Arts & Entertainment
Queery: Trevor Ankeny
The Baltimore Pride co-chair answers 20 gay questions
Trevor Ankeny is in the midst of his busiest time of year — for the third consecutive year, he’s co-chairing Baltimore Pride. It’s a volunteer job. He takes several days off from his day job in property management to make sure the bevy of events goes off smoothly.
“I think this has been a very good year so far,” he says during a late night break Tuesday. “We have a lot of fresh, new entertainment ideas, so with adding those new components, I feel we’re in a good place and have covered all our bases. Hopefully we haven’t forgotten anything.”
Baltimore Pride (baltimorepride.org) is ramping up to its main events this weekend (details on page 24). It’s a production of the Gay & Lesbian Community Center of Baltimore and serves as a fundraiser for that nonprofit. Ankeny co-chairs with Samantha Flottesmesch.
Ankeny grew up in Baltimore in a conservative Jehovah’s Witness family. He tried to go the straight and narrow way (“I did what I thought was right”) for years, getting married to a woman and starting a family, but after five years of that, he knew it wasn’t the right fit.
Now out and single with a 14-year-old daughter, Rhiannon, Ankeny lives in Bel Air, Md., and enjoys volunteering for Pride.
“I’ve always been a big proponent of the LGBT community working together,” he says. “We have so many resources, it’s really the time we all come together and see each other and you realize, wow, there’s this huge and vast sea of resources right here in our own ranks … it’s the one time of year we can really see our numbers and how important we are as citizens.”
Ankeny enjoys theme parks, skiing, swimming and going to the beach in his free time. (Photos courtesy Ankeny)
How long have you been out and who was the hardest person to tell?
Since 2001. My wife at the time.
Who’s your LGBT hero?
I have to say I am very proud of Ellen DeGeneres. Especially in how she handled the JC Penney issue.
What’s Baltimore’s best nightspot, past or present?
Wednesday night gay bingo at the Hippo. The host, Roger Dimick, is hilarious.
Describe your dream wedding.
I am not marrying again.
What non-LGBT issue are you most passionate about?
Caring for our environment.
What historical outcome would you change?
9-11
What’s been the most memorable pop culture moment of your lifetime?
Death of each of the deceased “Golden Girls.” Wait? Is that pop culture?
On what do you insist?
Follow through
What was your last Facebook post or Tweet?
“Pre-pride party at Mixers”
If your life were a book, what would the title be?
“Slow Down Boy!”
If science discovered a way to change sexual orientation, what would you do?
Still be gay. It’s more fun than being straight.
What do you believe in beyond the physical world?
Space
What’s your advice for LGBT movement leaders?
In our quest for rights we should not forget those that suffer every day with the least amount of rights. They are so often left to fend for themselves.
What would you walk across hot coals for?
A good man
What LGBT stereotype annoys you most?
All of them. I really dislike stereotypes.
What’s your favorite LGBT movie?
“Girls Will Be Girls.” I laugh out loud every time.
What’s the most overrated social custom?
Christmas
What trophy or prize do you most covet?
Mega Millions
What do you wish you’d known at 18?
That I was gay.
Why Baltimore?
As quirky as it is, it’s home.
Celebrity News
Madonna announces release date for new album
‘Confessions II’ marks return to the dance floor
Pop icon Madonna on Wednesday announced that her 15th studio album will be released on July 3.
Titled “Confessions II,” the new album is a sequel to 2005’s “Confessions on a Dance Floor,” an Abba and disco-infused hit.
The new album reunites Madonna with producer Stuart Price, who also helmed the original “Confessions” album. It’s her first album of new material since 2019’s “Madame X.”
“We must dance, celebrate, and pray with our bodies,” Madonna said in a press release. “These are things that we’ve been doing for thousands of years — they really are spiritual practices. After all, the dance floor is a ritualistic space. It’s a place where you connect — with your wounds, with your fragility. To rave is an art. It’s about pushing your limits and connecting to a community of like-minded people,” continued the statement. “Sound, light, and vibration reshape our perceptions. Pulling us into a trance-like state. The repetition of the bass, we don’t just hear it but we feel it. Altering our consciousness and dissolving ego and time.”
Denali (@denalifoxx) of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” performed at Pitchers DC on April 9 for the Thirst Trap Thursday drag show. Other performers included Cake Pop!, Brooke N Hymen, Stacy Monique-Max and Silver Ware Sidora.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)














Arts & Entertainment
In an act of artistic defiance, Baltimore Center Stage stays focused on DEI
‘Maybe it’s a triple-down’
By LESLIE GRAY STREETER | I’m always tickled when people complain about artists “going political.” The inherent nature of art, of creation and free expression, is political. This becomes obvious when entire governments try to threaten it out of existence, like in 2025, when the brand-new presidential administration demanded organizations halt so-called diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programming or risk federal funding.
Baltimore Center Stage’s response? A resounding and hearty “Nah.” A year later, they’re still doubling down on diversity.
“Maybe it’s a triple-down,” said Ken-Matt Martin, the theater’s producing director, chuckling.
The rest of this article can be found on the Baltimore Banner’s website.

