Local
Baltimore Black Pride kicks off Oct. 4
Art show, festival and more planned
The Sunday festival for this year’s Baltimore Black Pride will take place in Baltimore’s St. Mary’s Park.
As part of Baltimore Black Pride’s annual celebration from October 4-11, several workshops have been scheduled. They include: Sexual Safety, The Trans Identity, LGBT Relationships Today, and Knowing Your Rights/Legal Law Lab.
The workshops will take place on Oct. 10 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Hotel Indigo, 24 West Franklin St. in Baltimore.
“We have some great topics this year and great speakers,” Letoi Robinson, who leads the Baltimore Black Pride Planning Committee, told the Blade. “We really tried hard this year to give our community a good variety of activities and events.”
The Grown and Sexy Annual Cultural Affair will take place later that evening from 7 p.m. to midnight. Recording artist Gwendolyn Collins will be the guest vocalist.
The event will be held at the Eubie Blake National Jazz Institute and Cultural Center, 847 N. Howard St. There will be a light buffet, refreshments, live entertainment, a guest speaker and dancing. The organizers say the attire is “fashion forward, dress to impress.”
The Sunday festival will take place in Baltimore’s St. Mary’s Park (Paca Street and Druid Hill Avenue) from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Other events include a drag brunch (Oct. 4), a professional mixer (Oct. 5), a pop-up art show (Oct. 6), speed dating (Oct. 7), the Pride kick-off reception and improv comedy show (Oct. 8), Black Out Party (Oct. 9), a Daylight White Party (Oct. 10), and worship services (Oct. 11).
The theme for this year’s celebration is “Bridging The Gap, Embracing our Uniqueness.” For more information, contact [email protected] or visit Baltimoreblackpride.org.
Virginia
VIDEO: LGBTQ groups march in Va. inaugural parade
Abigail Spanberger took office on Saturday
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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Virginia
Va. Senate approves referendum to repeal marriage amendment
Outgoing state Sen. Adam Ebbin introduced SJ3
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.”
Maryland
Layoffs and confusion at Pride Center of Maryland after federal grants cut, reinstated
Trump administration move panicked addiction and mental health programs
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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