Local
Md. Senate committee to consider marriage bill Tuesday
Supportive clergy to hold morning rally in Annapolis
The Maryland Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee will hold its first hearing on the Civil Marriage Protection Act tomorrow at 1 p.m. but LGBT supporters will be at work hours before the testimony begins.
Marylanders for Marriage Equality has announced a 9:30 a.m. rally for supportive clergy at the Maryland Inn (16 Church Circle) in Annapolis.
The hearing comes a day after the Washington Post released the results of a poll of Maryland voters finding 50 percent in favor of same-sex marriage and 44 percent opposed.
“Attitudes around marriage equality are changing all over this state,” said Ezekiel Jackson, political organizer for SEIU 1199 and president of Marylanders for Marriage Equality. “As the coalition talks to constituents about how the governor’s bill both promotes marriage equality and protects religious liberty, public support will only increase. People are beginning to get this is all about making Maryland families stronger.”
Among those expected to testify at the 1 p.m. hearing will be supportive clergy, families headed by same-sex couples, adult children of same-sex couples and leaders of organizations that have joined the Marylanders for Marriage Equality coalition, including SEIU 1199 and the ACLU of Maryland.
According to Equality Maryland, both supporters and opponents of the bill will have two hours each to allow witnesses to give testimony.
While supporters’ hopes are high for tomorrow’s senate hearing, all eyes will soon be on the Assembly, where the speaker has for the first time assigned the bill to two committees — the Assembly Judiciary Committee — which includes indicted lawmaker Tiffany Alston, as well as 2011 “flip” vote Sam Arora — and the Health and Government Operations committee. The committees will likely sit jointly to hear testimony, according to supporters of the bill, and the combined hearing will include a total of 45 lawmakers, which may make scheduling difficult.
Speaking to the Washington Blade this afternoon, Carrie Evans, executive director of Equality Maryland, said that once the speaker and the two committee chairs are able to work out the logistics, they “hope in the next few days” to have a date for the Assembly hearing.
The Blade will have updates from Annapolis on Tuesday. Check back throughout the day for the latest developments.
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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