Local
Gray, Ellerbe attend Transgender Day of Remembrance event
D.C. fire chief apologized for EMS’ refusal to treat Tyra Hunter after 1995 car accident
Transgender Remembrance Day was observed at the Metropolitan Community Church of D.C. on Tuesday. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
Hundreds of people gathered at the Metropolitan Community Church in Northwest Washington on Tuesday to commemorate the annual Transgender Day of Remembrance.
“It is a special day today that we think about our transgender brothers and sisters, those that are no longer on this planet and those who remain in this room who stand on the front lines fighting every day,” said Rev. Abena McCray of Unity Fellowship Church D.C. “We honor you.”
Brian Watson of Transgender Health Empowerment honored Mayor Vincent Gray and Lisa Mallory, director of the D.C. Department of Employment Services, for their work on behalf of trans Washingtonians. He specifically applauded the Gray administration for nominating Earline Budd and Alexandra Beninda to the city’s Human Rights Commission, launching the country’s first publicly-funded campaign to combat anti-trans discrimination and implementing the Project Empowerment employment initiative for trans Washingtonians.
More than 70 people have graduated from the program since it began in Sept. 2011.
D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
“It is the right thing to do,” said Gray after he and Mallory accepted their awards. “This symbolizes too that it is time, it is time for us to make sure if we’re going to call ourselves one city, than everybody in the District of Columbia will have a place to be able to enjoy life in one city in the District of Columbia.”
Gwendolyn Ann Smith organized the first Transgender Day of Remembrance as a way to honor Rita Hester, a trans woman murdered inside her Boston apartment in Nov. 1998.
The D.C. event was one of dozens of Transgender Day of Remembrance commemorations, candlelight vigils and other gatherings held across the United States and around the world.
A group of trans activists gathered at the White House earlier in the day to discuss what Budd described as “the crisis and issues of discrimination facing the transgender community.” Gray also declared Nov. 20, 2012, as Transgender Day of Remembrance in D.C.
“We come to remember and honor the life and love of those loved ones and friends and family that we’ve lost,” said Jeffrey Richardson, director of the Mayor’s Office of GLBT Affairs. “The sorrow’s still with us. The pain stays with us, but we also must celebrate the resilience, the connectedness, the love that exists within our community. We continue to get up and rise over and over and over and over again despite the challenges and circumstances that so many in our community and all of us collectively face.”
Metropolitan Police Department statistics indicate there have been nine reported bias-related crimes based on gender identity and expression in D.C. from January through October, compared to seven during the same period in 2011.
A jury late last month convicted off-duty D.C. police officer Kenneth Furr of assault with a dangerous weapon and solicitation for prostitution after prosecutors contend he shot at three trans women and their two male friends while they were sitting in a car. The D.C. Superior Court panel acquitted him with assault with intent to kill while armed and five other charges in connection with the Aug. 2011 incident.
A Human Rights Watch report in July criticized D.C. police for confiscating condoms from trans prostitutes and other sex workers.
Those who gathered at Metropolitan Community Church also paid tribute to Deoni Jones, who was stabbed to death at a Northeast Metro bus stop in February. Her mother, Jadean Jones, noted she became a receptionist at a Southeast D.C. hair salon after graduating from Project Empowerment.
“That was his title, but JaParker (Deoni Jones’ birth name) always did their hair and make-up,” said Jadean Jones. “I’m going to support y’all all the way to the end because I knew what my son stood for and what he meant.”
D.C. Fire Chief Kenneth Ellerbe used the Transgender Day of Remembrance commemoration to apologize on behalf of the department for the emergency medical personnel who declined to treat Tyra Hunter after a 1995 car accident once they discovered she was trans. Hunter subsequently died from her injuries.
“I want to say on behalf of the department, I’m truly sorry for what happened,” said Ellerbe. “Tyra Hunter’s case forced us to take a serious look at how we view and address this city’s very diverse population. Under Mayor Gray’s leadership, the District of Columbia continues to grow and flourish. And before this message gets lost in the words, I want to say again on behalf of the entire Fire and EMS Department I’m sorry for what happened and we are committed to doing better for this community throughout the city.”
Trans activist Geri Hughes said Hunter’s case has “always bothered me” as she introduced Ellerbe.
“He’s here tonight because he is a responsible man and he’s a good man,” she said. “He wants to take responsibility and apologize on behalf of the fire and emergency medical services for that lapse in service.”
The mother and siblings of NaNa Boo Mack, who stabbed to death in 2009, also attended the Transgender Day of Remembrance commemoration. Co-organizer Xion Lopez placed Mack’s ashes onto a table on the stage at the beginning of the event.
Fire Chief of the District of Columbia Fire & EMS Department Kenneth Ellerbe (Washington Blade photo 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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Looking back at 50 years of Pride in D.C
Washington Blade’s unique archives chronicle highs, lows of our movement
To celebrate the 50th anniversary of LGBTQ Pride in Washington, D.C., the Washington Blade team combed our archives and put together a glossy magazine showcasing five decades of celebrations in the city. Below is a sampling of images from the magazine but be sure to find a print copy starting this week.
The magazine is being distributed now and is complimentary. You can find copies at LGBTQ bars and restaurants across the city. Or visit the Blade booth at the Pride festival on June 7 and 8 where we will distribute copies.
Thank you to our advertisers and sponsors, whose support has enabled us to distribute the magazine free of charge. And thanks to our dedicated team at the Blade, especially Photo Editor Michael Key, who spent many hours searching the archives for the best images, many of which are unique to the Blade and cannot be found elsewhere. And thanks to our dynamic production team of Meaghan Juba, who designed the magazine, and Phil Rockstroh who managed the process. Stephen Rutgers and Brian Pitts handled sales and marketing and staff writers Lou Chibbaro Jr., Christopher Kane, Michael K. Lavers, Joe Reberkenny along with freelancer and former Blade staffer Joey DiGuglielmo wrote the essays.
The magazine represents more than 50 years of hard work by countless reporters, editors, advertising sales reps, photographers, and other media professionals who have brought you the Washington Blade since 1969.
We hope you enjoy the magazine and keep it as a reminder of all the many ups and downs our local LGBTQ community has experienced over the past 50 years.
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