Local

Benefit planned for lesbian Rehoboth singer who lost home

Viki Dee said the loss of her house and its furnishings paled in comparison to the loss of her pet dog, cat and cockatoo

Published

12 years ago

October 31, 2013

Lou Chibbaro Jr.

Viki Dee (Washington Blade file photo by Michael Key)

The LGBT community and its straight friends in Rehoboth Beach have organized a fundraising dinner and dance to provide emergency assistance to local singer and songwriter Viki Dee, who lost her home and three pets to a fire on Oct. 20.

Dee has told friends she came home following a performance to find her house in a development off of Route 1 a few miles west of the City of Rehoboth engulfed in flames. She said the estimated $70,000 in damage to the manufactured house and its furnishings paled in comparison to the loss of her pet dog, cat and cockatoo, all of whom perished in the fire.

“It’s hard,” she told the Cape Gazette newspaper. “I’m left with nothing but the clothes that were on my back … I’m really starting over. I’m blessed to be alive. But the animals, that’s what really breaks my heart.”

Joe Maggio, co-owner of the Rehoboth gay bar and restaurant Aqua and partner in Maggio Shields Realtors, said his and other local businesses have joined friends and supporters to put together a fundraiser for Dee scheduled for Nov. 17 at the Rehoboth Convention Center. Marry Ann Slinkman, a Maggio Shields real estate agent who is coordinating the fundraiser, said the event will include a spaghetti dinner and dance. A $25 donation for admission is being sought for the event.

Slinkman said tickets can be purchased by mail by sending a check to the Viki Dee Fund to 33 Deerfield Lane, Rehoboth Beach, Del., 19971. Tickets can also be purchased at the Maggio Shields Real Estate office at 18756 Coastal Highway, Rehoboth Beach, as well as at the Convention Center at the time of the event.

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Virginia

VIDEO: LGBTQ groups march in Va. inaugural parade

Abigail Spanberger took office on Saturday

Published

12 hours ago

January 17, 2026

Michael Key

Diversity Richmond and the Virginia Pride project of Diversity Richmond march in the 2026 Inauguration Parade on the grounds of the state capitol in Richmond, Va. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

The inaugural ceremonies for Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger were held in Richmond, Va. on Saturday. Among the groups marching in the parade were Diversity Richmond and the Virginia Pride project of Diversity Richmond.

View on Threads

*The LGBTQ contingent in the inaugural parade in Richmond, Va. pass by the review stand on Jan. 17, 2026. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)*

Virginia

Va. Senate approves referendum to repeal marriage amendment

Outgoing state Sen. Adam Ebbin introduced SJ3

Published

20 hours ago

January 17, 2026

Staff reports

(Bigstock photo)

The Virginia Senate on Friday by a 26-13 vote margin approved a resolution that seeks to repeal a state constitutional amendment that defines marriage as between a man and a woman.

Outgoing state Sen. Adam Ebbin (D-Alexandria) introduced SJ3. The Senate Privileges and Elections Committee on Wednesday approved it by a 10-4 vote margin.

Same-sex couples have been able to legally marry in Virginia since 2014. Outgoing Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin in 2024 signed a bill that codified marriage equality in state law.

A resolution that seeks to repeal the Marshall-Newman Amendment passed in the General Assembly in 2021. The resolution passed again in 2025.

Two successive legislatures must approve the resolution before it can go to the ballot. Democrats in the Virginia House of Delegates have said the resolution’s passage is among their 2026 legislative priorities.

“It’s time for Virginia’s Constitution to reflect the law of the land and the values of today,” said Ebbin after Friday’s vote. “This amendment, if approved by voters, would affirm the dignity of all committed couples and protects marriage equality for future generations.”

Maryland

Layoffs and confusion at Pride Center of Maryland after federal grants cut, reinstated

Trump administration move panicked addiction and mental health programs

Published

2 days ago

January 16, 2026

Baltimore Banner

Merrick Moses, a violence prevention coordinator, works at the Pride Center of Maryland in Baltimore. (Photo by Ulysses Muñoz for the Baltimore Banner)

By ALISSA ZHU | After learning it had abruptly lost $2 million in federal funding, the Pride Center of Maryland moved to lay off a dozen employees, or about a third of its workforce, the Baltimore nonprofit’s leader said Thursday.

The group is one of thousands nationwide that reportedly received letters late Tuesday from the Trump administration. Their mental health and addiction grants had been terminated, effective immediately, the letters said.

By Wednesday night, federal officials moved to reverse the funding cuts by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, estimated to total $2 billion, according to national media reports. But the Pride Center of Maryland’s CEO Cleo Manago said as of Thursday morning he had not heard anything from the federal government confirming those reports.

The rest of this article can be read on the Baltimore Banner’s website.