Local
Herring unveils LGBT agenda
Attorney general candidate says Ken Cuccinelli’s challenge of sodomy law ruling is “wrong”
Mark Herring says he will push for greater protections for transgender, lesbian, bisexual and gay Virginia residents. (Photo courtesy of Herring for Attorney General)
Virginia attorney general candidate Mark Herring on Friday unveiled an agenda he maintains would extend equality to transgender, lesbian, bisexual and gay Virginia residents.
The Democratic state senator who represents portions of Loudoun and Fairfax Counties said during a conference call that he would adopt a non-discrimination policy in the Attorney General’s office that includes sexual orientation and gender identity. Herring also stressed he would support boards of visitors of the commonwealth’s public colleges and universities’ efforts to ban anti-gay discrimination against their employees and students — current Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli in 2010 recommended these institutions remove LGBT-specific provisions from their non-discrimination policies.
Herring said he would work with local school districts to implement anti-bullying policies that “protect all students.” He added he would continue to oppose efforts to ban students from forming Gay-Straight Alliances.
Herring, who also supports marriage rights for same-sex couples, said he would work with advocates to end what he described as Virginia’s discriminatory adoption and foster care policies to ensure “placement decisions are always based on the best interests of the child and that no child in Virginia is denied a loving home.”
“I am committed to an equality agenda because I believe it’s time we have an attorney general who will protect and defend the civil rights of all Virginians,” he said. “It’s important for folks to understand that defending the civil rights of Virginians is not just an abstract concept.”
Herring spoke with reporters three days after the Washington Blade reported Cuccinelli, who will likely face former Democratic National Committee Chair Terry McAuliffe in the commonwealth’s November’s gubernatorial election, asked the 4th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals in Richmond to review a three-judge panel’s decision last month that struck down Virginia’s sodomy law.
“Ken Cuccinelli is wrong on this,” Herring said.
Herring further criticized Cuccinelli for his opposition to other LGBT-specific issues in the commonwealth.
“Ken Cuccinelli has taken action and supported policies that are divisive,” he said. “They’ve hurt Virginians; they’ve damaged the state’s reputation.”
Gay Virginia Sen. Ebbin to chair ‘LGBT Virginians for Herring’
Herring, who would face either state Sen. Mark Obenshain (R-Harrisonburg) or state Del. Rob Bell (R-Albemarle) in November if he defeats former assistant U.S. attorney Justin Fairfax in the Democratic primary in June, also announced the formation of an LGBT steering committee that gay Virginia state Sen. Adam Ebbin (D-Alexandria) will chair.
“The public is more than ready for an attorney general like Mark Herring who not only covered the gamut of issues, but particularly stands up for equality,” Ebbin said, referring to Cuccinelli’s opposition to abortion and other issues. “Not only are they ready for it, they expect it. Mark will meet those needs.”
Former Alexandria City Council candidate Sean Holihan; former Arlington Gay and Lesbian Alliance President Kris McLaughlin; LGBT rights advocates Danny Barefoot and Seth Morrison; Richmond resident Jim Schuyler and Charley Conrad, former chair of the Democratic Party of Virginia’s LGBT Caucus, are also part of the “LGBT Virginians for Herring” steering committee.
“We cannot afford to have any more of this craziness come out of the attorney general’s office,” Conrad, who is a substitute teacher in Arlington and Fairfax County schools, said. “The attorney general is the person that can look out for all the citizens of Virginians and not just some of the citizens of Virginia.”
District of Columbia
D.C. Latinx Pride celebrates culture and heritage
Your guide to events throughout June
Organizers with the Latinx History Project have planned a host of events this Pride season with parties, poetry, drag and more.
The festivities begin with the DC Latinx Pride 2026 Kickoff at Crush Dance Bar (2007 14th Street, N.W.) on Friday, June 12 from 6-10 p.m. The party will include a coronation ceremony for the 2026 Royal Court: Ms. DC Latinx Pride Vida Rangel and Mx. DC Latinx Pride Steph Niaupari. RSVP at latinxhistoryproject.org. The event is free, though donations are accepted.
An outdoor event is planned for Sunday, June 14 from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. at Anacostia River Park (1500 Anacostia Dr., S.E.). Cultivating Queer Outdoor Joy is a “peaceful outdoor community event focused on grounding, connection, and queer joy in nature.” The event is free.
A panel discussion is planned for The Festival Center (1640 Columbia Rd., N.W., 2nd floor) on Monday, June 15 from 6-8 p.m. La Plática: The Future of 2 Spirits and Trans Natives will focus upon the “stories, leadership and vision of Two-Spirit, Indigiqueer and Trans Native people.” RSVP to the free event at latinxhistoryproject.org.
A sex-positive poetry workshop, “Hoetry: Writing Erotic Poetry,” is planned for Wednesday, June 17 from 6-8 p.m. at The Festival Center (1640 Columbia Road, N.W.). The event is free.
The workshop So You Wanna Do Drag? is planned for Thursday, June 18 from 5:30-8 p.m. at The Festival Center (1640 Columbia Road, N.W.). Featured guests Ricky Rose and Mari Con Carne will hold a style showcase to discuss the basics of developing a drag persona. RSVP to the free event at latinxhistoryproject.org.
The Latinx History Project is collaborating with Rumba Queer DC to produce an official Latinx Pride Party: Sin Vergüenza. The event is at the multi-level venue, Transmission (1353 H Street, N.E.) on Thursday, June 18 from 7 p.m.-1 a.m. There are dance lessons, vendors and three different music experiences in the sprawling venue. There will also be a drag showcase from 10-11 p.m. The event is 21+ and tickets are available at shotgun.live/en/events/sin-verguenza. Tickets are $15 for entry into the party. Tickets to participate in the dance lesson are $29.98. Participants may choose between a bachata lesson or a salsa lesson from 7-8 p.m.
La Fiesta: Official DC Latinx Pride Party is planned for Friday, June 19 from 10 p.m. – 2 a.m. at Bunker (2001 14th Street, N.W.). Serena Morena from “Drag Race México” and “Drag Race UK vs The World” is slated to headline the 21+ event. Early tickets are available for $15 (plus $0.38 service fee) until June 16. The door cover charge without early tickets is $20. Attendees can also purchase a meet and greet experience with Serena Morena for $30. Tickets are available at latinxhistoryproject.org.
The Latinx History Project plans to march in the Capital Pride Parade on Saturday, June 20 and to have a table at the Capital Pride Festival on Sunday, June 21. Visit latinxhistoryproject.org to register to march alongside LGP in the parade or to staff the table at the festival.
The DC Latinx Pride 2026 Closing Event is scheduled for Friday, June 26 from 6:30-8:30 p.m. at the Mexican Cultural Institute (2829 16th Street, N.W.). The free event is a panel discussion “centering the experiences of immigrants who have lived in Latin America and now call the United States home.”
Visit latinxhistoryproject.org for more information.
District of Columbia
JR.’s hosts meet & greet for mayoral candidate Janeese Lewis George
Event organized by Capital Stonewall Democrats, Queers for Janeese
D.C. mayoral candidate Janeese Lewis George spoke to a crowd of LGBTQ supporters on June 1 at a meet & greet event held at JR.’s on 17th Street in the Dupont Circle neighborhood.
The event, organized by Capital Stonewall Democrats, which has endorsed Lewis George for mayor, with support from a group called Queers for Janeese, was followed by a “get out the vote” canvassing endeavor in which several of those attending the meet & greet visited the homes of nearby residents known to be Lewis George supporters.
The purpose of the canvassing was to remind Lewis George supporters to return their mail-in ballots or go to the polls on June 16 to elect Lewis George as the city’s next mayor, according to Matthew Kavanagh, one of the leaders of Queers for Janeese who attended the meet & greet event at JR.’s.
Local political observers consider Lewis George, a Ward 4 D.C. Council member, and former At-Large D.C. Council member Kenyan McDuffie, to be the two leading candidates in this year’s race for mayor. The two are among seven mayoral candidates competing in the city’s June 16 Democratic primary.
Lewis George told those attending the meet & greet, which was held on the JR.’s outdoor patio, that she has a long record of advocating for and initiating city polices and laws in support of the LGBTQ community. She said large corporate donors were backing her opponents and urged her LGBTQ supporters to help raise funds for her in the remaining days of the campaign.
Among those attending the meet & greet was gay longtime Dupont Circle civic activist Randy Downs who last November opened a nearby eatery called Protest Pizza. “I am queer and I am a Janeese supporter,” Downs told the Blade.
Stevie McCarty, president of Capital Stonewall Democrats, who also spoke at the meet & greet event, said his group would organize events in support of Lewis George in the remaining days of the campaign. Among them, he said, was an LGBTQ bar crawl in which supporters of Lewis George, including the candidate herself, would visit LGBTQ bars to promote her candidacy.
Virginians for Marriage Equality on Monday launched a campaign in support of repealing Virginia’s constitutional amendment that defines marriage as between a man and a woman.
Equality Virginia Executive Director Narissa Rahaman, former state Sen. Adam Ebbin, former state Del. Mark Sickles, and American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia Executive Director Mary Bauer are among those who spoke at the launch that took place in Richmond. State Del. Kirk McPike (D-Alexandria), who co-chairs the campaign, also participated.
“This amendment is about making clear that the government has no business deciding which marriages or which families are worthy of recognition,” said Bauer. “The ACLU of Virginia has been fighting for Virginians’ right to marry who they love since the landmark case, Loving v. Virginia, which struck down the ban on interracial marriage. Now we are proud to carry that legacy forward by standing with our coalition partners in the fight to pass this amendment and finally enshrine the right to marriage equality in the commonwealth’s constitution.”
Voters in 2006 approved the Marshall-Newman Amendment.
Same-sex couples have been able to legally marry in Virginia since 2014. Former Gov. Glenn Youngkin, who is a Republican, in 2024 signed a bill that codified marriage equality in state law.
Two successive legislatures must approve a proposed constitutional amendment before it can go to the ballot.
Democratic Gov. Abigail Spanberger in February signed a bill that finalized the referendum’s language.
The referendum will take place on Nov. 3.
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