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LGBT education advocate to speak at MLK rally with Obama
Final event of 50th Anniversary March on Washington set for Lincoln Memorial on Aug. 28
GLSEN Executive Director, Eliza Byard, will join the speakers at this weekend’s 50th anniversary commemoration of the 1963 March on Washington, where this photo was taken. (Photo by Rowland Scherman for the U.S. Information Agency courtesy of the Still Picture Records Section of the Special Media Archives Services Division)
Eliza Byard, executive director of the New York based Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network (GLSEN), will join Presidents Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, and Jimmy Carter as a speaker at the Lincoln Memorial on Aug. 28 for the closing rally commemorating the 50th Anniversary of the 1963 civil rights March on Washington.
A statement released by GLSEN says Byard was the only leader of an LGBT organization selected to speak at the event, which was to take place exactly 50 years after Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech at the same location.
“I am humbled and honored to represent GLSEN at the anniversary of one of the landmark moments in United States and world history,” Byard said in the GLSEN statement. “Dr. King and March on Washington organizer Bayard Rustin are personal heroes who have inspired me and influenced our work at GLSEN to create a better world for all.”
GLSEN, which has affiliate organizations throughout the country, says its mission is to eliminate anti-LGBT discrimination, including anti-LGBT bullying and harassment, in the nation’s schools from kindergarten through the 12 grade.
President Obama and former Presidents Clinton and Carter were scheduled to be the lead speakers at the Aug. 28 event, the second of two 50th Anniversary March on Washington rallies scheduled to take place at the Lincoln Memorial.
GLSEN partner organizations, mostly in the South, nominated Byard to speak at the Aug. 28 event, the GLSEN statement says. The Atlanta based Martin Luther King Center, which is one of the lead organizers of the event, selected her as a speaker, according to the statement.
At least four other LGBT rights advocates are scheduled to speak at the Lincoln Memorial rally scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 24. They include Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, and Mary Kay Henry, president of the Service Employees Union International. Both are out lesbians.
Also confirmed as out gay speakers at the Saturday event are Rev. MacArthur Flournoy, director of faith partnership and mobilization for the Human Rights Campaign, and Adrian Shanker, president of the statewide LGBT rights organization Equality Pennsylvania.
Other speakers scheduled for the Saturday rally include U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-Md.), and Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.), who was a speaker at the 1963 rally at the Lincoln Memorial.
Additionally, Martin Luther King III, the oldest son of Martin Luther King Jr. is expected to take the podium, as is Rev. Al Sharpton, one of the lead organizers of the 50th Anniversary March; and members of the family of Trayvon Martin.
An LGBT continent planning to take part in a “feeder” march heading to the Saturday rally at the Lincoln Memorial is scheduled to assemble 8 a.m. at the site of the D.C. War Memorial, which is located across Independence Avenue from the Martin Luther King Memorial.
D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray and D.C. Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton are scheduled to speak at the War Memorial site on the subject of D.C. statehood and congressional voting rights for the District before the gathering — including the LGBT contingent — marches to the Lincoln Memorial for the rally there.
Several LGBT organized events between Friday, Aug. 23, and Wednesday, Aug. 28, are scheduled to be held in connection with the 50th Anniversary March, with each playing some role in commemorating the life and accomplishments of Bayard Rustin, who was gay.
March on Washington LGBT-related events
Friday, Aug. 23
- Celebrating the Legacy of A. Philip Randolph & Bayard Rustin 44th Annual A. Philip Randolph Institute National Conference. 8 a.m. – 6 p.m. Hyatt Regency Hotel. 400 New Jersey Ave., N.W.
- What is the Unfinished Business for the LGBT Community? A Conversation and Reception on the Heels of the Anniversary of the March on Washington. 4:30 – 6:30 p.m. Rayburn House Office Building Foyer
- Welcoming Reception for LGBT Participants 50th Anniversary March on Washington . 6–10 p.m. Us Helping Us HIV/AIDS services organization. 3636 Georgia Ave., N.W.
Saturday, Aug. 24
- LGBT March contingent assembles at D.C. Statehood Rally . D.C. War Memorial (North side of Independence Ave. between World War II Memorial and Lincoln Memorial). Mayor Vincent Gray to speak 8:30 a.m. – 9:30 a.m.
- 50th Anniversary March on Washington rally 10 a.m. – 6 p.m., Lincoln Memorial
Monday, Aug. 26
A Tribute to Bayard Rustin & the 50th Anniversary of the 1963 March on Washington. Sponsored by National Black Justice Coalition, American Federation of Teachers, A. Philip Randolph Institute.
6– 9 p.m.,
Lincoln Theater,
1215 U St., N.W.
Wednesday, Aug. 28
The Life and Legacy of Bayard Rustin: How an African American gay man became the lead organizer of the 1963 Civil Rights March on Washington.
Panel discussion and reception, hosted by the Center for Black Equity
and sponsored by the Human Rights Campaign,
7 p.m.
in the HRC Equality Forum Hall, 1640 Rhode Island Ave., N.W.
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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