Local
Gay candidate wins Virginia Senate primary
Ebbin likely next state senator from 30th District
Expected to be the biggest hurdle on the way to the Virginia Senate, gay member of the House of Delegates, Adam Ebbin, defeated both of his primary opponents in Tuesday’s primary in the heavily Democratic 30th district.
Ebbin told the Blade Wednesday he felt great when it set in that his opponents had conceded.
“Its a relief when a primary like this that’s gone on for so many months is over, but it was hard to believe at first that everything we had hoped had worked out.”
Ebbin is very grateful for the work of his supporters.
“I’m excited about the prospect of being in the Senate and I just can’t thank enough the people who helped me to this.”
Ebbin will now face off in November against Republican nominee Tim McGhee, a web-designer and small business owner.
Ebbin is ready to transition into the general election mode.
“There will be many more people to reach, people of different political parties and independents. It will still be an undertaking to meet as many people from the different communities in the district that I should meet.”
Ebbin has represented the 49th District in the Virginia House of Delegates since 2004, and has been a progressive voice in state politics during his time in office. Ebbin has received numerous endorsements recently including from Equality Virginia, Virginia Partisans Gay and Lesbian Democratic Club, the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund and the Professional Firefighters and Paramedics Associations.
Ebbin, Arlington School Board member Libby Garvey and Alexandria City Council member, Rob Krupicka were vying for the seat being vacated by 16-year incumbent Patsy Ticer. The race was unusually expensive for a primary with the three candidates raising well over $500,000.
A 5.8-measured earthquake earlier Tuesday forced some polling locations in Virginia to move voting outside, and several more were closed briefly as polling workers left the buildings for safety. According to State Board of Election officials, the longest such delay was 30 minutes. The State Board, however, chose to keep all polling locations open and to maintain regular voting hours and chose not to postpone primaries, nor extend voting times.
Some Virginia precinct captains in the 30th, used to relying on cellular phones, reported having to locate a landline to make calls out related to the election as cellular service in most of the Washington D.C. area was temporarily disrupted due to system overload following the earthquake.
According to the Del Ray Patch blog site, the polling location in the Alexandria City Hall was closed and relocated to Tavern Square.
Ebbin is also quite ready to take his energy and passion to the Senate.
“I think I’ll be able to get more done if we can hold the majority,” Ebbin said of his future senate career. “I think I will have more bills pass. And I will continue working on a number of things that I believe in, including nondiscrimination, the environment and other issues such as prenatal care, and protections for seniors and those who need assistance.”
Ebbin’s top legislative priorities in the Senate will make his progressive constituents very happy, saying, “renewable energy, transit, and non-discrimination in state hiring would be among the first.”
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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