Local
Maryland gubernatorial race heats up
Mizeur expected to announce candidacy this summer
Maryland state Del. Heather Mizeur (D-Takoma Park) (Washington Blade file photo by Michael Key)
Even though Maryland’s gubernatorial election is more than a year away, the campaign to succeed Gov. Martin O’Malley has already begun to heat up.
Lieutenant Gov. Anthony Brown on Monday announced Howard County Executive Ken Ulman as his running mate. Attorney General Doug Gansler and state Del. Heather Mizeur (D-Montgomery County) are expected to officially throw their hats into the ring later this year, while Congressman Dutch Ruppersberger is also considered a potential candidate.
Mizeur reported in a campaign finance report she filed in January that she raised $244,089.40 between Jan. 12, 2012, and Jan. 9 of this year. Brown said he raised $1,247,811.80 in cash and in-kind donations during the same period, while Gansler netted $1,236,284.96.
“I have been taking a serious look at getting in the governor’s race because I have been encouraged for some time by advocates I that have worked on a range of issues,” Mizeur told the Washington Blade on Tuesday, citing the expansion of health care and environmental protections and the passage of last year’s same-sex marriage law as three of the specific things on which she has worked. “As I am exploring those conversations with voters across the state, there’s a lot of energy and enthusiasm and momentum behind getting in.”
Maryland Juice, a progressive political blog, on Monday reported Gansler could potentially tap gay Salisbury Mayor Jim Ireton or lesbian state Del. Mary Washington (D-Baltimore City) as his running mate. The website said a reader pointed out Ireton attended a Brown campaign event on the same day he announced Ulman as his running mate.
On the Republican side, Harford County Executive David Craig, state Del. Ron George (R-Anne Arundel County,) 2012 U.S. Senate candidate Brian Vaeth and Frederick County Board of Commissioners President Blaine Young have officially declared their candidacy.
Former Republican National Committee Chair Michael Steele, who was Maryland’s lieutenant governor from 2003-2007, told MSNBC’s Chuck Todd on Monday he is “looking at” entering the race. Former 2010 congressional candidate Charles Lollar is among the other Republicans who are rumored to be mulling the race.
The Washington Post reported Young described the passage of the state’s same-sex marriage law as a “travesty” during a speech he gave at the Maryland Young Republicans’ convention in Rockville on Saturday. Lollar also opposes nuptials for gays and lesbians.
“It’s still early in the game yet,” Log Cabin Republicans Executive Director Gregory T. Angelo told the Blade. “At this point I’m more interested to see whether GOP contenders entertain the fool’s errand of trying to roll back marriage equality rather than their personal opinions of it. I can’t imagine any candidate campaigning—much less winning—on a platform of overturning the will of the people.”
David Moon, publisher of Maryland Juice, said he doesn’t expect a Republican will succeed O’Malley in 2014.
“It’s really difficult to see the path to victory for any of the announced Republicans at this point,” he told the Blade.
The primary election will be held in June 2014 and the general election in November.
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)
a&e features
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.
I hope you will consider supporting our vital mission by becoming a Blade member today. At a time when reliable, accurate LGBTQ news is more essential than ever, your contribution helps make it possible. With a monthly gift starting at just $7, you’ll ensure that the Blade remains a trusted, free resource for the community — now and for years to come. Click here to help fund LGBTQ journalism.
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