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HIV org moves into ‘Real World’ house & more
HIV org moves into ‘Real World’ house
One of the nation’s largest HIV non-profit organizations is taking over the Dupont Circle home used for filming MTV’s “Real World D.C.”
HealthHIV is leasing the property at 2000 S St., N.W. and will use it to house its 20-person staff, which works to advance effective prevention, care and support for people living with HIV/AIDS or who are at risk of contracting the disease.
“It is a highly recognizable location that allows us to raise public awareness of HIV in Washington and nationwide,” Brian Hujdich, HealthHIV’s executive director, said in a statement.
“As a non-profit, our move made sense since we have a favorable lease which allows us to repurpose materials from the ‘Real World D.C.’ and use the space as not only an office, but as a community center and a modest studio for taping web-based trainings.”
An estimated 1.1 million people in the U.S. are living with HIV, according to the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention. That number includes 15,120 people in D.C. — a total that represents 3 percent of the city’s population.
JOSHUA LYNSEN
Arrest made in trans bias assaults
The D.C. police department’s Gay & Lesbian and Latino liaison units joined forces last week to assist in the arrest of a male suspect who reportedly used a metal pipe to assault two Latino transgender people, according to Sgt. Carlos Mejia, who heads both units.
“The investigation further revealed that the suspect attacked the complainants because of their gender identity,” Mejia said in a statement. “One of the [victims] sustained injuries from the attack and received medical treatment.”
He said the suspect, who was not identified in the statement, was arrested on the scene and charged with bias-related assault with a dangerous weapon, an offense considered a hate crime under city law. The alleged incident occurred March 13 near 14th and Shepherd streets, N.W.
Mejia did not disclose in his statement whether the transgender victims were male or female.
LOU CHIBBARO JR.
Equality Maryland names trans field organizer
Equality Maryland announced March 15 the appointment of Owen Smith as its new field organizer for transgender equality issues.
A resident of Baltimore, Smith comes to Equality Maryland with experience in both teaching and advocating on behalf of the transgender community. He will work with the Equality Maryland staff to develop programming and policy efforts to meet the needs of Maryland’s transgender community.
“Owen has been involved in transgender activism and gender justice work in Maryland for many years,” said Morgan Meneses-Sheets, Equality Maryland’s executive director. “We are confident that Owen will be a valuable asset in our work to ensure that all Marylanders are treated equally under the law.”
Among the tasks Smith is slated to help with are coordinating grassroots efforts in Annapolis, developing a speaker’s bureau and continuing coalition work within the areas of homelessness and poverty work.
“I am passionate about celebrating and sustaining gender justice and equality,” Smith said. “I am also interested in examining the intersection of gender, race and sexual orientation to make connections within all social justice communities.”
Smith comes to Equality Maryland with advocacy experience. He has testified in the Maryland House of Delegates and Maryland Senate regarding discrimination based on gender identity, and was part of efforts that halted a planned change regarding gender markers on state driver’s licenses.
STEVE CHARING/BALTIMORE OUTLoud
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)
a&e features
Looking back at 50 years of Pride in D.C
Washington Blade’s unique archives chronicle highs, lows of our movement
To celebrate the 50th anniversary of LGBTQ Pride in Washington, D.C., the Washington Blade team combed our archives and put together a glossy magazine showcasing five decades of celebrations in the city. Below is a sampling of images from the magazine but be sure to find a print copy starting this week.
The magazine is being distributed now and is complimentary. You can find copies at LGBTQ bars and restaurants across the city. Or visit the Blade booth at the Pride festival on June 7 and 8 where we will distribute copies.
Thank you to our advertisers and sponsors, whose support has enabled us to distribute the magazine free of charge. And thanks to our dedicated team at the Blade, especially Photo Editor Michael Key, who spent many hours searching the archives for the best images, many of which are unique to the Blade and cannot be found elsewhere. And thanks to our dynamic production team of Meaghan Juba, who designed the magazine, and Phil Rockstroh who managed the process. Stephen Rutgers and Brian Pitts handled sales and marketing and staff writers Lou Chibbaro Jr., Christopher Kane, Michael K. Lavers, Joe Reberkenny along with freelancer and former Blade staffer Joey DiGuglielmo wrote the essays.
The magazine represents more than 50 years of hard work by countless reporters, editors, advertising sales reps, photographers, and other media professionals who have brought you the Washington Blade since 1969.
We hope you enjoy the magazine and keep it as a reminder of all the many ups and downs our local LGBTQ community has experienced over the past 50 years.
I hope you will consider supporting our vital mission by becoming a Blade member today. At a time when reliable, accurate LGBTQ news is more essential than ever, your contribution helps make it possible. With a monthly gift starting at just $7, you’ll ensure that the Blade remains a trusted, free resource for the community — now and for years to come. Click here to help fund LGBTQ journalism.
Laverne Cox, Reneé Rapp, Deacon Maccubbin named WorldPride grand marshals
House passes reconciliation with gender-affirming care funding ban
PHOTOS: D.C. Trans Pride
Men convicted of murdering two men in NYC gay bar drugging scheme sentenced
Looking back at 50 years of Pride in D.C
Looking back at 50 years of Pride in D.C
WorldPride events round-up
Pope Leo XIV: Family based on ‘stable union between a man and a woman’
Wes Moore signs HIV decriminalization bill
