Local
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.”
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Congratulations to Jaime Christopher Pierce on their appointment to serve as a member of the Virginia Governor’s LGBTQ+ Advisory Board. Pierce was sworn in on Sept. 3 by Greg Parks, clerk of the Alexandria Circuit Court.
Pierce currently serves as vice chair of the Alexandria City LGBTQIA+ Task Force and as a member of the Alexandria Pride planning committee. They previously served on the board of directors of Equality Virginia.
Upon being sworn in, Pierce said, “Public service has been a central part of my life for more than 30 years, and this appointment gives me an opportunity to serve the Commonwealth in a different and very personal way. My career has allowed me to work with people and communities throughout Virginia, and I hope to bring that experience, along with my own lived experience and my involvement in the LGBTQ+ community, to the work of the Board.” They added, “Having Greg administer the oath makes the occasion even more meaningful because of his own historic role as Virginia’s first openly gay elected circuit court clerk.”
Pierce also serves as Circuit Court Services Manager for the Department of Judicial Services, at the Office of the Executive Secretary of the Supreme Court of Virginia. They began their career in Virginia’s judiciary in 1994 as a deputy clerk with the Virginia Beach Circuit Court and have since held several professional and leadership positions within the court system. Pierce is a member of the National Association for Court Management (NACM) and the Mid-Atlantic Association for Court Management. At the national level, Pierce participated in the workgroup that developed the National Association for Court Management’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Guide, a resource designed to help court professionals advance inclusive practices and strengthen access, fairness and belonging within the justice system.
Pierce earned a degree in Criminal Justice from Liberty University, and a certificate in Paralegal Studies from Norfolk State University.
Maryland
Md. groups receive state grants to fight hate crimes
Pride Center of Maryland among recipients
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore and the Governor’s Office of Crime Prevention and Policy are awarding a total of $10 million in grants in the 2027 fiscal year to nonprofit organizations that work to prevent hate crimes in the state.
The funds will be used to support those who feel targeted or discriminated against because of their race, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability status.
The Pride Center of Maryland is among the recipients. Churches, synagogues, mosques, and LGBTQ organizations are all eligible to receive grants
“The safety and security of all Marylanders is my top priority, so we are drawing a hard line because we have no tolerance for hate,” said Moore, according to media reports. “We are committed to protecting and ensuring safe and sacred spaces stay that way by investing in non-profit organizations, houses of worship, and community centers to protect and honor every community that makes our state so diverse and special.”
“Protection Against Hate Crime funding has strengthened the Pride Center of Maryland’s ability to protect, educate, and support the communities we serve … at a time of heightened concern associated with the Trump administration’s anti-LGBTQ/SGL (same-gender-loving) policies and pressures,” Pride Center of Maryland CEO Cleo Manago said. “PAHC funding helps us do more than improve physical security — it strengthens our community’s knowledge, preparedness, connection to resources, and ability to respond to hate with greater awareness and support.”
Maryland’s hate crimes law includes both sexual orientation and gender identity. The state’s nondiscrimination statute is also LGBTQ-inclusive.
District of Columbia
Blade welcomes fall intern
Alexis McLean is student at University of North Florida
The Washington Blade this week welcomed Alexis McLean as its fall intern.
Alexis is studying political science at the University of North Florida in Jacksonville, Fla. She is interning with the Blade as part of a continued partnership with the Washington Center.
“I am looking forward to spending my time in the fall with the Washington Blade, as this is a new experience for me,” said Alexis. “I have not experienced any journalist jobs in the past so this would be my first time, and I am excited to better my writing and communications skills with this internship.”
Alexis’s internship with the Blade ends in early December.
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