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Va. guv addresses anti-gay bias in directive

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Virginian Gov. Bob McDonnell has issued an executive directive saying that discrimination based on sexual orientation in state employment will not be tolerated.

The directive, which is different from an executive order in that it cannot be similarly enforced, comes after state Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli advised Virginia colleges and universities to strike any policies that bar discrimination based on sexual orientation. It also comes after the governor failed to renew his predecessor’s executive order barring discrimination based on sexual orientation in all state employment decisions.

“Employment discrimination of any kind will not be tolerated by this administration,” says the directive. “Discrimination based on factors such as one’s sexual orientation or parental status violates the Equal Protection Clause of the United States Constitution.”

The directive issued March 10 appeared to countermand — at least in part — Cuccinelli’s advice to state universities and colleges. But it was not immediately clear whether McDonnell’s directive would legally trump Cuccinelli’s advice on the matter.

McDonnell’s directive was silent on the matter of discrimination against students based on sexual orientation.

Martin Kent, the governor’s chief of staff, explained the shift in a message to state employees.

“While the separation of powers doctrine precludes the governor from changing the Virginia Human Rights Act via executive order, he wants to be clear that discrimination in state employment will not be tolerated,” he said. “Independent agencies and state supported colleges and universities should likewise adopt a similar standard of conduct.”

In a statement, Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese said McDonnell’s directive was a step in the right direction, but noted that it’s insufficient to fully protect gay state employees.

“No one should be fooled by the governor’s directive,” he said. “While it is a positive step to acknowledge that employment discrimination is a challenge faced by LGBT Virginians, public employees remain vulnerable without an inclusive executive order or law passed by the legislature.”

Equality Virginia CEO Jon Blair also called the directive a “major positive step forward,” but expressed concern that it was silent on discrimination based on gender identity.

“Equality Virginia applauds his implementation of a ‘standard of conduct’ that recognizes that discrimination based on sexual orientation is unconstitutional and establishes a strict prohibition against such discrimination in the state workforce,” Blair said in a statement.

Saying that more work needs to be done, Blair urged McDonnell and state lawmakers to work with Equality Virginia to codify workplace protections for all LGBT state employees. He also called for legislation protecting Virginians from discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in the areas of employment, housing and public accommodations.

“Equality Virginia sincerely hopes that the attorney general agrees that the governor’s action today is within his authority and that he will defend the governor’s enforcement of Executive Directive #1.”

David Lampo, vice president of the Log Cabin Republican Club of Virginia, also praised the governor’s intervention and called for the directive to be codified in law.

“This is certainly a step in the right direction and certainly puts some meat on the bones of his stated policy of employment non-discrimination,” Lampo said. “[Codifying this directive] is the only fair and just outcome to this controversy, and it would end once and for all the attorney general’s disgraceful attempts to intimidate state colleges and universities into dropping their entirely justified employment non-discrimination policies.”

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PHOTOS: Helen Hayes Awards

Gay Men’s Chorus, local drag artists have featured performance at ceremony

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Members of the Gay Men's Chorus of Washington as well as local drag artists joined hosts Mike Millan and Felicia Curry with other performers for a WorldPride dance number at the Helen Hayes Awards on Monday. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

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)

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Laverne Cox, Reneé Rapp, Deacon Maccubbin named WorldPride grand marshals

Three LGBTQ icons to lead parade

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Deacon Maccubbin attends the 2024 Capital Pride Parade. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

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.

Laverne Cox (Washington Blade file photo by Michael Key)

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.

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PHOTOS: D.C. Trans Pride

Schuyler Bailar gives keynote address

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D.C. Trans Pride 2025 was held at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Library on May 17. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

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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