Local

Gray names gay activists to MLK Holiday Commission

Earl Fowlkes and Clarence Fluker were among 15 people sworn in

Published

12 years ago

January 8, 2014

Lou Chibbaro Jr.

Martin Luther King, MLK, gay news, Washington Blade

(Washington Blade file photo by Michael Key)

Gay rights advocates Earl Fowlkes and Clarence Fluker were among 15 people sworn in Monday night by Mayor Vincent Gray as members of the D.C. Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday Commission.

Gray said the commission was created to help the city plan and organize events to commemorate the life and accomplishments of King on the occasion of the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday, which is celebrated this year on Jan. 20.

Fowlkes is chief executive officer of the Center for Black Equity, a national LGBT organization. Fluker is the communications and special initiatives director for the Mayor’s Office on Volunteerism also known as Serve D.C. Gray named him as one of several D.C. government officials who will serve as ex-officio members of the King Holiday Commission.

“I am looking forward to the work ahead in creating and promoting programs designed to celebrate the tremendous life and legacy of Dr. King with the people of the District of Columbia,” Fluker told the Blade.

Fowlkes said he too is looking forward to helping plan and organize King holiday events. But he said that because the commission had been inactive for the past several years, with all of its seats vacant until Gray filled them with new appointees this month, it would likely be too late for the newly constituted commission to prepare events for this year’s King Day holiday on Jan. 20.

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Virginia

VIDEO: LGBTQ groups march in Va. inaugural parade

Abigail Spanberger took office on Saturday

Published

15 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.

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*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

23 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.