Local
Mizeur endorses Van Hollen in U.S. Senate race
Former state delegate says congressman champions ‘progressive causes’
Former Maryland state Del. Heather Mizeur has endorsed Congressman Chris Van Hollen’s bid to succeed retiring U.S. Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.) (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
Mizeur on Aug. 26 posted a video to her Facebook page that shows her introducing Van Hollen to her supporters in Baltimore. The Montgomery County Democrat in her introduction said the congressman has “been there when others have not for progressive causes.”
“While other people like to play us versus them politics, Chris and I like to look at how are we going to get this done,” said Mizeur.
Mizeur on Tuesday reiterated her support of Van Hollen.
“Barbara Mikulski has some mighty big shoes to fill and Chris Van Hollen is up for the task,” wrote the Montgomery County Democrat on her Facebook page. “Make a plan to meet up with him in your community to see for yourself what all the excitement is about.”
Mikulski in March announced she will retire from the U.S. Senate once her term ends next year.
Congresswoman Donna Edwards has also declared her candidacy to fill Mikulski’s Senate seat. Chrysovalantis Kefalas, a gay Republican who was former Maryland Gov. Bob Ehrlich’s legal counsel, has launched an exploratory committee.
Mizeur, who is a lesbian, in April announced she will not run to succeed Mikulski. Former Gov. Martin O’Malley — who is now running for president — on March 3 said that he too would not run for the Democrat’s U.S. Senate seat.
Mizeur ran unsuccessfully against then-Lieutenant Gov. Anthony Brown and then-Attorney General Doug Gansler in last year’s Democratic gubernatorial primary. The former lieutenant governor is among the candidates who are running for Edwards’ seat in Congress.
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PHOTOS: Helen Hayes Awards
Gay Men’s Chorus, local drag artists have featured performance at ceremony
The 41st Helen Hayes Awards were held at The Anthem on Monday, May 19. Felicia Curry and Mike Millan served as the hosts.
A performance featuring members of the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington and local drag artists was held at the end of the first act of the program to celebrate WorldPride 2025.
The annual awards ceremony honors achievement in D.C.-area theater productions and is produced by Theatre Washington.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
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)
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