This week, candidate petitions opened for Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) races across Washington, DC That gives our city a simple question: who will step up to represent their block?
Capital Stonewall Democrats built Queering ANCs because too many people who would make excellent local leaders never get asked to run, never learn where to start, or never receive the support they need to move from curiosity to candidacy.
QueeringANCs.org gives DC residents the practical information they need to find their ANC seat, understand the process, collect signatures, and run.
Stevie saw this gap firsthand. As a queer ANC commissioner and president of Capital Stonewall Democrats, he kept seeing the same problem: people cared deeply about their neighborhoods, but did not know which seat they lived in, how to qualify for the ballot, what an ANC actually does, or who could help them through the process.
Rini saw it too while running for mayor as a queer first-time candidate for the highest elected office in DC Even with a strong network and a serious campaign, the process could still feel opaque, technical, and unnecessarily difficult to navigate. That experience made one thing clear: if we want more underrepresented people to run, we cannot just celebrate them after they announce. We have to help them understand how to begin.
That tool now exists.
Queering ANCs lets residents enter their address, find their ANC seat, see their election history, take a candidate-readiness quiz, learn the basics of ANC service, get step-by-step ballot guidance, track petition signatures, and join a candidate cohort with mentors and check-ins. It also includes safety planning designed for queer and trans candidates, because visibility can carry real risks, and those risks should not push people out of public life.
Here’s the thing: telling someone to “just run” is easy. Actually doing it is a different story. Courage might get you into the ring, but it won’t file your paperwork, decode complex petition rules, or build a campaign plan from scratch. Passion is great, but it’s the tangible, unglamorous support that actually gets a name onto the ballot.
ANCs matter because they touch the issues residents feel every day. Commissioners weigh in on housing, zoning, transportation, public space, liquor licenses, small businesses, safety, development, and constituent services. DC law gives ANC recommendations “great weight,” which means a commissioner may not issue permits, but they can move decisions. In a city where people often feel locked out of government, ANCs offer one of the most direct ways to shape what happens on your own block.
For LGBTQIA+ residents, these decisions shape whether neighborhoods have safe public spaces, thriving queer venues, responsive services, affirming community institutions, and local leaders who understand their lives.
ANCs also build the bench. For anyone who might want to run for higher office in DC someday, serving as an ANC can help build a real record of local governing experience. It gives people a way to learn the issues, serve residents directly, and show that they understand DC government at the neighborhood level.
That matters for 2SLGBTQIA+ candidates, and it matters for every community that has too often heard: wait your turn, get more experience, prove you belong.
DC has a proud history of queer leadership and organizing. Leaders like Frank Kameny, Jim Graham, David Catania, Zachary Parker, and Phillip Pannell helped expand what queer public leadership could look like in this city. Pannell’s work, especially from Ward 8 and across the District, reminds us that Black queer voices and advocacy in our beloved city is foundational to our collective success.
And this work has to keep growing. Aparna Raj’s recent Ward 1 victory, Vida Rangel elected as the first Latinx trans woman, and Lïa Lake as the first openly trans woman and first openly intersex person elected city-state wide, shows what happens when underrepresented candidates step up to lead, and reminds us to keep opening the door for more people to run.
We also want to acknowledge the organizations already doing this work in their own lanes. Run for Something recruits and supports young progressives. Leaders We Deserve invests in young candidates. Victory Fund elects LGBTQ+ leaders. IGNITE National trains young women to step into political power. Each organization helps answer a different version of the same question: how do we make public office more accessible to people shut out for too long?
Queering ANCs answers that question at the hyperlocal level in DC
Running for an ANC is the most accessible path to local office. Since many races go uncontested, the barrier to entry is low: there is no filing fee and you only need 25 signatures.
Representation won’t trickle down; we have to build it ourselves, block by block. Petitions opened July 6 and are due August 5. If you’ve thought about running, this is your sign.
Visit QueeringANCs.org to find your seat, get your petitions, and run for your neighborhood.
Stevie McCarty serves as president of the Capital Stonewall Democrats and as an Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner in Washington, DC Rini Sampath ran for mayor of Washington, DC in 2026 and became the first South Asian candidate to make the DC mayoral ballot.
