Local
Police log: May 18
Incidents investigated by the DC Metro Police Gay and Lesbian Liaison Unit
The D.C. Metropolitan Police Department’s Gay & Lesbian Liaison Unit participated in the following investigations:
- On May 11, in the 1000 block of L Street, N.W., a complainant reports being the victim of a theft in February. A report was taken.
- On May 11, in the 1600 block of New York Avenue, N.E., four complainants report that a suspect entered their hotel room and assaulted them. The suspect was arrested.
- On May 9, in the 1400 block of Chapin Street, N.W., a complainant requested assistance with the service of a temporary protection order.
- On May 9, in the 800 block of N. Capitol Street, N.W., five suspects were involved in a verbal altercation that escalated into an assault. Two became involved in a verbal altercation over a road rage incident. One suspect used homophobic language toward another. The altercation escalated and they began fighting. The other three suspects exited a vehicle and a fight ensued. During the fight, one suspect sustained a non-life threatening puncture wound. All suspects were arrested on scene.
- On May 7, in the 2600 block of Martin Luther King Jr., Avenue, S.E., a complainant reported being assaulted by a suspect the previous night. The two are involved in a domestic relationship.
- On May 5, in the 200 block of N Street, S.W., the MPD Seventh District and MPD Sex Crimes Unit responded to an allegation of abuse. The case is being investigated.
- On May 4, in the 1400 block of Chapin Street, N.W., a woman reported that another individual used homophobic slurs against her. No criminal activity took place.
- On May 4, in the 1900 block of D Street, S.E., a woman reported that a suspect approached her and sexually abused her.
- On May 4, in the 1400 block of 23rd Street, N.W., two suspects were engaged in a physical altercation. One suspect physically assaulted the other and while that suspect was attempting to drive away, the other suspect ran over the other person’s legs with the car. The suspects are involved in a domestic relationship. Both were arrested.
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)
PHOTOS: Helen Hayes Awards
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
WorldPride events round-up
Pope Leo XIV: Family based on ‘stable union between a man and a woman’
Wes Moore signs HIV decriminalization bill
