Local
Creigh Deeds in critical condition after stabbing
Former Virginia gubernatorial candidate’s son attacked him at Bath County home
Virginia state Sen. Creigh Deeds (D-Bath County) remains in critical condition at a Charlottesville hospital after his son stabbed him on Tuesday. (Photo by Waldo Jaquith/Wikimedia Commons)
Authorities said Austin “Gus” Deeds stabbed his father at his Millboro home shortly before 7:30 a.m. They said the younger Deeds fatally shot himself after the attack.
Corinne Geller, a spokesperson for the Virginia State Police, told reporters during a Charlottesville press conference that Deeds has been able to speak with authorities.
“The investigation obviously remains ongoing,” Geller said.
Deeds, who has represented the 25th Senate District in Richmond since 2001, was the Democratic candidate for governor in 2009. Outgoing Gov. Bob McDonnell defeated him by a 59-41 percent margin.
The Bath County Democrat in January voted for a bill that would have banned discrimination against LGBT state employees. Deeds the same month supported gay Richmond Circuit Court Judge Tracy Thorne-Begland’s judgeship the state Senate approved.
He backed a measure during the 2013 Legislative session that would have strengthened anti-bullying measures in the commonwealth. Deeds also opposed a bill that McDonnell signed into law in March that banned Virginia’s public colleges and universities from discriminating against any student group based on their religious and political beliefs.
Deeds received a 100 percent score on Equality Virginia’s 2012 legislative scorecard.
“In this tough and sad time, our thoughts and prayers are with the Deeds family,” McDonnell said in a statement. “The news from this morning is utterly heartbreaking.”
Gov.-elect Terry McAuliffe, who lost to Deeds in the 2009 Democratic gubernatorial primary, said both he and his wife “are praying for the Deeds family at this difficult time.”
State Sen. Adam Ebbin (D-Alexandria) told the Washington Blade he is “shocked” by the incident.
“Creigh is one of the nicest, most pleasant people in Richmond,” Ebbin said. “It’s just unimaginable that this has happened to him. It’s just like a bad dream. I can’t believe it.”
The Blade will have more information and reaction as it becomes available.
Photos
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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