Local
Year in review: D.C. hosts International AIDS Conference
Commitments and controversies marked the first U.S. conference since San Francisco, 1990


Secretary of State Hillary Clinton honored Ugandan human rights advocates at the International AIDS Conference in Washington, D.C. (Washington Blade file photo by Michael Key)
More than 30,000 people from around the world gathered at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in D.C. in July for the International AIDS Conference.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, former President Bill Clinton, former First Lady Laura Bush, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.,) Bill Gates of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, UNAIDS Executive Director Michel SidibĆ©, Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, āThe Viewā co-host Whoopi Goldberg and gay singer Elton John were among the politicians, public health officials and others who spoke during the gathering that took place in the United States for the first time since San Francisco hosted it in 1990. (President Obama in 2009 completed the process that lifted the ban on people with HIV/AIDS from entering the country.)
Mayor Vincent Gray and other D.C. officials used the conference to highlight the cityās ongoing efforts to curb the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the nationās capital. The NAMES Project showcased tens of thousands of panels of the AIDS Memorial Quilt throughout the metropolitan area in July, while the AIDS Healthcare Foundation and other HIV/AIDS service providers protested what they contend is a lack of commitment from the White House and other American politicians to combat the epidemic. U.S. Park Service police arrested Housing Works President Charles King and 12 others who tried to tie red ribbons, condoms and other items to the White House fence following a protest in Lafayette Park.
The 20th International AIDS Conference is scheduled to take place in Melbourne, Australia, in July 2014.
District of Columbia
Inaugural Uptown Pride to take place June 10
Festival to feature drag storytime, makersā market, DJs

A new Pride festival is coming to D.C.
The inaugural Uptown Pride will be hosted in Sixteenth Street Heights on June 10 with Pride celebrations for Washingtonians of all ages.
The festival, hosted at the intersection of 14th Street, Colorado Avenue and Kennedy Street, NW, will feature a drag storytime, a makersā market, DJs and more. There will also be a raffle for various prizes, with all proceeds going to the Trevor Project, which provides suicide prevention services for LGBTQ teens.
The festival will be from 2-7 p.m. and is partnering with local businesses like Morelandās Tavern, Captain Cookie and Lighthouse Yoga Center for activities and refreshments.
Justin Noble, one of the organizers of the festival, said that the inspiration for the event came out of wanting a Pride experience tailored to the residents of the Sixteenth Street Heights, Petworth and Brightwood neighborhoods.
āIt can be a hassle to get to downtown,ā Noble said. āThere needs to be something in our community that supports LGBTQ+ people and the culture and all of that because weāre everywhere, right? We are everywhere.ā
Organizer Max Davis said that the inclusion of childrenās events like a drag storytime was purposeful, and helps make the event more accessible to LGBTQ families and youth.
āKids I feel are the most important in as far as just showing them, just visibly showing them that you can live out and you can be queer,ā Davis said. āThere is no more dangerous time than now to be queer, questioning youth ⦠So who better to welcome into the fold than kids who might be questioning their sexuality.ā
Davis said that a big part of wanting to bring Pride celebrations uptown was to have a physical representation of support for the LGBTQ community.
āI felt like because there wasnāt anything going on in Sixteenth Street Heights ā the clientele that we were serving up at Morelandās absolutely is supportive, and I never felt that it wasnāt a supportive environment ā but if you donāt have something to actively support that I feel that your support is just words,ā Davis said. āIf our community had someplace to attend even for one day to just be like, āHey, I stand with you,ā ⦠that is something that every community should have available to them to actively support the LGBTQ community.ā
District of Columbia
Capital Pride announces 2023 honorees, grand marshals
Assistant Secretary of Health Levine among picks

Assistant U.S. Secretary of Health Admiral Dr. Rachel Levine and acclaimed longtime D.C. LGBTQ and transgender rights advocate Earline Budd are among nine prominent LGBTQ community leaders named on Wednesday by the Capital Pride Alliance as its 2023 Capital Pride honorees.
Capital Pride Alliance, which organizes D.C.ās annual Capital Pride parade, festival, and related events, announced in a May 24 statement that it will present the honoree awards to each of the recipients at a ceremony scheduled for 7 p.m. on Friday, June 2, at the Penn Social event and catering hall at 801 E St., N.W.
āThe recipients are nominated each year by members of the community,ā the Capital Pride statement says. āThey represent individuals who and organizations that have advanced the causes of LGBTQ+ rights,ā it says.
The statement says Levine was selected for the Capital Pride Paving the Way Award, which āacknowledges an individual or organization that has provided exemplary contributions, support, and/or advocacy that has positively impacted the LGBTQ+ community, and whose leadership has inspired continued progress.ā
Levine, who was appointed by President Biden in 2021 as Assistant Secretary of Health, is a longtime pediatrician who also serves as an admiral in the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps. She became the first openly transgender person to hold the admiralty position.
Capital Pride named Earline Budd as recipient of the Capital Pride Super Hero Award, which ārecognizes additional significant and important contributions to the LGBTQ+ community in the national capital region.ā
The statement announcing the honorees says Levine and Budd will also serve as grand marshals for the June 10 Capital Pride Parade. It says each of the other honorees will serve as parade marshals.
The announcement says the following four people have been named as recipients of the Capital Pride Hero Award:
⢠Shi-Queeta Lee, the D.C.-based nationally acclaimed drag performer
ā¢Ā Benjamin Rosenbaum, longtime congressional staffer, LGBTQ rights advocate, and LGBTQ Jewish community advocate
⢠Nancy Canas, president of D.C. Latinx History Project and advocate for the LGBTQ Latinx community
⢠Abdur-Rahim Briggs, longtime leader of the D.C.-based Project Briggs, which provides philanthropic support for LGBTQ causes.
The following two organizations were named as recipients of the Capital Pride Breaking Barriers Community Impact Award, which recognizes individuals or organizations that have ādemonstrated a significant impact to the LGBTQ+ community at either the local or national level and who helped eliminate barriers for social, personal, or professional growth of the LGBTQ+ community:
⢠Drag Story Hour DMV
⢠National LGBTQ Task Force
The Bill Miles Award for Outstanding Volunteer Services, which acknowledges āexemplary contributions to the Capital Pride Alliance, its programs, initiatives, or other Pride sponsored activities,ā is being given to Brandon Bayton, Jr., a longtime Capital Pride volunteer, consultant, and organ transplant advocate, and LGBTQ rights advocate.
āWe are fortunate to have such a vibrant honoree selection process, with so many outstanding individuals who were nominated,ā said Ashley Smith, president of the Capital Pride Alliance Board of Directors. āWe are very pleased to celebrate these individuals at the 2023 Capital Pride Honors,ā Smith said in the CPA statement.
District of Columbia
Blade names recipients of two summer fellowships
Kravis, Lev-Tov join LGBTQ news team

The Blade Foundation this week announced the recipients of its 2023 summer fellowship program.
Isabelle Kravis (she/they) is a senior at American University studying journalism and womenās, gender, and sexuality studies. She will focus on covering LGBTQ issues in the local D.C. area for 12 weeks starting this week. The fellowship is made possible by a generous donation from the DC Front Runners Pride Run 5K event.
āIāve been reading the Blade since I first moved to D.C. for my freshman year and Iām so excited to be able to contribute to such a historic paper,ā Kravis said. āI love covering the LGBTQ community because of the diversity of experiences that each queer person has and the joy that queer people bring to everything they do. Iām incredibly lucky to have this opportunity to be able to cover both the city and community that I love.ā
Joel Lev-Tov (they/them) is a senior at the University of Maryland College Park studying journalism. Lev-Tov also serves as president of the Association of LGBTQ Journalists at College Park. Lev-Tov is the sixth recipient of the Steve Elkins Memorial Journalism Fellowship, which honors the co-founder of CAMP Rehoboth. The fellow covers issues of interest to the LGBTQ community in Delaware, also for 12 weeks. The fellowship is funded by donations from the Rehoboth Beach community.
āIām extremely excited to start reporting about my community for my community,ā Lev-Tov said. āThe Blade is offering me a special opportunity that Iām very grateful for. I canāt wait to start reporting!ā
Kevin Naff, editor of the Blade, welcomed Kravis and Lev-Tov to work this week.
āWeāre all excited to work with Isabelle and Joel this summer,ā Naff said. āThereās never been more news to cover and they will add an important, fresh perspective to our work. Thank you to our donors and to the Front Runners for making this program possible.ā
For more information on the fellowship program or to donate, visit bladefoundation.org.
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