Local
D.C. Republican Committee adds LGBT-inclusive language to platform
D.C. Republican Committee the first GOP state party to adopt LGBT-inclusive platform language
Presumptive Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney opposes marriage rights for same-sex couples (Blade file photo by Michael Key)
The D.C. Republican Committee on Thursday became the first GOP state party to add LGBT-inclusive language to their platform.
“We, the Republicans of the District of Columbia support the belief that all individuals, without regard to sexual orientation, are entitled to full and equal protection under the laws and the Constitution and that everyone has the right to be treated with dignity and respect,” read the plank.
The proposal was among the recommendations that the DCRC’s Platform Committee considered. Robert Kabel, chair of the D.C. Republican Committee, told the Blade that the LGBT-inclusive plank received widespread support.
“I was delighted that the Platform Committee included this inclusive language on equality,” he said.
Robert Turner, II, president of the D.C. chapter of the Log Cabin Republicans, earlier this month proposed a similar plank that specifically spelled out lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender when he testified before the Platform Committee. While tit ultimately did not include this specific language to the plank, Turner applauded the committee and Kabel for supporting the inclusion of LGBT rights in their platform.
“We are excited to be a part of a state party who understands that inclusion wins,” he said. “Marriage equality is settled law here in the District. All citizens, including LGBT citizens should be treated equally.”
Christian Berle, deputy executive director of Log Cabin Republicans, also applauded the DCRC for approving the LGBT-inclusive platform plank.
“The D.C. Republican Committee has long been on the leading edge of inclusion within the Republican Party, and now the state party platform reflects that commitment to treating everyone with dignity and respect,” he told the Blade. “The Log Cabin Republicans’ D.C. chapter has done tremendous work in getting this language passed, and Chairman Bob Kabel deserves credit for putting together a platform we can all be proud of.”
The addition of this plank to the DCRC’s platform comes roughly two months before the Republican National Convention in Tampa.
Kabel described marriage rights for same-sex couples as “not a huge issue” for Republicans in this presidential election cycle. He conceded that some social conservatives will insist that the GOP include opposition to nuptials for gays and lesbians in its 2012 platform. Kabel stressed, however, that the DCRC plank could temper anti-LGBT attitudes within the national Republican Party.
“It will have a moderating impact,” he said.
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
