Local
Gay Del. Senate candidate sets fundraising record
Andy Staton has raised $105,697.39 since he announced his candidacy

A gay Delaware state Senate candidate on Friday announced he has raised more money than any other first-time political hopeful in a primary election campaign.
Rehoboth Beach Realtor Andy Staton, who would become the first openly LGBT person elected to the state legislature in Delaware if voters elect him to represent the new 6th Senate District in November, said his campaign has raised a record $105,697.39 — more than twice as much as any other candidate — as of Aug. 11. This figure includes the $83,000 he has raised since the beginning of the year.
Staton told the Blade that 70 percent of campaign contributions have been $100 or less.
“I am extraordinarily excited that we have had so many folks from our community stepping out to support the campaign. At the same time I’m humbled by the response,” he said. “People from across the district are responding to ideas. We’re presenting real ideas and real solutions so that we can deliver on solutions as we go forward. And I’m humbled that so many people have chosen to invest in our campaign.”
Governor Jack Markell, House Majority Leader Pete Schwartzkopf (D-Rehoboth Beach,) Senate Majority Leader Patricia Blevins (D-Elsmere) and Rehoboth Beach Commissioners Patricia Coluzzi, Patrick Gossett and Mark Hunker are among the state and local officials who have endorsed Staton. The Victory Fund and the Barbara Gittings Delaware Stonewall Democrats have also backed his campaign.
“The overwhelming support for Andy’s campaign demonstrates that his message of standing up for Delaware families and helping create jobs is resonating with voters,” Chuck Wolfe, president of the Victory Fund, told the Blade. “This is a historic race with the potential of electing the first openly LGBT member of the Delaware legislature. Andy’s leadership is inspiring a lot of people to get involved in this campaign.”
Staton, whose 150 lbs. weight loss garnered national media coverage in Men’s Health and other media outlets, is on the CAMP Rehoboth Leadership Council. He sits on the Sussex Family YMCA’s Board of Governors and serves as an ambassador to the Beebe Medical Foundation that raises funds for an eponymous regional hospital in Lewes.
The triathlete and marathon runner told the Blade that the economy, increasing the number of doctors and other health care professionals in the area, expanding the district’s transportation network and building schools and additional infrastructure to accommodate the additional 100,000 people who are expected to live in Sussex County by 2040 are among his top priorities. Staton said he would also back a same-sex marriage bill if elected.
Markell signed a civil unions law in May 2011 which took effect on Jan. 1. The governor told the Huffington Post earlier this month that he expects Delaware lawmakers could debate marriage rights for same-sex couples as early as next year.
“Marriage equality certainly is very, very important to lots of folks in the community — there seems to be very, very support for that as we go forward,” said Staton. “There’s no doubt that I would in fact support a marriage equality bill.”
Staton will square off against former Dewey Beach Mayor Bob Frederick and former congressional candidate Mike Miller in the Democratic primary on Sept. 11. Lewes resident Ernie Lopez will face against Glen Urquhart, who unsuccessfully ran for Congress in 2010, in the Republican primary.
Staton would campaign against either Lopez or Urquhart in the general election if he defeats Frederick and Miller.
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)










