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Rainbow History to honor LGBT ‘Pioneers’

12 local advocates to be celebrated May 14

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Casa Ruby, gay news, Washington Blade
Ruby Corado, Casa Ruby, gay news, Washington Blade

Ruby Corado, founder of Casa Ruby, is among Rainbow History Project’s honorees. (Washington Blade file photo by Michael Key)

D.C.’s Rainbow History Project is inviting the public to attend a May 14 reception where it will formally recognize a dozen local activists it has inducted into its ranks as 2015 LGBT Community Pioneers.

The event, which is free of charge, will be held on Thursday, May 14, at the Thurgood Marshall Center at 1816 12th St., N.W.

“These tenacious and creative individuals are being recognized for their instrumental roles in establishing and sustaining important institutions in the D.C. LGBT community,” a statement released by the group says. “The event provides an opportunity for the community to thank them.”

The 2015 Pioneers are identified as the following:

• Jonathan Blumenthal and Eric Cohen, founders of the LGBT group Burgundy Crescent Volunteers

• Ruby Corado, transgender activist and founder of Casa Ruby LGBT center

• Wallace Corbett, AIDS educator

• Kathleen DeBold, Mautner Project and Lambda Literary Awards administrator

• Atul Garg and Yassir Islam, founders of the LGBT South Asian group Khush D.C.

• Annette “Chi” Hughes, founding member of Sapphire Sapphos and AIDS educator

• Susan Silber, attorney and “trailblazer” in LGBT-friendly employment and family law in the D.C. area

• Jill Strachan, leader of local LGBT arts organizations

• Michele Zavos, attorney and “groundbreaker” in LGBT-friendly family and HIV/AIDS law in the D.C. area.

Rainbow History Project says it will also recognize the work of the late Annie Kaylor of Annie’s Paramount Steakhouse in D.C. as a community ally.

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Virginia

VIDEO: LGBTQ groups march in Va. inaugural parade

Abigail Spanberger took office on Saturday

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Diversity Richmond and the Virginia Pride project of Diversity Richmond march in the 2026 Inauguration Parade on the grounds of the state capitol in Richmond, Va. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

The inaugural ceremonies for Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger were held in Richmond, Va. on Saturday. Among the groups marching in the parade were Diversity Richmond and the Virginia Pride project of Diversity Richmond.

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The LGBTQ contingent in the inaugural parade in Richmond, Va. pass by the review stand on Jan. 17, 2026. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
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Virginia

Va. Senate approves referendum to repeal marriage amendment

Outgoing state Sen. Adam Ebbin introduced SJ3

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(Bigstock photo)

The Virginia Senate on Friday by a 26-13 vote margin approved a resolution that seeks to repeal a state constitutional amendment that defines marriage as between a man and a woman.

Outgoing state Sen. Adam Ebbin (D-Alexandria) introduced SJ3. The Senate Privileges and Elections Committee on Wednesday approved it by a 10-4 vote margin.

Same-sex couples have been able to legally marry in Virginia since 2014. Outgoing Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin in 2024 signed a bill that codified marriage equality in state law.

A resolution that seeks to repeal the Marshall-Newman Amendment passed in the General Assembly in 2021. The resolution passed again in 2025.

Two successive legislatures must approve the resolution before it can go to the ballot. Democrats in the Virginia House of Delegates have said the resolution’s passage is among their 2026 legislative priorities.

“It’s time for Virginia’s Constitution to reflect the law of the land and the values of today,” said Ebbin after Friday’s vote. “This amendment, if approved by voters, would affirm the dignity of all committed couples and protects marriage equality for future generations.”

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Maryland

Layoffs and confusion at Pride Center of Maryland after federal grants cut, reinstated

Trump administration move panicked addiction and mental health programs

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Merrick Moses, a violence prevention coordinator, works at the Pride Center of Maryland in Baltimore. (Photo by Ulysses Muñoz for the Baltimore Banner)

By ALISSA ZHU | After learning it had abruptly lost $2 million in federal funding, the Pride Center of Maryland moved to lay off a dozen employees, or about a third of its workforce, the Baltimore nonprofit’s leader said Thursday.

The group is one of thousands nationwide that reportedly received letters late Tuesday from the Trump administration. Their mental health and addiction grants had been terminated, effective immediately, the letters said.

By Wednesday night, federal officials moved to reverse the funding cuts by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, estimated to total $2 billion, according to national media reports. But the Pride Center of Maryland’s CEO Cleo Manago said as of Thursday morning he had not heard anything from the federal government confirming those reports.

The rest of this article can be read on the Baltimore Banner’s website.

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