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Ayanbadejo again speaks out for gay marriage
Ravens linebacker spoke to Russell Simmons after team won the Super Bowl
Ravens linebacker Brendon Ayanbadejo is an ally and vocal LGBT advocate, and hopes to use the Super Bowl to raise awareness of issues important to the LGBT community. His comments differ greatly from some recent comments from players for the San Francisco 49s, some of who have participated in an ‘It Gets Better’ video (Photo by Thibous via Wikimedia Commons)
Baltimore Ravens linebacker Brendon Ayanbadejo again spoke out in support of marriage rights for same-sex couples less than 24 hours after his team won the Super Bowl.
“Being a ’70s baby and growing up in the ’80s and ’90s, I witnessed firsthand the rise of the African-American community into mainstream America,” he told hip hop mogul Russell Simmons, who also supports nuptials for gays and lesbians, in an interview published on Monday. “All of a sudden when I was in junior high school and going into high school, black was the cool thing to be. Everybody wanted to be black and embrace black people. Prior to that in the ’60s, my parents would not have been allowed to get married due to interracial marriage laws and today this issue is relevant once again, however, it’s not about race. It is about sexual orientation and whom you choose to love, which is no different than a black person loving a white person. Same-sex couples should legally marry whomever they fall in love with. So the same plight for equality that affected me in the ’60s is relevant again today, it doesn’t affect me this time, but it will affect people I love and care about. This isn’t a fight for gay rights, this is a fight for human rights.”
Ayanbadejo’s latest comments in support of the issue come roughly two weeks after he told New York Times columnist Frank Bruni that his “ultimate goal” after the Super Bowl was to “get our message out there” through an appearance on comedian Ellen DeGeneres’ talk show and in other media. They also coincide with the release of a Respect for Marriage Coalition video in which Ayanbadejo appears.
“I believe we should be everything that we can to make families stronger, which is why I support marriage for gay and lesbian couples who want to make a lifetime commitment to each other,” he says. “People from all walks of life, including gay and lesbian couples, want their children to be in stable homes and protected under the law. Join me and the majority of Americans who support marriage equality. It’s the right thing to do.”
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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)
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