Local
Howard County weighs gender identity bill
Twenty advocates testified before county council
Twenty advocates of a bill to ban discrimination based on gender identity in Howard County testified before the County Council on Nov. 21. The bill, CB-54, was introduced on Oct. 27 and was sponsored by four of the five Council members, all Democrats: Chairman Calvin Ball, Mary Kay Sigaty, Jennifer Terrasa and Courtney Watson. The fifth member, Greg Fox, a Republican did not sign on.
The bill was crafted and placed before the Council as a result of the work of Gender Rights Maryland and the Howard County chapter of PFLAG. It would prohibit discrimination based on gender identity and expression in the areas of housing, law enforcement, public accommodations, financing, employment, and health and social services.
The bill states: “An act amending the Health and Social Services Title of the Howard County Code to include gender identity and expression as a classification protected against certain types of unlawful, discriminatory practices; and generally relating to the Human Rights law of Howard County.”
If passed, gender identity would become the 16th protected class in Howard County, a jurisdiction known for its progressive record on diversity, and it would join two other Maryland jurisdictions, Baltimore City and Montgomery County with similar protections. A statewide bill is expected to be introduced in the 2012 General Assembly.
Those testifying on behalf of the bill received support from several dozen backers, most of whom donned purple as a way of expressing unity. Supporters from a variety of professional backgrounds testified, including Howard County Register of Wills Byron Macfarlane, who’s gay; Gender Rights Maryland board members Sharon Brackett, Dr. Dana Beyer and Jonathan Shurberg; Donna Cartwright of Pride at Work; Richard Espey of the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network; Liz Seaton of the National Center for Lesbian Rights, Wesley Garson of National Gay and Lesbian Task Force and Carrie Evans, the new executive director of Equality Maryland.
In addition, people from all walks of life—transgender people as well as parents and relatives of children who identify as transgender—testified about how discrimination based on gender identity and expression has hurt them or their loved ones economically and socially. Catherine Hyde from PFLAG offered a compelling testimony on how she almost lost her transgender child to suicide.
Only four opponents of the bill testified. They cited biblical references to augment their positions. Two women—Vanessa Ali and Grace Harley—were asked by Council members to provide statistical data to back up their claims. Neither could produce that information.
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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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