D.C. Council approves Swann Street LGBTQ designation bill

The D.C. Council on Tuesday voted unanimously in a first-reading vote to approve a bill calling for designating Swann Street, N.W. near Dupont Circle in honor of William Dorsey Swann, a Black gay D.C. resident and former enslaved person who is credited with advocating for LGBTQ rights in the late 1800s.

The Council was expected to give final approval of the measure by a similar unanimous vote at its next legislative session.

The bill, the William Dorsey Swann Street Designation Act of 2023, was introduced Feb. 28 by D.C. Council member Brooke Pinto (D-Ward 2) along with 10 other members of the 13-member Council who signed on as co-introducers.

Pinto released a statement at the time of the bill’s introduction describing William Dorsey Swann as an early pioneer in LGBTQ rights in the late 19th century who is believed to be the first known “American activist to lead an LGBTQQIA+ resistance group” after being persecuted and arrested for performing in drag.

“Beginning in the 1880s, William Dorsey Swann ran a group known as the ‘House of Swann’ and organized balls, largely attended by queer, formerly enslaved men who would gather to dance and cross dress,” according to Pinto’s statement.

Her statement points to a Jan. 24, 1912 edition of the Congressional Record as saying that Swann Street, N.W. had originally been named for Thomas Swann, an “enslaver” who served as mayor of Baltimore and later as governor of Maryland.

“Officially designating this street in honor of native Washingtonian and trailblazing LGBTQQIA+ rights activist William Dorsey Swann is an opportunity to ensure that our streets honor those who embody the District’s value of social equality and human dignity,” Pinto’s statement says.

Swann Street is located between 14th Street, N.W. and 19th Street, N.W. and parallel to and between S Street, N.W. and T Street, N.W.

The Council was also expected to approve funding for the fabrication and installation of a commemorative sign describing the historic significance of William Dorsey Swann, to be placed at the intersection of Swann Street,