Local
DC Center, GWU partner in ‘PrEP’ HIV prevention program
$10,000 grant to encourage use of Truvada
(Photo courtesy of Gilead)
George Washington University’s School of Public Health has awarded the DC Center for the LGBT Community a $10,000 grant to provide HIV prevention activities associated with the use of the AIDS drug Truvada as a pre-exposure prophylaxis, or “PrEP” for members of the LGBT community who are HIV negative.
In a statement released on Tuesday, the Center said the grant funds would be used in a “multi-pronged approach of awareness, research, and compliance in an effort to improve the lives of people living with and at risk for HIV in the District.”
Two officials with GWU’s Milken Institute School of Public Health were scheduled to present a $10,000 check to D.C. Center Board Chair Michael Fowler and Center Executive Director David Mariner at a ceremony at the Center’s offices at 4 p.m. Wednesday, April 30.
The Center is located on the ground floor of the city’s Reeves Center municipal building at 14th and U Streets, N.W.
Fowler told the Blade that the Center will not serve as a dispensary for Truvada but instead will provide referrals to medical providers for those interested in going on PrEP. Fowler said the Center, among other things, would send reminders to those on the program to take the pill every day, provide educational seminars on PrEP, and develop a mobile app to help people find a PrEP provider at a location convenient to them.
The Gilead pharmaceutical company, which manufactures Truvada, received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2012 for the use of a doctor prescribed, one-pill-a-day regimen of Truvada as a pre-exposure prophylaxis to help uninfected people reduce their risk of HIV infection.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which promotes the use of Truvada as part of the PrEP program on its official government website, AIDS.gov, says the program is recommended for population groups considered at “high risk” for HIV infection. Men who have sex with men are among the groups considered at high risk for HIV, according to a write-up on the website.
However, critics of the PrEP program, including the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, the nation’s largest AIDS service providing group which has offices in D.C., point to studies showing that a significant percentage of people on the PrEP program have been non-compliant in taking their daily Pravda pill, placing them at risk for becoming infected with HIV. The group’s director, Michael Weinstein, has said promoting condom use among men who have sex with men is a more effective method of HIV prevention.
In a separate development, D.C. Center spokesperson Matt Corso said the Center’s first AmeriCorps staff person began work at the Center on April 28 and will be with the Center for at least a year.
Corso said the staffer, Eric Perez, will work on the Center’s LGBT military veterans support program. He said Perez is part of AmeriCorps’ Vetcorps program, which supports veterans.
“We are the first LGBT community center to ever receive a Vetcorps volunteer, and this is Vetcorps’ first time looking specifically at the issues LGBT veterans face,” Corso said.
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)
a&e features
Looking back at 50 years of Pride in D.C
Washington Blade’s unique archives chronicle highs, lows of our movement
To celebrate the 50th anniversary of LGBTQ Pride in Washington, D.C., the Washington Blade team combed our archives and put together a glossy magazine showcasing five decades of celebrations in the city. Below is a sampling of images from the magazine but be sure to find a print copy starting this week.
The magazine is being distributed now and is complimentary. You can find copies at LGBTQ bars and restaurants across the city. Or visit the Blade booth at the Pride festival on June 7 and 8 where we will distribute copies.
Thank you to our advertisers and sponsors, whose support has enabled us to distribute the magazine free of charge. And thanks to our dedicated team at the Blade, especially Photo Editor Michael Key, who spent many hours searching the archives for the best images, many of which are unique to the Blade and cannot be found elsewhere. And thanks to our dynamic production team of Meaghan Juba, who designed the magazine, and Phil Rockstroh who managed the process. Stephen Rutgers and Brian Pitts handled sales and marketing and staff writers Lou Chibbaro Jr., Christopher Kane, Michael K. Lavers, Joe Reberkenny along with freelancer and former Blade staffer Joey DiGuglielmo wrote the essays.
The magazine represents more than 50 years of hard work by countless reporters, editors, advertising sales reps, photographers, and other media professionals who have brought you the Washington Blade since 1969.
We hope you enjoy the magazine and keep it as a reminder of all the many ups and downs our local LGBTQ community has experienced over the past 50 years.
I hope you will consider supporting our vital mission by becoming a Blade member today. At a time when reliable, accurate LGBTQ news is more essential than ever, your contribution helps make it possible. With a monthly gift starting at just $7, you’ll ensure that the Blade remains a trusted, free resource for the community — now and for years to come. Click here to help fund LGBTQ journalism.
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