Local
Alston Foundation staffer spent funds for ‘personal use’
Former employee not identified in report
Brian Watson at the Wanda Alston House. (Washington Blade file photo by Henry Linser)
The Wanda Alston Foundation, which operates D.C.’s Alston House for homeless LGBT youth, released a statement on Tuesday disclosing that a former staff member resigned after admitting to spending some of the organization’s funds for personal use.
“The Wanda Alston Foundation has recently discovered that some of its funds were spent by a former staff member for personal use,” the statement says. “Once the funds were discovered missing, the staff member immediately resigned and has agreed to a repayment plan,” the statement says.
The statement doesn’t identify the former staff member that allegedly used the funds for personal use. But the statement follows an earlier statement released by the Alston Foundation board on March 11 announcing that Brian Watson, the foundation’s founder and executive director, resigned to “pursue other opportunities.”
According to sources familiar with the Alston Foundation, no other staff member has resigned from the organization between the time of Watson’s resignation and the date when the latest statement disclosing the misused funds was released on April 8.
“The board of directors has had an external accountant conduct a complete review of all accounts and has determined that no government funds were misused,” the April 8 statement says.
“Additionally, staff and the board have worked together to strengthen internal controls to ensure that this doesn’t happen again, including requiring all disbursements to be made by check, and restricting authority for direct withdrawal of funds,” the statement says.
“The board moved swiftly to address this misuse of funds, and is confident that the strict financial controls that have been instituted in its wake will prevent any future issue of this type,” it says.
At the time it announced Watson’s resignation on March 11, the board also announced it had named Ken Pettigrew, the Alston Foundation’s director of programs, as interim executive director.
Watson couldn’t immediately be reached for comment.
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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