Local
Catania files for re-election as Ray, Mendelson compete for funds
Gay D.C. Council member David Catania (I-At Large) has filed papers with the city’s Office of Campaign Finance announcing his candidacy for re-election, ending speculation that he was thinking about leaving politics to practice law.
With the exception of Council Chair Vincent Gray (D-At Large), who is considering running for mayor rather seeking re-election to the Council, Catania became the last incumbent Council member to file for re-election. He filed his papers Jan. 21.
According to records released Monday by the Office of Campaign Finance, he raised $33,750 between Jan. 20 and Jan. 31, the end of the most recent campaign finance reporting period. Under the city’s campaign finance law, unannounced candidates can’t begin raising money more than five days before they formally register their campaigns with the campaign finance office.
Campaign finance records for Catania’s only known opponent for the at-large seat reserved for non-Democrats, Rev. Anthony Motley, could not immediately be obtained.
Gay Council member Jim Graham (D-Ward 1), who filed his re-election papers with the finance office Sept. 28, reported raising $171,391 between Oct. 1 and Jan. 27, records show. Graham’s campaign spent $8,611, leaving him with $162,780 in cash on hand as of Jan. 31.
Gay Democrat Clark Ray, who is challenging incumbent Council member Phil Mendelson (D-At Large) in the Democratic primary, reported raising $65,383 between Aug. 1 and Jan. 31, records show. He obtained a loan of $15,000, bringing his total campaign receipts so far to $80,382. Ray filed papers declaring his candidacy on Aug. 27.
Mendelson reported raising $60,250 for the same six-month period, records show. Mendelson raised $70,606 in a prior reporting period, bringing his total money raised to $130,856. He filed papers July 9 declaring his candidacy.
Records show that Mendelson spent just $816, leaving him with $130,040 in cash on hand as of Jan. 31. By the same date, Ray had spent $38,314, leaving him with $42,068 in cash on hand.
Peter Rosenstein, a Ray campaign adviser, said the campaign used the $38,314 to buy yard signs, posters and to pay for his web site, among other things.
Photos
PHOTOS: Helen Hayes Awards
Gay Men’s Chorus, local drag artists have featured performance at ceremony
The 41st Helen Hayes Awards were held at The Anthem on Monday, May 19. Felicia Curry and Mike Millan served as the hosts.
A performance featuring members of the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington and local drag artists was held at the end of the first act of the program to celebrate WorldPride 2025.
The annual awards ceremony honors achievement in D.C.-area theater productions and is produced by Theatre Washington.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
District of Columbia
Laverne Cox, Reneé Rapp, Deacon Maccubbin named WorldPride grand marshals
Three LGBTQ icons to lead parade
WorldPride organizers announced Thursday that actress and trans activist Laverne Cox, powerhouse performer Reneé Rapp, and LGBTQ trailblazer Deacon Maccubbin will serve as grand marshals for this year’s WorldPride parade.
The Capital Pride Alliance, which is organizing WorldPride 2025 in Washington, D.C., revealed the honorees in a press release, noting that each has made a unique contribution to the fabric of the LGBTQ community.
Cox made history in 2014 as the first openly transgender person nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award in an acting category for her role in Netflix’s “Orange Is the New Black.” She went on to win a Daytime Emmy in 2015 for her documentary “Laverne Cox Presents: The T Word,” which followed seven young trans people as they navigated coming out.
Rapp, a singer and actress who identifies as a lesbian, rose to prominence as Regina George in the Broadway musical “Mean Girls.” She reprised the role in the 2024 film adaptation and also stars in Max’s “The Sex Lives of College Girls,” portraying a character coming to terms with her sexuality. Rapp has released an EP, “Everything to Everyone,” and an album, “Snow Angel.” She announced her sophomore album, “Bite Me,” on May 21 and is slated to perform at the WorldPride Music Festival at the RFK Festival Grounds.
Deacon Maccubbin, widely regarded as a cornerstone of Washington’s LGBTQ+ history, helped organize D.C.’s first Gay Pride Party in 1975. The event took place outside Lambda Rising, one of the first LGBTQ bookstores in the nation, which Maccubbin founded. For his decades of advocacy and activism, he is often referred to as “the patriarch of D.C. Pride.”
“I am so honored to serve as one of the grand marshals for WorldPride this year. This has been one of the most difficult times in recent history for queer and trans people globally,” Cox said. “But in the face of all the rhetorical, legislative and physical attacks, we continue to have the courage to embrace who we truly are, to celebrate our beauty, resilience and bravery as a community. We refuse to allow fear to keep us from ourselves and each other. We remain out loud and proud.”
“Pride is everything. It is protection, it is visibility, it is intersectional. But most importantly, it is a celebration of existence and protest,” Rapp said.
The three will march down 14th Street for the WorldPride Parade in Washington on June 7.
2025 D.C. Trans Pride was held at Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Library on Saturday, May 17. The day was filled with panel discussions, art, social events, speakers, a resource fair and the Engendered Spirit Awards. Awardees included Lyra McMillan, Pip Baitinger, Steph Niaupari and Hayden Gise. The keynote address was delivered by athlete and advocate Schuyler Bailar.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
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