Arts & Entertainment
Queery: Len Hirsch
The Rainbow History Project honoree and Federal GLOBE founder answers 20 gay questions
Len Hirsch (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
When Len Hirsch started at the Smithsonian in 1988 — he’s now a senior policy adviser working on environmental policy issues — he was fine being out but soon realized that although the agency was one of the more welcoming in the federal government, there were still many dealing with issues of discrimination and harassment and a lot who were not comfortable being out.
He’s being honored Thursday by the Rainbow History Project for his work founding Federal GLOBE: Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Employees of the Federal Government (fedglobe.org), a group that has worked since the late ‘80s to eliminate LGBT-based prejudice and discrimination in the federal government. Hirsch says it was one of several affinity groups that was formed about the same time or slightly before to address concerns of women and minorities.
One of their biggest victories was a 1997 executive order that removed sexual orientation as an issue of consideration in security clearances.
The Rainbow History Project’s Pioneers Reception is Thursday at the Thurgood Marshall Center (1816 12th St., N.W.) in Washington. Hirsch is one of 10 being honored this year (rainbowhistory.org).
He says it’s great to be recognized but notes there’s a lot of work left to do.
“I’m extremely honored and thrilled,” he says. “As a social scientist who studies social movements, there are always lots of good people doing lots of great things and only a few ever get any public acclaim. I was in a good place and a good time and did a lot of work but a lot of others did as well. My husband did so much too. He stuffed more envelopes than he’ll ever get credit for.”
Hirsch, a 57-year-old New York City native, spent time in California, Illinois and Florida before settling in Washington in 1985. He and husband Kristian Fauchald, a marine biologist, have been together nearly 30 years and live in D.C.
Hirsch enjoys politics, cooking, stained glass and dinner parties in his free time.
How long have you been out and who was the hardest person to tell?
Define out. On my 18th birthday, my girlfriend (later wife) and I went to Marie’s Crisis in New York. But when we split, the hardest to tell was myself. But I was quite convincing when I got around to it.
Who’s your LGBT hero?
Frank Kameny
What is Washington’s best nightspot, past or present?
Friends
Describe your dream wedding.
My husband smiling. We had it — small, intimate, good friends, some colleagues, some family. Openly gay federal judge presiding. All legal. My dream honeymoon will happen when we can get full benefits.
What non-LGBT issue are you most passionate about?
Environmentalism — loss of biodiversity and global change.
What historical outcome would you change?
The crucifixion.
What’s been the most memorable pop culture moment of your lifetime?
Does the LGBT ball at Clinton’s first inauguration count? If not, the 1987 LGBT March on Washington. Fourteen people crashed at our house (15 were there in the a.m.).
On what do you insist?
Equality, honesty, humor.
What was your last Facebook post or Tweet?
Congratulating my cousin for his participation in the U.S. Olympians visit to the White House (he was coxswain of the eight-man team).
If your life were a book, what would the title be?
“Without Boundaries”
If science discovered a way to change sexual orientation, what would you do?
Give it to Kinsey 0 heterosexuals.
What do you believe in beyond the physical world?
Nothing
What’s your advice for LGBT movement leaders?
Listen well (and have a cocktail).
What would you walk across hot coals for?
My husband. Peace.
What LGBT stereotype annoys you most?
Trendiness. Like all stereotypes, there are enough trendoids around to give it some credence, but I hope more of us are interested in quality. Not that size doesn’t matter, but that is for another time.
What’s your favorite LGBT movie?
“My Beautiful Laundrette”
What’s the most overrated social custom?
Reciprocity
What trophy or prize do you most covet?
Nobel Prize
What do you wish you’d known at 18?
That I didn’t need to act straight.
Why Washington?
Love, relationship and I am a policy wonk.
Sports
Jason Collins dies at 47
First openly gay man to actively play for major sports team battled brain cancer
Jason Collins, the first openly gay man to actively play for a major professional sports team, died on Tuesday after a battle with brain cancer. He was 47.
The California native had briefly played for the Washington Wizards in 2013 before coming out in a Sports Illustrated op-ed.
Collins in 2014 became the first openly gay man to play in a game for a major American professional sports league when he played 11 minutes during a Brooklyn Nets game. He wore jersey number 98 in honor of Matthew Shepard, a gay college student murdered outside of Laramie, Wyo., in 1998.
Collins told the Washington Blade in 2014 that his life was “exponentially better” since he came out. Collins the same year retired from the National Basketball Association after 13 seasons.
Collins married his husband, Brunson Green, in May 2025.
The NBA last September announced Collins had begun treatment for a brain tumor. Collins on Dec. 11, 2025, announced he had Stage 4 glioblastoma.
“We are heartbroken to share that Jason Collins, our beloved husband, son, brother and uncle, has died after a valiant fight with glioblastoma,” said Collins’s family in a statement the NBA released. “Jason changed lives in unexpected ways and was an inspiration to all who knew him and to those who admired him from afar. We are grateful for the outpouring of love and prayers over the past eight months and for the exceptional medical care Jason received from his doctors and nurses. Our family will miss him dearly.”
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said Collins’s “impact and influence extended far beyond basketball as he helped make the NBA, WNBA, and larger sports community more inclusive and welcoming for future generations.”
“He exemplified outstanding leadership and professionalism throughout his 13-year NBA career and in his dedicated work as an NBA Cares Ambassador,” said Silver. “Jason will be remembered not only for breaking barriers, but also for the kindness and humanity that defined his life and touched so many others.”
“To call Jason Collins a groundbreaking figure for our community is simply inadequate. We truly lost a giant today,” added Human Rights Campaign President Kelley Robinson in a statement. “He came out as gay — while still playing — at a time when men’s athletes simply did not do that. But as he powerfully demonstrated in his final years in the league and his post-NBA career, stepping forward as he did boldly changed the conversation.”
“He was and will always be a legend for the LGBTQ+ community, and we are heartbroken to hear of his passing at the young age of 47,” she said. “Our hearts go out to his family and loved ones. We will keep fighting on in his honor until the day everyone can be who they are on their terms.”
Glitterati Productions held the “Studio 69” party at Bunker on Friday, May 8.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
Arts & Entertainment
Washington Blade’s Pride on the Pier returns June 13 to kick off D.C. Pride week
Pride on the Pier officially launches Pride Week in D.C.
The Washington Blade’s annual Pride on the Pier celebration returns to The Wharf on Saturday, June 13, 2026 from 4-9 p.m., bringing thousands of LGBTQ community members and allies together for an unforgettable waterfront celebration to kick off Pride week in Washington, D.C.
Now in its eighth year, Washington Blade Pride on the Pier extends the city’s annual celebration of LGBTQ visibility to the bustling Wharf waterfront with an exciting array of activities and entertainment for all ages. The District Pier will offer DJs, dancing, drag, and other entertainment. Alcoholic beverages will be available for purchase for those 21 and older.
“Pride on the Pier has become one of the signature moments of Pride in D.C.,” said Lynne Brown, publisher of the Washington Blade. “There’s nothing like watching our community come together on the waterfront with live music and incredible energy as we kick off Pride week.”
Pride on the Pier is free and open to the public, with VIP tickets available for exclusive pier access to the Dockmaster Building. To purchase VIP tickets visit www.prideonthepierdc.com/vip.
Additional entertainment announcements, sponsor activations, and event details will be released in the coming weeks.
Event Details:
📍 Location: District Pier at The Wharf (101 District Sq SW, Washington, DC)
📅 Dates: Friday, 13, 2026
⏱️ 4-9PM
🎟️ VIP Tickets: www.PrideOnThePierDC.com/VIP
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