Local
Reinstated minister to preach at Frederick Pride
Methodist panel overturns decision to defrock pastor who performed gay wedding
Rev. Frank Schaefer was defrocked for performing his gay son’s wedding. (Washington Blade file photo by Damien Salas)
A Methodist pastor who was defrocked for performing his gay son’s wedding is scheduled to deliver a guest sermon at a Pride Day church service in Frederick, Md., on Saturday — less than a week after a Methodist appeals panel reinstated him as a practicing minister.
A nine-member United Methodist Church appeals committee stunned members of the church’s conservative faction on Wednesday by overturning a church decision last year to strip Rev. Frank Schaefer of his ministerial authority on grounds that he refused to promise not to perform same-sex marriages in the future.
The appeals committee, which met in Linthicum, Md., ruled that the defrocking of Schaefer was an improper method of punishing him. The committee upheld the church’s decision to suspend him for 30 days, a penalty that Schaefer has already served, and ordered that the church in Lebanon, Pa., for which he had been serving as pastor give him back pay from the time the suspension ended last December.
“Today there was a very clear and strong signal from the church, and that message is, ‘Change is on the way,’” the New York Times quoted Schaefer as saying on the day of his reinstatement.
“One day we will celebrate the fact that we have moved beyond this horrible chapter in our church’s life,” the Times quoted him as saying.
Schaefer was scheduled to deliver a guest sermon on Saturday, June 28, at an LGBT Pride Day service at Grace United Church of Christ in Frederick, Md.
Rev. Robert Apgar-Taylor, the gay pastor of the church, said Schaefer accepted his invitation to deliver a Pride Day sermon at the church back in March, at a time when he was appealing the decision to defrock him but long before the outcome of the appeal was known.
“I contacted Frank probably three or four months ago about coming to our Pride event, and he accepted,” Apgar-Taylor told the Blade. “And he never dreamt it would be the week his appeal would come through.”
Added Apgar-Taylor, “We’re going to be the first place that he speaks after his appeal, which is actually quite cool.”
Following the 11 a.m. church service Schaefer was scheduled to accompany Apgar-Taylor and members of the congregation to a park in downtown Frederick where the LGBT Pride celebration was to take place. The decision to defrock Schaefer came about after church officials learned last year that he performed his son’s same-sex marriage in Massachusetts in 2007. Church officials in Pennsylvania initially suspended him for violating church rules that prohibit same-sex marriage. The officials next called on Schaefer to promise not to perform same-sex marriages in the future. He refused to make such a promise, prompting a church tribunal to defrock him.
In its decision released on Wednesday, the appeals panel concluded that the decision to revoke Schaefer’s credentials as a minister was illegal under church law. The appeals panel said a “well-established principle” of the church is that “our clergy can only be punished for what they have been convicted of doing in the past, not for what they may or may not do in the future.”
The Washington Post reported that the appeals panel indicated that its decision was based solely on the facts of Schaefer’s case and it was not making a broader statement about the United Methodist Church’s position on homosexuality.
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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