information from our investigators on this side,” Smith told the Blade. She said she knows from personal observation that MPD detectives “work very aggressively” on the cases to which they are assigned.
Asked if she has any message for the LGBTQ community in her role as Acting Chief of Police and in anticipation of her confirmation as permanent chief, Smith had this to say:
“Well, I can say personally the LGBTQ plus community will see me. They will see me out and about,” she added. “They will probably see me in spaces and places that they’re probably not familiar with seeing me in,” she said.
“And I plan to be very supportive. And if there’s anything that I can do to be of support to the LGBTQ community just as I would any other community, I would add, don’t hesitate to reach out,” she said. “If there’s anything I can learn new about various communities or different communities I’m open to that as well.”
A transcript of the full interview follows:
Acting D.C. Police Chief Pamela Smith
Interview with Lou Chibbaro Jr.
August 9, 2023
Washington Blade: People in the LGBTQ community who are familiar with your record with the D.C. police and the U.S. Park Service have had good things to say about you. But some in the LGBTQ community may be interested in knowing whether your role as an ordained minister might have some impact on how you address LGBTQ-related issues. Historically, some clergy have not been supportive of LGBTQ people and even have opposed legislation to protect the rights of LGBTQ people. Might you have a message for those who may be curious about your role as a police chief and a clergy person?
Pamela Smith: So, what I can say, and thank you for the question. And I certainly welcome any questions that members of any community may have with respect to my faith. What I will tell you is I’ve been in law enforcement for 25 years. And I’ve always and will continue to provide fair and equal treatment to anyone who is subjected to any kind of threat or crime.
And I will always ensure that I provide fair and equal treatment to the members of the Metropolitan Police Department and the residents and the citizens that are visiting the District of Columbia. And my faith has nothing to do with me treating anyone differently. I served when I came into the Metropolitan Police Department as the Chief Equity Officer. And my role was certainly about fair and equitable treatment for every employee of the Metropolitan Police Department.
And for me that transfers to the members of our community – our businesses, our visitors, our tourists here in the District of Columbia.
Blade: Can we assume that would apply to members of the LGBTQ community as well?
Smith: Absolutely. Listen, we have many members from the LGBTQ community here in MPD, including a transgender sworn member currently up to the rank of a lieutenant. We also have LGBTQ members in the reserve and volunteer corps supporting many functions in the department, including support of the LGBTQ Liaison Unit. We have a nationally recognized LGBTQ Liaison Unit. They serve our community. They provide services to victims, regular outreach to meetings. And they provide training and support to the rest of the department as well as the community.
So, I state that I support and will always provide fair and equal treatment to all people. And since we’re specifically speaking about the LGBTQ community, that translates to the LGBTQ community as well.
Blade: Regarding your mention of the LGBTQ Liaison Unit, we have heard that due to the shortage of police officers on the force, the number of officers assigned to the liaison units, including the LGBTQ Liaison Unit, have declined, in some cases due to attrition. Can you comment on whether there is a problem in keeping the liaison units sufficiently staffed?
Smith: I don’t think there is a problem in keeping up the liaison units. I think we have to be honest and talk about the fact that we have low staffing numbers across the department. Certainly, we have many challenges as we make decisions on how we reposition some of our employees. And we will continue to do that throughout the years.
While we have no officers who have been reassigned away from those units, we do realize that attrition takes a toll on any area of the organization. And what I want you to know is the Special Liaison Branch, which includes the team servicing the LGBTQ+ community as well as our immigrant, our interfaith, deaf and hard of hearing communities – they play an important role in servicing and connecting with our diverse community.
And this is especially true now as D.C. prepares to host World Pride in 2025. And so, what I have done as an initial step within the last couple of weeks is that I’ve approved four vacancies to be filled in the Special Liaison Branch. And two of those vacancies will be for our LGBTQ unit.
Blade: The last we had heard was there were just three officers assigned to the LGBT Liaison Unit as of earlier this year.
Smith: Well, it’s important to me. I think I said to you as I think about enhancing numbers in some of our positions as we gain new employees across the police department, I recognize the importance of our Special Liaison Branch and the members of the team that provide a service to our community. It’s certainly important to me that we not only fill vacancies in other areas across the workforce, but I am also committed to doing the same thing with our Special Liaison Branch to include our LGBT community liaison unit.
Blade: Concerning the issue of hate crimes, the MPD data over the past 10 years shows that the largest number of reported hate crimes in D.C. are those that target members of the LGBTQ community. Is there anything you can say about the department’s efforts to address hate crimes?
Smith: What I can say is in the department, we certainly have strong policies and training to make sure members can recognize potential hate crimes, for all crimes. And officers have to report whether there are any indicators of a possible hate crime whenever they’re investigating or engaged in a case. We have a multidisciplinary team that works together on reported hate crimes.
And that also includes the Special Liaison Branch, which shares information from the community with the team and information on investigations within the community. As appropriate, we have a Criminal Investigation Division, which investigates all hate crimes. And then we have intelligence. And what we do with intelligence is that we share information that the department becomes aware of with the other two branches, such as our Criminal Investigation Division and our Special Liaison Branch.
We also coordinate with our federal partners, including the prosecutors, the FBI, the U.S. Park Police, as well as other law enforcement agencies across the District of Columbia. We also have great relationships with our colleges and universities – our college campuses, rather, to ensure that information is shared and any available resources that we might have, or they might have, that we can leverage those resources.
And I’m sure, as you know, it’s difficult sometimes for the police to address hate and bias in the community, which is why we partner with people and entities that can mean stronger messages such as with Rev. [Thomas] Bowen, the director of the Mayor’s Office of Religious Affairs, and other faith leaders. We focus on preventing crime generally by responding to investigate hate crimes that happen and working with the community.
So, similarly like domestic violence or sexual assaults, we are concerned and making sure we encourage reporting of these types of events to ensure that we can drive these numbers down.
Blade: We have observed that in a number of cases the U.S. Attorney’s office drops the designation of a hate crime that D.C. police have sent to them after an arrest is made. Officials with the U.S. Attorney’s office have said sometimes there is insufficient evidence for them to obtain a conviction by a jury on a hate crimes case. Is MPD doing all it can to make sure the evidence for hate crimes cases is sufficient?
Smith: Absolutely. And I think that goes to what I said earlier, just making sure we continue to train our employees, our officers, our members to recognize potential hate crimes and making sure we’re providing the U.S. Attorneyi’s office with the appropriate evidence and documentation that’s needed to prosecute these cases.
Blade: Some in the LGBTQ community have joined advocates for sex workers in asking whether D.C. police should be devoting their resources, at a time when violent crime is rising, to arresting sex workers, including transgender women who sometimes are forced to engage in survival sex work because they can’t find other employment. We hear that arrests of transgender sex workers have occurred in recent years in an area along Eastern Avenue near the Maryland line, but that MPD may be changing its policy this year by not making as many of those arrests when the parties involved are consenting adults. What can you say about that?
Smith: Well, I would definitely never say that we’re not focused on all aspects of crimes throughout the District of Columbia and that the officers are less concerned and there’s less of an interest in making sure we are addressing all crimes. In the department, we work very closely with many of our community partners such as HIPS to try and address community concerns. And to make sure that individuals engaged in survival sex work have other options.
At MPD we have made five arrests this year, all of which were of Johns, not sex workers. I think we conducted an operation within our Sixth District. And that includes one of the areas that you spoke about, Eastern Avenue… We’ve made like five arrests this year. And what I will say is between the years of 2018 and 2023, as late as August 6, which is a couple of days ago, we’ve arrested over 2,150 Johns related to prostitution.
Blade: Again, some in the LGBTQ community as well as in the community at large there has been talk of decriminalizing sex work only between consenting adults and deemphasizing arrests involving consenting adults. No one is condoning the sex trafficking of minors. Does that put MPD in a difficult position since you’ve said you must enforce the law?
Smith: Well, I think our position today and our position has always been that we continue to enforce the laws of the District of Columbia.
Blade: On another matter, the partner of a D.C. gay man whose body was found on a street in Southeast D.C. — on 46th Place, S.E. — the day after he attended an LGBTQ Black Pride event at a bar on Capitol Hill over Memorial Day weekend has raised concerns that police are not sufficiently investigating this case. The partner says the man’s wallet, phone, and car were all missing before the car was found a few days later in another location. He says the detective at the time was not interested in looking for fingerprints inside the car when it was found or in tracking down phone calls made on the partner’s phone in an incident, he thinks, was a carjacking. Paris Lewbel, the MPD spokesperson, has said the case is still under investigation. Is this something you are aware of and which you might comment on?
Smith: Well, I am not familiar with the particulars of this case or investigation. But, in spaces where I’m not familiar with it and also if it’s still under investigation based as Paris has shared with you, that would be my position as well. What I can do is see if I can obtain some additional information from our investigators on this side.
What I will say and will say this outwardly is that our detectives work very aggressively. I’ve seen them since I’ve been here – I’ve been with the Metropolitan Police Department now for almost 16 months. And I have seen them workday in and day out. As a matter of fact, I’m often concerned about their emotional well-being because they are always in the office, always working.
They take these cases very personally. And I know they would do their due diligence if there was any foul play or anything that may have been associated with this case or any particular case. I’ve seen them really work hard. And I don’t think in this particular case it would be any different.
Blade: The partner did tell us yesterday that another detective contacted him. He thinks it might have been after the Washington Blade story ran on this case. He said the detective told him they are continuing to work on the case.
Smith: Excellent – that’s good to hear.
Blade: Is there anything else you may wish to say that the LGBTQ community might want to know regarding your plans for the MPD?
Smith: Well, I can say personally the LGBTQ+ community will see me. They will see me out and about. They will probably see me in spaces and places that they’re probably not familiar with seeing me in. And I plan to be very supportive. And if there’s anything that I can do to be of support to the LGBTQ community just as I would with any other community, I would add don’t hesitate to reach out. If there’s anything I can learn new about various communities or different communities I’m open to that as well.
Blade: Thank you very much, chief, for this interview.
District of Columbia
As mayor’s race takes shape, candidates endorse LGBTQ equality
Like nearly all recent D.C. elections, LGBTQ voters will be choosing a candidate for mayor in 2026 from a list of mostly strong LGBTQ rights supporters in the city’s June 16 primary.
As of March 30, the D.C. Board of Elections’ list of candidates who submitted the required number of petition signatures for the June 16 primary ballot included 10 mayoral candidates: nine Democrats and one Statehood Green Party candidate.
Among those candidates, six, all Democrats, have issued statements expressing strong support for LGBTQ rights, including the two leading Democratic contenders, former D.C. Council member Kenyan McDuffie and current Council member Janeese Lewis George, who represents Ward 4.
One of the lesser-known Democratic candidates who released an LGBTQ supportive statement, Rini Sampath, a cyber security consultant, told the Washington Blade she identifies as queer, becoming one of the first known LGBTQ D.C. mayoral candidates to gain access to a major party primary ballot.
“We’re living in an extremely diverse community, an extremely unique community,” she told the Blade. “And being able to self-label, self-identify as queer is something that I just want to take pride in.”
Similar to McDuffie and Lewis George, Sampath released statements to the Blade and the Capital Stonewall Democrats, the city’s largest LGBTQ local political group, expressing support for LGBTQ rights and outlining plans for LGBTQ supportive policies if elected mayor.
Although many D.C. LGBTQ activists have said they have yet to decide whom to support for mayor, those who have decided appear to be divided between McDuffie and Lewis George. Most D.C. political observers consider McDuffie and Lewis George to be the two leading candidates in the mayoral race.
The other Democratic mayoral contenders who have released statements expressing support on LGBTQ issues include Gary Goodweather, a local real estate manager and developer who has been actively campaigning at LGBTQ events; Vincent Orange, a former At-Large and Ward 5 D.C. Council member; and Kathy Henderson, a longtime Ward 5 community activist and elected Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner.
The remaining two Democratic mayoral candidates, Hope Solomon, a former U.S. Department of Homeland Security contractor and Dupont Circle civic activist; and Ernest Johnson, a real estate broker and Ward 1 community activist, did not respond to inquiries from the Blade and Capital Stonewall Democrats seeking information about their position on LGBTQ related issues.
Robert Gross, the Statehood Green Party candidate who is running unopposed in the June 16 primary, also didn’t respond to inquires from the Blade about his position on LGBTQ issues.
D.C. Board of Elections records show that at least five Republican candidates filed papers to run for mayor in the June 16 GOP primary, but none of them remained as candidates as of March 30, when the election board issued its updated candidate list.
Just one of the five Republican candidates replied to an email message from the Washington Blade sent to all mayoral candidates in early March seeking their position on LGBTQ issues. That candidate, Esa Muhammad, whose website identifies him as an engineer, consultant, and local business owner, sent a reply expressing opposition to LGBTQ rights.
“Unfortunately, I do not support LGBTQ because The God only created 2 genders (Adam/Eve),” he wrote. “Anyway, I will be fair to you all despite your sick way of looking at life,” he stated.
Capital Stonewall Democrats President Stevie McCarty said his group sent questionnaires to all the Democratic mayoral candidates as well as to Democrats running for other offices such as D.C. Council. Information posted on the group’s website shows only four of the mayoral candidates returned a complete questionnaire: McDuffie, Lewis George, Goodweather, and Sampath.
Each of them provides detailed information of their plans for supporting LGBTQ policies if elected and their record of support on LGBTQ issues. McCarty said the questionnaire responses for all candidates that submitted them can be accessed at outvotedc.org.
He said Capital Stonewall Democrats will hold virtual LGBTQ forums in April, including a mayoral forum on April 8. He said the group’s members will vote on the candidate endorsements online from April 20 through May 11, and the group expects to announce its endorsements May 14.
GLAA DC, formerly known as the Gay and Lesbian Activists Alliance of Washington, has issued candidate ratings for most D.C. elections since the 1970s, and the nonpartisan LGBTQ group was expected to issue ratings for mayoral candidates this year. But like in recent years, the group is expected to base its ratings on mostly non-LGBTQ issues, with a progressive, left-leaning perspective, according to a nine-page “Back to Basics GLAA Policy Brief 2026” that the group released in March.
The LGBTQ activists who are backing McDuffie or Lewis George appear to be gravitating to the two based on their political leanings separate from LGBTQ issues, just like voters in general. Lewis George, who identifies as a democratic socialist, is popular among LGBTQ and non-LGBTQ “progressives.”
McDuffie, who is seen as a more moderate candidate along the lines of current D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, is being supported by LGBTQ activists who hold those views, some of whom currently work in the Bowser administration.
Among Lewis George’s LGBTQ supporters are longtime Ward 8 community leader Philip Pannell and former Capital Stonewall Democrats president Howard Garrett. Among the LGBTQ McDuffie backers are longtime D.C. Democratic activists John Fanning and David Meadows.
Longtime D.C. LGBTQ Democratic Party activist Peter Rosenstein, who is supporting McDuffie, has raised concerns about Lewis George’s backing by the national group Democratic Socialists of America. In Facebook postings, Rosenstein points to the Democratic Socialists of America’s opposition to Israel as a country and said it is viewed by many in the Jewish community as promoting antisemitism. He has criticized Lewis George for not speaking out against that and for accepting the DSA’s endorsement.
In an interview with the Blade, Lewis George strongly disputed that assessment, saying she has been a strong ally and supporter of the Jewish community.
“I’m a member of the Metro DSA here in D.C. that I work with to fight for labor and for tenant rights,” she said. “I’m also a member of the Democratic Party,” she added, saying, “There are things that the Democratic Party does that I don’t agree with. There are things that the national DSA does that I don’t agree with. That’s a group that I work with.”
“But I want to be clear that I am running for mayor to represent all of our community, and that includes our amazing and historical Jewish community here in D.C.,” she said. “I have had the amazing opportunity to spend time at synagogues and talking to Jewish leaders and groups and institutions. And so, there should be no worry here.”
Following are short excerpts from the detailed statements the five Democratic mayoral candidates submitted to the Capital Stonewall Democrats or the Washington Blade.
Kenyan McDuffie: “As mayor, every piece of legislation I sign, craft, or endorse should also encompass the interest and input of the LGBTQ community members and advocates…From housing to health care and everything in between… We have a dire crisis regarding the rise in homelessness especially among the youth in our LGBTQ communities. In my administration that simply cannot be the status quo and will not be…I have been a consistent champion for our LGBTQ community and will remain so as Mayor of D.C.’
Janeese Lewis George: “As mayor, I will protect our LGBTQ+ neighbors against federal attacks on their identity, including their health care…On the Council I have been a strong supporter of pro-LGBTQ+ bills, including making D.C. a sanctuary for people seeking gender-affirming health care as well as addressing discrimination and harassment in nightlife and hospitality…And as mayor, I am prepared to move up and win those fights – a fight for D.C. statehood, a fight for our true economy, and a real opportunity to uplift our Black queer and trans youth.”
Gary Goodweather: “A Goodweather administration will defend every D.C. law protecting LGBTQ residents. I will establish a Defend DC office to coordinate the District’s legal and public response to federal overreach, with LGBTQ+ protections explicitly within its mandate…My affordable D.C. plan will produce 50,000 new homes with 36,000 affordable units, and I will ensure LGBTQ+ youth housing programs are funded as a budget priority.”
Rini Sampath: “I am an immigrant, proud queer woman, and a 10-year resident of Washington, D.C…For me, LGBTQ+ voters including transgender and nonbinary residents, are not a separate or symbolic constituency; they are a core part of a broader, multiracial, cross-ward coalition rooted in in equity and opportunity.”
Vincent Orange: “I have a long and consistent record of supporting LGBTQ+ equality and inclusion in the District of Columbia, grounded in both policy and personal commitment. As the District’s Democratic Committeeman from 2006 to 2015, I publicly supported marriage equality and voted accordingly … During my time on the D.C. Council, I worked to advance protections for LGBTQ+ residents, including authoring and passing legislation to prohibit discrimination against transgender individuals in the workplace.”
Kathy Henderson: Kathy Henderson has maintained a consistent record of treating all members of the community with dignity, compassion, and respect, regardless of gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, identity, political party, national origin, or ideology. Kathy Henderson embraced the late Wanda Alston as a colleague and good friend…Alston was the first director of the Mayor’s Office of LGBTQ Affairs and Henderson helped to organize and facilitate the first LGBTQ citizens summit.”
District of Columbia
Trans activists gather on National Mall for Transgender Day of Visibility
Upwards of 200 people participated in D.C. event
The National Mall was covered in kites on Saturday as transgender activists from around the country gathered to support the annual Transgender Day of Visibility. The event, put on by the Christopher Street Project — whose mission to protect and support trans Americans on the ballot and in streets — brought together around 200 supporters and organizations to honor trans homicide victims and rally for the future of human rights.
Created 17 years ago by psychotherapist and trans activist Rachel Crandall-Crocker, the day was born out of a need to celebrate one of the most marginalized groups in American politics, she told The 19th in 2021.
Since then, the nation has slowly caught up. This year marked the second time the observance has expanded into a multi-day movement, with events ranging from panels and congressional lobbying to organizing efforts, culminating in a rally on the “nation’s front door” — the National Mall.
A recent survey conducted by SRSS, a national research and marketing firm, and commissioned by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation, found that 41 percent of American adults say they personally know someone who is trans. That figure is up from previous estimates of around 30 percent. The study also shows that 27 percent say they have had a regular conversation with a transgender person in the last year. For HRC, this data is confirmation that visibility efforts are working.
“Transgender people are not strangers. They are our neighbors, coworkers, family members, and friends. And this new data shows that as people get to know them, they are more likely to stand by them as allies,” said Kelley Robinson, president of HRC said in a statement. “Defending trans rights is part of defending democracy itself. The more we show up for each other, the stronger our communities and our democracy become.”
Despite this progress and growing positive sentiment, more than 80 anti-trans bills are currently pending in state legislatures across the country, according to HRC, while similar issues are being debated at the national level. Many of the bills seek to restrict trans youth from participating in sports aligned with their gender identity and limit access to gender-affirming medical care.
Tyler Hack, founder and executive director of the Christopher Street Project, who is trans and nonbinary, spoke with the Washington Blade on March 28 about the growing importance of the day.
“We saw that there was a lack of political power for the trans community. We saw that there was a lack of political power for the trans community,” Hack said. “We decided to step up and implement the demand leadership and have galvanized people all across this country for Trans Day of Visibility and our gatherings these last few days we’ve had people come from as far as Hawaii to come celebrate with us, advocate for our rights on the hill, and learn about what it means to fight for all of us.”
Fighting for “all of us,” Hack noted, means showing up where political power is concentrated — in the nation’s capital. The National Mall, a hub for both protest and tourism, draws a wide range of visitors, from political activists brandishing MAGA hats or “You did it, Joe” t-shirts to everyday sightseers.
“I literally just saw a guy in a Trump shirt [at the rally], but we’re not going anywhere,” they said. “Visablity is really important, alongside needing to be an active parts of society, being having public life, and we need to demonstrate that we’re not going anywhere. I mean, we had people from the hill, Congress members come who weren’t even planning to come and did … We are now learning about what it means to fight for and stand up for our rights.”
Hack then looked toward the Capitol after being asked why they believe there are so many negative — and false — statements coming from congressional legislators about trans people. After a pause, they emphasized that the fight for trans rights is often deliberately mischaracterized by Republican opponents try to turn Americans against the community. That, they pointed out, is not what is happening outside the halls of the Hill.
“We are fighting for an America that works for all of us, and we know that,” Hack said. “We know that fighting for all of us is not unpopular. What’s unpopular is genital inspections in schools for girls as young as four years old — who some of our leaders want to transvestigate for not looking feminine enough. What’s unpopular are subpoenas of hospitals so the government can go through your records and decide what they like and don’t like. It is about power.”
That framing — that trans people simply want to live freely and equally under the law — has become central to the movement’s messaging, even as conservative media organizations and political leaders continue to shape public perception in opposing ways.
“We can’t cede any ground because we don’t need to. We are not fighting for a cause that’s inherently unpopular. People know that we shouldn’t throw anyone under the bus, and that’s what we’re here to say to our leaders: we’re paying attention.”
This year’s TDoV was noticeably larger in production than last year’s event, with a bigger stage, more high-profile speakers, increased security, and expanded programming across multiple days.
“We also planned three days of programming. We had dozen panels and workshops on Thursday, and we had over 75 Hill meetings on Friday,” they said. “Now we have this rally, and our capacity hasn’t grown that much — a lot of this was done by two people, but I think it just has come to fruition in a way. I’m happy with it, but I would love to see people with crazy budgets and includes expanded capacity, also we can continue to step out and do the work.”
One moment that stood out to Hack was seeing a parent advocate for her trans child — highlighting what they described as the deeply human nature of these stories.
“The first person to come up to me today was a mom of a trans kid and a nonbinary kid who said she came to our whole convening, going to the Hill to advocate yesterday — for the first time, because we inspired her to act, and that she was too scared to be a part of something,” they said. “She knew that her kids’ lives had been criminalized and that she needed to act and –that really hit me. I also know most of the people who educated our lawmakers, were people who have never been to the Hill before. These people who were also telling their stories, were also fighting for reproductive freedom for all. I mean, we had people from Hawaii, Washington State, California, people who some of them hadn’t been to D.C. Those are the people that we are here to mobilize because they haven’t been galvanized by any project before. I’m just grateful we gave them something that they’re willing to get behind.”
Speakers throughout the rally echoed similar themes of urgency, visibility, and collective action.
Rayceen Pendarvis, a local D.C. trans activist, spoke at the event, emphasizing the history behind the current fight — especially the exclusion of trans people from broader LGBTQ movements — and the need to push back against current political attacks on the most marginalized.
“Trans people in D.C. had to fight for their seat at the table. Trans people were either an afterthought — or left out completely. Now, trans people have become the scapegoat. Ignorance about trans people has been weaponized.”
The lifelong Washingtonian, who had a popular show that ran for 10 seasons with a range of programming covering local and national LGBTQ topics from 2012–2021, continued on the need to stay aware and vocal during the increasingly difficult Trump-Vance administration.
“We have to push back — be as relentless as they are. If your vote was not important, they wouldn’t spend so much time trying to stop you from using it. Voting is not enough — we all must get involved. Let us make our ancestors proud by unifying, organizing, and fighting back.”
She ended her speech with advice to not only strategically spend time advocating, but also build relationships within and around the transgender community.
“Support each other, encourage each other, and help each other. Spend time with your trans elders while you can and learn from them. Give them their flowers, but also give the old dolls some money to pay their bills,” she said to cheers from the crowd. “Allies need to put their money where their mouth is!”
“RuPaul’s Drag Race” contestant, singer-songwriter, and trans activist Peppermint spoke about the mixed feelings the day brings, allowing her to recognize both pride and frustration with the slow-moving progress for the transgender community.
“I love being trans, and it’s inspiring to see more people feel comfortable expressing who they are,” Peppermint said to the crowd. “But I’m disappointed that we have to march for our rights. I’m disappointed that we have to convince people who we are, while we’ve been here supporting them all along. I’m disappointed that not enough people show up when the trans community is under attack.”
Last year, a record number of anti-trans policies passed through state and federal legislatures — many originating from Republican lawmakers who argue such measures are necessary for safety. Idaho voted to make it a criminal offense to use the bathroom aligned with one’s gender identity if it does not match sex assigned at birth, setting up a bounty-style enforcement system. Twenty-seven states have banned sports participation for transgender children, primarily targeting transgender girls, citing fairness and safety — claims that research has shown are not supported by evidence. Last month, Kansas’s state Senate voted to invalidate driver’s licenses and birth certificates of trans residents who had updated their gender markers, while also defining sex strictly as assigned at birth.
Peppermint highlighted the specific cruelty of these policies and echoed the rally’s broader message.
“People are being asked to make an agreement to throw us under the bus. You’re watching our civil rights be stripped away like it’s entertainment. When you empower a government to take rights from some, you empower it to take rights from everyone,” the Broadway performer added. “That’s the reality we’re facing.”
She finished by affirming those present and pointing toward the future of the fight for equal treatment under the law.
“Trans people are women, men, nonbinary, immigrants, disabled — every kind of person. We are here, and we are inevitable. I’m disappointed — but I’m hopeful. I’m grateful — and you should be too,” Peppermint said. “I love you, I’m in awe of you, and I am grateful for you. I’m proud to stand with this diverse trans community. We have always shown up for others, year after year. And we’re still here.”
Rabbi Abby Stein framed the moment through a spiritual and historical lens, offering an alternative to narratives often pushed by conservative lawmakers and commentators.
“They’ve moved past trying to erase us — they’re using us. We have become the rock they’re using to hit the people they want to oppress,” Stein said. “We are visible, but we’ve been forced into a narrow place. That’s the reality of this moment.”
She continued, explaining that, despite what some have said, her trans identity reaffirms her religion and strengthens her Jewish faith.
“For generations, we’ve told stories about leaving narrow places. Those narrow places exist today — in closets, in systems, in the ways people try to restrict us. But we have always found a way out. That is our history and our power.”
“Coming out and being who you are isn’t just okay — it’s a spiritual obligation. It is powerful, and it is necessary. If you try to take away our visibility, our rights, and our joy, you will fail. We are going to win because we will keep fighting together.”
Other activists that spoke included military members who had been forced out of their jobs and benefits following the Trump-Vance administration’s return to banning transgender military members, including SPARTA Pride Executive Director and US Army Major Kara Corcoran and Air Force Master Sgt. Logan Ireland, both focusing their time on stage on sharing how they gave their country their lives, yet the president couldn’t accept their gender identity.
Others who spoke/performed included the queer cheerleading group Cheer DC, local trans DJ and organizer Samson, and Chastity Bowick, Executive Director of Marsha P. Johnson Institute also spoke.
Hack closed with a message centered on their belief in collective action to create a better world for everyone and the resilience of the community.
“We’ve been fighting in the halls of power, and I’m proud of how far we’ve come. This week is about educating, advocating, and rallying. There isn’t one strategy to take back our country. It takes all of us … This is not just about trans people — this is about whether the government gets to decide who is acceptable. When one group is targeted, it never stops there. That’s what history shows us. That’s why this moment matters.”
“We’re being scapegoated and forced out of public life. There are efforts to legislate us out of existence. Our freedoms are intertwined — we can’t leave anyone out. They think we’re small, but they’re wrong.”
“The days of respectability politics are over,” Hack said, with rainbow kites lying overhead, signaling a welcome and powerful reflection of the day’s movement — one that echoed the sentiments of those gathered. “Our movement has never needed permission to exist — and we’re not asking for it now. There is something inevitable about a people who refuse to disappear. It is inevitable that we win.”
District of Columbia
Blade contributor, husband exchange vows in D.C.
Yariel Valdés and Kevin Vega held ceremony at Jefferson Memorial on March 23
Washington Blade contributor Yariel Valdés and his husband, Kevin Vega, exchanged vows at the Jefferson Memorial on March 23.
The couple married in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., on Nov. 24, 2025. The Jefferson Memorial ceremony — which Blade International News Editor Michael K. Lavers and Samy Nemir Olivares officiated — coincided with the third anniversary of Yariel and Kevin’s first date.
Yariel in 2019 asked for asylum in the U.S. because of the persecution he suffered as a journalist in his native Cuba. He spent nearly a year in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody before his release on March 4, 2020.
Yariel wrote a series of articles about his time in ICE custody that the Blade published. The series was nominated for a GLAAD Media Award in 2022.
Yariel and Kevin live in South Florida.
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