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Alleged anti-gay slur looms over Chris Brown trial
Geragos denies R&B star made comment
Chris Brown (Photo by Eva Rinaldi; courtesy Wikimedia Commons)
A 20-year-old Beltsville, Md., man was expected to testify in D.C. Superior Court this week that controversial R&B singer Chris Brown punched him in the face outside D.C.’s W Hotel last October after making a derogatory comment about gays.
Parker Adams, who pressed assault charges against Brown, was expected to appear as the lead prosecution witness at Brown’s trial, which was scheduled to begin on Wednesday.
Brown’s trial was set to take place less than a week after Superior Court Judge Patricia Wynn found Brown’s bodyguard, Christopher Hollosy, guilty of simple assault stemming from the same altercation in which Brown allegedly assaulted Adams.
D.C. police charged Hollosy with assault for allegedly punching Adams in the face seconds after Brown allegedly struck Adams. Hollosy, who didn’t testify at his trial, has said he attempted to prevent Adams from entering a vehicle where Brown was about to enter after leaving the hotel.
Adams was also the lead witness at Hollosy’s trial. He testified that he and his girlfriend, Howard University student Jaylan Garrison, 18, and another female friend arrived at the W Hotel after attending homecoming events at Howard.
He said that when the three saw Brown standing outside the hotel on the sidewalk Garrison and her female friend asked Brown if he would let them pose for a picture with Brown, and Brown agreed.
Adams said he then walked over, introduced himself to Brown with the intent of also posing with Brown in the picture. When Brown ignored him he moved into a position where he would be in the photo, which was being taken by Hollosy, the bodyguard.
That’s when Brown objected and said, “I’m not into that gay shit,” Adams quoted Brown as saying. Seconds later, after the two exchanged words, Brown punched him in the face, Adams testified.
Garrison gave a similar account in her own testimony at Hollosy’s trial. At least one other witness testified that both Brown and Hollosy punched Adams in the face.
With the courtroom packed with friends and fans of Brown’s, and with Los Angeles celebrity lawyer Mark Geragos, who is part of Brown’s defense team, sitting in the audience, testimony about Brown’s “gay” comment appeared to be overshadowed by anticipation over Brown’s upcoming trial.
When asked by the Blade outside the courthouse on April 18 whether he thought anti-gay sentiment could have played some role in Brown’s actions, Geragos said, “I don’t think anybody’s even addressed that. I think that comment – frankly I don’t think that comment was ever made.”
As D.C. prepares to welcome the world for the biggest Pride celebration of the year, “America’s Metro system” is encouraging visitors and locals alike to take the Metro to WorldPride events.
On May 24, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority unveiled a series of specially wrapped vehicles in honor of the upcoming WorldPride celebration. The colorful fleet — featuring a set of train cars, a bus, and a Metro operations vehicle — is decked out in vibrant rainbow stripes alongside the message: “Metro proudly welcomes the world.”
Riders can track the WorldPride-themed train and bus in real time by visiting wmata.com/live and clicking on the “Special Edition” option.
To accommodate the estimated two to three million visitors expected in the D.C. area, WMATA is also boosting rail service from June 6-8. Service enhancements include the extended operation of the Yellow Line to Greenbelt Station — typically the end of the Green Line — on both Saturday, June 7, and Sunday, June 8, in an effort to ease crowding on Metro lines serving WorldPride events.
Metro is also expanding hours that weekend to help Pride-goers get to and from celebrations:
- Friday, June 6: Metro service extended by one hour, closing at 2 a.m.
- Saturday, June 7: Metro opens one hour earlier at 6 a.m. and closes at 2 a.m.
- Sunday, June 8: Metro opens at 6 a.m. and closes at midnight
Keep in mind that last train times vary by station. To avoid missing the final train, check the “Stations” page on the WMATA website or app. Metrobus will continue to operate several 24-hour routes throughout D.C.
During daytime hours, trains arrive every 4–6 minutes at most central stations, with service every 8–12 minutes at stations further out.
“Washington D.C. is a city of major international events and WorldPride is no different,” said Metro General Manager Randy Clarke. “Metro is the best way to get around, and we are making it even easier with a new seamless way to pay for fares coming soon, our new MetroPulse app to help navigate the system, and increased service on WorldPride’s closing weekend.”
One of the biggest updates ahead of WorldPride is the launch of Metro’s new “Tap. Ride. Go.” fare payment system. Beginning Wednesday, riders can enter the Metrorail system simply by tapping a credit card, debit card, or mobile wallet at fare gates — eliminating the need to purchase a physical SmarTrip card. Riders must use the same card to tap in and out, and should note that transfer discounts will not apply when using this payment method. The feature will expand to Metrobus and Metro-operated parking facilities at a later date.
For full details on all Metro updates related to WorldPride, visit wmata.com.
Opinions
A WorldPride call to action
Lavender Interfaith Collective united for justice, liberation, joy, and love
Across faiths, identities, and nations, we are united by one unshakable truth: every person is worthy, every voice sacred, every body divine. Our unity is not rooted in a single tradition but in a collective belief in the sacred worth of every person. We uphold the fundamental principle of religious freedom, recognizing that no faith should dictate the governance of our nation. We reject all attempts to impose religious values, symbols, or authority upon our shared civic life, united in our commitment to a society where all traditions — and those who follow none — are equally respected. In the face of forces that seek to divide, erase, and harm, we unite as one — rooted in justice, driven by love, and committed to a future where liberation is not just an ideal but a lived reality.
We call upon all to embrace joy as resistance — to dance, to celebrate, to laugh, to live loudly. In a world that weaponizes despair, joy is our defiance. It is our fuel, our sustenance, and our reminder that liberation is not just survival — it is thriving.
We call upon the LGBTIQ+ community to embrace the common ground that unites us in the fight for dignity and liberation. Though our experiences and identities vary, we share a sacred commitment to intersectional justice. We will not be divided by differences; instead, we will center solidarity, knowing that our shared struggle is our greatest strength.
We call upon people of faith across the globe to join in radical solidarity — not just in the United States, but across borders, traditions, and languages. Justice is not bound by geography; neither is our love, resistance, or advocacy. Let faith be the force that binds us together, not the tool that tears us apart.
We call upon faith communities to be places of compassion, healing, and activism — spaces that do not merely welcome but actively uplift, renew, and give witness to inclusion and intersectional justice. Let our faith be evident in the way we fight for each other, hold space for each other, and refuse to leave anyone behind.
We call upon faith leaders to unite in advocacy and pastoral care, challenging their communities to make visible the lives of those under attack, and providing education on trans and nonbinary realities, human sexuality, nonviolent social change, and the systems that increase vulnerabilities to harm and violence. Knowledge is power, understanding is liberation, and faith must never be a tool for harm — it must be a beacon of transformation.
We call upon faith leaders to amplify trans theologians. Their voices, wisdom, and spiritual insights must not remain in the shadows. Let pulpits, platforms, and sacred spaces be filled with trans-theological perspectives, ensuring that faith itself becomes a force of liberation. With care and consent, we commit to sharing their work, making sure their voices reach the wider faith community.
We call upon advocates to join in solidarity — bearing each other’s burdens not with judgment, but with grace. Intersectional justice demands action against homophobia, transphobia, biphobia, ableism, racism, white supremacy, any religious nationalism, and every system of oppression. We must reject policies that strip our communities of essential services, including gender affirming care, HIV, reproductive health, and other programs addressing public health, medical research, housing, education, and services for persons with disabilities. Justice is not selective; it is intersectional. We cannot be free until we all are.
We call upon all people of conscience to hold elected officials to account that they defend the Constitution, oppose self-dealing by public officials, resist transactional, market-driven approaches that dismantle collaborative spaces and institutions, and uphold the inherent dignity of every human being. No exceptions. No compromises. Let us rise up against the forces that weaken democracy and erode our shared humanity.
We call upon the world to reimagine love as revolutionary and decolonizing — to see faith, justice, and neighborliness through a lens that liberates rather than oppresses. Let us honor the activism, resistance, and resilience that drive change. And let us refuse narratives of powerlessness. We are not powerless. We are powerful beyond measure. It is an imperative to protect, uplift, and fight for our neighbors everywhere.
Above all, we call for self-care — for the nourishment that sustains movements, the rest that strengthens resistance, and the healing that ensures we do not lose ourselves in the fight for liberation.
This is the charge. This is the sacred work.
We are boldly, unapologetically, and unshakably committed to collective liberation. Together, unstoppable, and unafraid.
More information about the Lavender Interfaith Collective can be found here.
The city of Rehoboth Beach in Delaware will host a public ceremony to commemorate the beginning of Pride month.
The event includes a proclamation and flag-raising ceremony outside of city hall at 12 p.m. on Sunday, June 1. The LGBTQ Pride flag will be flown during the month of June.
Rehoboth Beach is known for being an LGBTQ-friendly resort town. The year-round population of about 1,500 residents swells in the summer months, reaching more than 25,000, according to Travel US News.
“Rehoboth Beach is home to a vibrant LGBTQ+ community, which greatly contributes to the social and economic vitality as well as the character of our city,” Mayor Stan Mills said in a press release. “The City of Rehoboth Beach strives to foster diversity among its residents and visitors and to be a welcoming community to all.”
Rehoboth Beach Pride is scheduled for July 16-20.
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