Apr 23, 2004  | COMMENTS     

A 20-year-old gay man from Philadelphia, who pleaded guilty last December to the June 2003 stabbing death of D.C. accountant Michael Kainer, was scheduled to be sentenced Friday in D.C. Superior Court. Luis Villafane acknowledged working for a gay male escort service in Philadelphia at the time he confessed to killing Kainer inside Kainer’s carriage house apartment on the 100 block of U Street, NW. The stabbing occurred hours before the two were scheduled to fly to California to buy a stash of illegal drugs, which Kainer, who was gay, planned to sell in D.C., according to police and court documents. Police sources said Villafane and Kainer met through the D.C. gay club scene and became friends, but Kainer was not believed to be one of Villafane’s escort customers. Villafane’s lawyer argued in a court hearing last year that Villafane committed the murder in an “act of passion” after Kainer and two other men allegedly drugged and gang raped him. Friends of Kainer’s dispute this allegation, calling Kainer a peaceful man who would never have committed a rape. Police said Villafane stole $40,000 in cash and an expensive plasma television from Kainer’s apartment after the stabbing. Investigators listed robbery as the motive for the killing, saying Villafane made plans to buy a car and rent a place in Florida beforehand, indicating he had plotted the murder in advance. A spokesperson for the United States Attorney’s office said prosecutors reduced the charge against Villafane from first-degree to second-degree murder, in exchange for a guilty plea, after determining it would be difficult to obtain a conviction on first-degree murder. Villafane was set to appear before Superior Court Judge Robert Richter at 9:30 a.m. Friday, where he faces a possible maximum sentence of 40 years in prison.
LOU CHIBBARO JR.

Council eases restrictions on nightlife businesses
A coalition of gay and straight nightclub and bar owners said the D.C. Council made improvements but did not go far enough this week in easing restrictions on businesses that promote a vibrant nightlife atmosphere in the city. The Council passed a bill on April 20 ratifying a series of regulations aimed at implementing the city’s alcoholic beverage control law. The Council action followed a lengthy process of deliberations in which D.C. nightlife enthusiasts became a vocal force for reforming what they said was a process stacked in favor of a small group of civic activists who have long opposed neighborhood based clubs offering dancing or live entertainment. D.C. Council member Sharon Ambrose (D-Ward 6), whose Council committee crafted the legislation and regulations, called the bill a balanced compromise between citizens who want quiet neighborhoods and those who want lively entertainment zones integrated into residential areas. Among other things, the bill removed a mini-referendum process, which allowed neighborhood opponents to vote on whether to allow a bar or nightclub to receive a license to operate, regardless of whether they had evidence the business would cause harm to the area. But the bill did not include provisions sought by nightlife advocates that would provide specific protections for music, dancing and other forms of entertainment in neighborhood restaurants or clubs. “The Council’s action has initiated an ongoing process of restoring common-sense to the law, and the ABC Board now has the tools to adjudicate in favor of establishments despite the opposition of nightlife opponents,” said Mark Lee, owner of the D.C. gay dance party Lizard Lounge and a nightlife advocate.
LOU CHIBBARO JR.

Gay Senate staffers form group for advocacy, education
Following the lead of their gay congressional peers on the House side, a group of Senate staffers has created a professional association to further promote gay visibility across Capitol Hill. The idea for GLASS, Gays, Lesbians & Allies Senate Staff, came shortly after federal lawmakers proposed a constitutional amendment barring gay marriage, but the nonpartisan group has pledged to remain social and educational in nature. “We hope that this caucus will serve as a catalyst for transforming the Senate’s culture to a more inclusive and open environment by bringing together people to share experiences,” said co-founder Lynden Armstrong, a staffer for New Mexico Sen. Pete Domenici, a prominent Republican. In 1993, gay House employees formed their own alliance, the Lesbian & Gay Congressional Staff Association, after several members of Congress announced that they would not employ gays in their offices. Since then, the House group has been registered as a formal association of the House and has hosted regular receptions and “brown-bag” lunch events featuring prominent lobbyists and politicians. The GLASS Caucus hopes to emulate LGCSA’s success. “We’ve had a high degree of invisibility because there hasn’t been a Senate ...