Local
The big 4-0
Capital Pride to celebrate with Color Guard, dignitaries and more
Thousands flock to Pennsylvania Avenue each year for Capital Pride. (Washington Blade file photo by Michael Key)
The 40th annual Capital Pride Parade and Festival this weekend culminate a month of events that included Black Pride, Latino Pride and Trans Pride.
According to Capital Pride organizers, an estimated 250,000 attendees are expected to come to the milestone Capital Pride Parade and Capital Pride Festival making it the largest LGBT-focused event of the year in the District. (Complete coverage of Capital Pride begins on page 40.)
“We’ve tried to make sure that this is as special a Pride celebration as we could possibly make it to acknowledge the fact that we have had 40 years of Pride celebrations in the nation’s capital,” said Bernie Delia, Capital Pride’s board president.
Four decades ago, the event was called Gay Day. It was a one-day event that was part street festival and part block party. Since then, Capital Pride has transformed from a one-day event to a week-plus series of events culminating with this weekend’s two-day affair with the theme of “Flashback.”
On Saturday, the Capital Pride Parade will be held from 4:30-7:30 p.m. The parade begins at 22nd and P streets, N.W. and continues through the Dupont Circle and Logan Circle neighborhoods, ending at the 14th Street corridor at S Street.
For the second year in a row, an Armed Forces Color Guard will march in the parade. Following them will be Scouts for Equality, comprised of Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, who will be marching for the first time ever in the Capital Pride Parade.
Actor and LGBT activist Wilson Cruz and Deacon Maccubbin, founder of D.C. Pride, will serve as grand marshals. Actor Daniel Franzese will also be a judge at the parade review stand and Internet star Max Emerson will march in the parade. Capital Pride Heroes and Engendered Spirit awardees will also be present along with various politicians and community leaders.
In addition to the typical parade festivities, this year E! Network’s Ross Matthews will officiate a wedding between George Carrancho and Sean Franklin. Carrancho and Franklin won a contest held by Marriott to have their dream wedding at the Pride parade. The couple, originally from Texas, and their families will travel to D.C. for the nuptials at the parade.
This year’s Capital Pride Festival on Sunday starts at a slightly later time and will be held from noon-7 p.m. on Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., between 3rd and 7th streets. There will be 300 exhibitors and vendors that include local businesses, national sponsors and local and community groups. The Washington Blade will be giving away pairs of tickets to see Madonna in concert at its festival booth every 15 minutes from 3-5 p.m. in partnership with 107.3 radio.
A Pride concert will take place on three stages from 1-9 p.m. This year’s performers include Carly Rae Jepsen, En Vogue, Katy Tiz, Wilson Phillips and Amber.
The festival will also have three beverage gardens including Capitol Beverage Garden, Monument Beverage Garden and Dupont Beverage Garden. The gardens will have DJs, entertainment and drinks. There will also be a family and educational activity area and fun zone with a 30-foot inflatable water slide, face painters, food vendors and mist tents.
For more information on Capital Pride weekend, visit capitalpride.org.
Rehoboth Beach
Rehoboth Summer Kickoff Party set for May 15 with Ashley Biden
The Washington Blade’s 19th annual Summer Kickoff Party is scheduled for Friday, May 15 in Rehoboth Beach, Del.
Ashley Biden, daughter of President Joe Biden, has joined the list of speakers, the Blade announced. She will accept an award on behalf of her brother Beau Biden for his LGBTQ advocacy work as Delaware attorney general. (Her appearance was rescheduled from last year.)
The event, to be held this year at Diego’s (37298 Rehoboth Ave. Ext.) from 5-7 p.m., is a fundraiser for the Blade Foundation’s Steve Elkins Memorial Fellowship in Journalism, which funds a summer position reporting on LGBTQ news in Delaware. This year’s recipient will be introduced at the event.
The event will also feature remarks from state Rep. Claire Snyder-Hall. New CAMP Rehoboth Executive Director Dr. Robin Brennan and Blade editor Kevin Naff will also speak. The event is generously sponsored by Realtor Justin Noble, The Avenue Inn & Spa, and Diego’s.
A suggested donation of $25 is partially tax deductible and includes a drink ticket and light appetizers. Tickets are available in advance at bladefoundation.org/rehoboth or at the door.
District of Columbia
Curve magazine honors Washington Blade publisher
Lynne Brown named to 2026 Power List
Washington Blade Publisher Lynne Brown has been named to the 2026 Curve Power List celebrating LGBTQ+ women and nonbinary individuals in North America who are blazing trails in their chosen fields.
“From sports and entertainment icons to corporate leaders and lawmakers, these individuals are breaking barriers, challenging norms, and shaping the future,” Curve Foundation/Curve magazine said in announcing this year’s list, which includes ABC newscaster Robin Roberts, comedian/actress Hannah Einbinder, and singer/actress Renee Rapp, among others.
Brown has worked for the Washington Blade for nearly 40 years. She was named publisher in 2007 before becoming a co-owner in 2010.
“I am honored to be recognized by Curve magazine during Lesbian Visibility Week,” Brown said. “Receiving this Curve honor is twofold. I was an early subscriber to Curve. I enjoy the product and know its history. Its journalism, layout and humorous features have inspired me.
“As an owner/publisher, receiving recognition from a similar source acknowledges my work and efforts, with a sincerity I truly appreciate. Franco Stevens, the publisher of Curve, is a business person of duration, experience, and purpose. The fact that they are in the media business, and honoring me and my publication makes it a tiny bit sweeter.”
Nominations for the Curve Power List come from the community: peers, mentors, fans, and employers.
Curve explained the significance of the list in its announcement: “An annual, publicly nominated list of impactful LGBTQ+ women and nonbinary changemakers is crucial in current times to counter discrimination, legislative rollbacks, hostility, and the invisibility of queer women within mainstream and marginal spaces and endeavors. Such a list also fosters encouragement and solidarity, and elevates voices and achievements—from high-profile roles to under appreciated areas of life.”
Rehoboth Beach
Auction of Rehoboth’s Blue Moon canceled
Details on sale of iconic bar, restaurant not disclosed
The Blue Moon in Rehoboth Beach, Del., has been an iconic presence in the local LGBTQ community for four decades but its status remains murky after a sheriff’s auction of the property was abruptly called off on Tuesday.
The property was listed for sale in December. At that time, owner Tim Ragan told the Blade that he is committed to preserving its legacy as a gay-friendly space.
“We had no idea the interest this would create,” Ragan said in December. “I guess I was a little naive about that.”
Ragan explained that he and longtime partner Randy Haney were separating the real estate from the business. The two buildings associated with the sale were listed by Carrie Lingo at 35 Baltimore Ave., and include an apartment, the front restaurant (6,600 square feet with three floors and a basement), and a secondary building (roughly 1,800 square feet on two floors). They were listed for $4.5 million.
The bar and restaurant business is being sold separately; the price was not publicly disclosed.
But then, earlier this year, the Blue Moon real estate listing turned up on the Sussex County Sheriff’s Office auction site. The auction was slated for Tuesday, April 21 but hours before the sale, the listing changed to “active under contract” indicating that a buyer has been found but the sale is not yet final. As of Wednesday morning, the listing has been removed from the sheriff’s auction site.
Ragan didn’t respond to Blade inquiries about the auction. Back in December, he told the Blade, “It’s time to look for the next people who can continue the history of the Moon and cultivate the next chapter,” noting that he turns 70 this year. “We’re not panicked; we separated the building from the business. Some buyers can’t afford both.”
The identity of the buyer was not disclosed, nor was the sale price.
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