Local
Polis haunted by beating in area McDonald’s
‘Chrissy had no clue; she’s had no training, no experience and suddenly this fame came pouring down on her and she had no idea what to do with it.’
Chrissy Lee Polis is still coping with the aftermath of a brutal attack in a Baltimore County McDonald’s more than a year later. (Washington Blade file photo by Michael Key)
Chrissy Lee Polis, the 22-year-old transgender woman who was beaten in a Baltimore County McDonald’s last spring, continues to be haunted by the event. According to an article in the Baltimore Sun, Polis remains troubled by the incident that took place on April 18, 2011. The attack was caught on video that went viral.
She became the unwitting face of the battle for equal rights based on gender identity. “Suddenly, she’s catapulted and she’s an icon,” Dana Beyer, executive director of Gender Rights Maryland, told the Sun. “Chrissy had no clue; she’s had no training, no experience and suddenly this fame came pouring down on her and she had no idea what to do with it.”
Although she was offered help from people around the country, Polis feels she was being exploited and could only rely on a few friends. “Everybody’s not out for your best interest,” Polis said.
Since the attack, legislation that provides legal protections based on gender identity passed in Baltimore and Howard counties but a statewide bill died in the Maryland Senate. Sharon Brackett, board chair of Gender Rights Maryland said the media overstated Polis’ role in the passage of this legislation.
Yet Polis’ attorney Mark Scurti told the Sun, “A lot of groups wanted to highlight the abuse that has impacted the trans community. Without the human stories, it’s very difficult for a legislator or a Council person to pass laws to protect a group of folks.”
Brackett provided financial assistance and advice to Polis but the friendship later ended when Polis believed Brackett was trying to run her life.
“She doesn’t have a hard life because she’s trans,” Brackett said. “She has a hard life because she has a hard life. And being trans makes it harder.”
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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