Local
Civilian ‘bureaucrat’ named head of police liaison units
Chief disputes claim that change will diminish role of GLLU


D.C. Police Chief Cathy Lanier last month appointed a civilian member of the department to head the police division that oversees the Gay & Lesbian Liaison Unit. (Washington Blade file photo)
In an unannounced action, D.C. Police Chief Cathy Lanier last month appointed a civilian member of the department to head the police division that oversees the Gay & Lesbian Liaison Unit and three other liaison units serving the Latino, Asian and hearing impaired communities.
Lanier’s decision to name Enrique Rivera, a 15-year civilian veteran on the force, to replace Capt. Edward Delgado as director of the Special Liaison Division has troubled GLLU officers, according to two sources familiar with the GLLU and the other liaison units.
Rivera, while well liked by the officers who know him, has most recently coordinated the department’s foreign language access program and has no direct experience in investigating crimes or making arrests, the sources said. Thus his role as supervisor of the GLLU and the other liaison units that perform police duties could be a signal that the importance and effectiveness of the units are being diminished, according to the sources.
“He’s a bureaucrat,” said one of the sources, who spoke on condition of not being identified. “He’s in charge of bureaucratic programming. So it sounds like again the chief has kind of moved the liaison units farther from her.”
Deputy Police Chief Diane Groomes disputes that assessment, saying Rivera’s appointment coincided with Lanier’s decision to elevate the Special Liaison Branch to the Special Liaison Division, with an expanded portfolio.
“His new role as director of Special Liaison Division includes managing the Special Liaison units, Hate Crimes unit and Language Access Program,” Groomes told the Blade in an e-mail.
“[A]ll of these units are related to working with diverse communities and addressing crimes/complaints as well as coordinating outreach services,” she said.
Groomes added that Rivera has a “very impressive background,” noting that he has been involved in community outreach programs for the D.C. government for more than 20 years.
His biography posted on the police website says Rivera became a civilian member of the department in 1996, when he became an executive assistant in the Office of the Chief of Police. His duties included report writing, program planning and development, program administration and budget development.
He served later as program manager for the Policing for Prevention Division’s Community Outreach Unit, where, among other things, he supervised the department’s Ride Along Program, Speakers Bureau and International Visitors Program, his biography says.
He assumed duties as the department’s Language Access Coordinator in 2004, it says, which involves monitoring efforts to ensure that people with limited English proficiency have access to police services and programs. It says Rivera will continue these duties while serving as director of the Special Liaison Division.
Chris Farris, a member and former co-chair of the local police monitoring group Gays and Lesbians Opposing Violence (GLOV), said the group would discuss the Rivera appointment at its monthly meeting scheduled for Thursday night at the D.C. LGBT community center.
“GLOV will be looking at this very carefully,” he said. “I don’t have an opinion right now on the civilian versus uniformed director. But the lack of consultation of the community on this is a concern.”
Groomes said Rivera has the status of a Grade 16 in D.C. government service, which is considered upper management status and a level above that of the rank of captain, the rank held by his predecessor. She said Rivera reports to the Assistant Chief of Patrol Services and to the Chief of Police.
“This does not signify any downgrade of the Special Liaison units at all,” Groomes said. “They have a new manager who will bring his community and Police Department experience to enhance this division.”
Rivera’s appointment comes at a time when sources familiar with the GLLU have said the unit has not been called on for help by other police investigatory units, like the homicide squad, as frequently as it has in the past.
According to Groomes, various police agencies and units seek assistance from the GLLU for a “multitude of reasons,” including investigations of homicides involving members of the LGBT community.
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)










