Local
Baltimore mayoral candidates talk LGBT issues
Emotional forum tackles HIV, homelessness
Catherine Pugh addresses the crowd at Tuesday’s forum. (Washington Blade photo by Steve Charing)
More than 100 members of the Baltimore’s LGBT community and allies attended an emotional mayoral forum hosted by the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Community Center of Baltimore and Central Maryland (GLCCB) on March 8. The event, which took place at the University of Baltimore’s H. Mebane Turner Learning Commons, featured a dozen mayoral candidates out of the 29 vying for the office held by outgoing Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake.
Democratic candidates who participated included: Elizabeth Embry, chief of the Maryland Attorney General’s Office criminal division; Patrick Gutierrez, former operations manager; DeRay Mckesson, a gay civil rights activist; Council member Nick Mosby; State Sen. Catherine Pugh; Council member Carl Stokes; academic researcher Cindy Walsh; and engineer Calvin Allen Young III.
Former Mayor Shelia Dixon, a Democrat and who is perceived as the frontrunner, did not attend.
Other participants who will compete in the general election only include: Green Party candidate and activist Joshua Harris as well as unaffiliated candidates dispute resolution manager Nicholas Caminiti, state employee LaVern Murray and activist Andre Powell.
None of the five Republican candidates attended.
The candidates, following opening statements, fielded pre-determined questions regarding their records on advancing LGBT rights, what they would do to stop police profiling and violence against LGBT people, particularly transgender people of color, what they would do to support homeless LGBT youth, and what they would do to ensure equal education and employment opportunities for LGBT people, particularly youth, seniors and transgender people of color.
In addition to responding to those questions, the candidates explained other matters relating to governance, such as the need for new leadership for opportunity, education and the ills of crime and poverty.
Each candidate offered their personal commitment to LGBT equality with some more familiar with the issues than others. Stokes said he has a long history with LGBT rights. “I am not a friend of the community but am a part of the community,” he said.
Sen. Pugh cited several legislative initiatives she led, including group life insurance policies for domestic partners and co-sponsoring the Religious Freedom and Civil Rights Protection Act.
Walsh said she has fought for equal protection for many years. “We have gay rights but not equal protection,” she explained.
On the other hand, both Caminiti and Murray indicated that while they support full equality for all, they admit to not having much experience with LGBT issues.
The forum was interrupted by activist Akil Patterson who questioned why none of the candidates have addressed the HIV/AIDS crisis among young black gay and bisexual men. Lynda Dee, founder of AIDS Action Baltimore criticized the current and past administrations for not overtly publicizing HIV/AIDS in Baltimore and demanded that each candidate pledge to use a public information campaign to call attention to HIV/AIDS.
Another audience member, Kinji Scott, who is running for City Council, said, “We have to do something about HIV in the African-American community.”
Mosby responded to Patterson’s question by pointing out the issue is preventable and treatable. “We must take the trajectory of young African-American men seriously,” he said.
Harris added that there was $6 million being held up by the city’s Health Department earmarked for the Ryan White program, which recently had to fold due to lack of funding. He also said that sexual orientation and gender identity ought to be taught in schools as part of the sex education curriculum.
The candidates fielded questions from the audience on a variety of matters. Longtime activist Monica Yorkman, a trans woman, emotionally described being fearful of police because of her experiences of being harassed by police and how she, as a homeless person, had been afraid to go to a homeless shelter even more so now as a 62-year-old transgender person of color.
Many candidates decried lack of management and accountability in the current city government. “This city is corrupt,” Stokes said. When asked what issue left behind by the current mayor that she would like to tackle, Embry pointed to “so little accountability.”
Jabari Lyles, president of the GLCCB was pleased with the forum.
“The candidates provided enough insight to their platform to where our community can make an informed decision at election time,” Lyles told the Blade. “We have 29 candidates running for mayor. Only one will win but based on tonight, we should have 28 leaders that can still be held accountable.”
District of Columbia
D.C. Latinx Pride celebrates culture and heritage
Your guide to events throughout June
Organizers with the Latinx History Project have planned a host of events this Pride season with parties, poetry, drag and more.
The festivities begin with the DC Latinx Pride 2026 Kickoff at Crush Dance Bar (2007 14th Street, N.W.) on Friday, June 12 from 6-10 p.m. The party will include a coronation ceremony for the 2026 Royal Court: Ms. DC Latinx Pride Vida Rangel and Mx. DC Latinx Pride Steph Niaupari. RSVP at latinxhistoryproject.org. The event is free, though donations are accepted.
An outdoor event is planned for Sunday, June 14 from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. at Anacostia River Park (1500 Anacostia Dr., S.E.). Cultivating Queer Outdoor Joy is a “peaceful outdoor community event focused on grounding, connection, and queer joy in nature.” The event is free.
A panel discussion is planned for The Festival Center (1640 Columbia Rd., N.W., 2nd floor) on Monday, June 15 from 6-8 p.m. La Plática: The Future of 2 Spirits and Trans Natives will focus upon the “stories, leadership and vision of Two-Spirit, Indigiqueer and Trans Native people.” RSVP to the free event at latinxhistoryproject.org.
A sex-positive poetry workshop, “Hoetry: Writing Erotic Poetry,” is planned for Wednesday, June 17 from 6-8 p.m. at The Festival Center (1640 Columbia Road, N.W.). The event is free.
The workshop So You Wanna Do Drag? is planned for Thursday, June 18 from 5:30-8 p.m. at The Festival Center (1640 Columbia Road, N.W.). Featured guests Ricky Rose and Mari Con Carne will hold a style showcase to discuss the basics of developing a drag persona. RSVP to the free event at latinxhistoryproject.org.
The Latinx History Project is collaborating with Rumba Queer DC to produce an official Latinx Pride Party: Sin Vergüenza. The event is at the multi-level venue, Transmission (1353 H Street, N.E.) on Thursday, June 18 from 7 p.m.-1 a.m. There are dance lessons, vendors and three different music experiences in the sprawling venue. There will also be a drag showcase from 10-11 p.m. The event is 21+ and tickets are available at shotgun.live/en/events/sin-verguenza. Tickets are $15 for entry into the party. Tickets to participate in the dance lesson are $29.98. Participants may choose between a bachata lesson or a salsa lesson from 7-8 p.m.
La Fiesta: Official DC Latinx Pride Party is planned for Friday, June 19 from 10 p.m. – 2 a.m. at Bunker (2001 14th Street, N.W.). Serena Morena from “Drag Race México” and “Drag Race UK vs The World” is slated to headline the 21+ event. Early tickets are available for $15 (plus $0.38 service fee) until June 16. The door cover charge without early tickets is $20. Attendees can also purchase a meet and greet experience with Serena Morena for $30. Tickets are available at latinxhistoryproject.org.
The Latinx History Project plans to march in the Capital Pride Parade on Saturday, June 20 and to have a table at the Capital Pride Festival on Sunday, June 21. Visit latinxhistoryproject.org to register to march alongside LGP in the parade or to staff the table at the festival.
The DC Latinx Pride 2026 Closing Event is scheduled for Friday, June 26 from 6:30-8:30 p.m. at the Mexican Cultural Institute (2829 16th Street, N.W.). The free event is a panel discussion “centering the experiences of immigrants who have lived in Latin America and now call the United States home.”
Visit latinxhistoryproject.org for more information.
District of Columbia
JR.’s hosts meet & greet for mayoral candidate Janeese Lewis George
Event organized by Capital Stonewall Democrats, Queers for Janeese
D.C. mayoral candidate Janeese Lewis George spoke to a crowd of LGBTQ supporters on June 1 at a meet & greet event held at JR.’s on 17th Street in the Dupont Circle neighborhood.
The event, organized by Capital Stonewall Democrats, which has endorsed Lewis George for mayor, with support from a group called Queers for Janeese, was followed by a “get out the vote” canvassing endeavor in which several of those attending the meet & greet visited the homes of nearby residents known to be Lewis George supporters.
The purpose of the canvassing was to remind Lewis George supporters to return their mail-in ballots or go to the polls on June 16 to elect Lewis George as the city’s next mayor, according to Matthew Kavanagh, one of the leaders of Queers for Janeese who attended the meet & greet event at JR.’s.
Local political observers consider Lewis George, a Ward 4 D.C. Council member, and former At-Large D.C. Council member Kenyan McDuffie, to be the two leading candidates in this year’s race for mayor. The two are among seven mayoral candidates competing in the city’s June 16 Democratic primary.
Lewis George told those attending the meet & greet, which was held on the JR.’s outdoor patio, that she has a long record of advocating for and initiating city polices and laws in support of the LGBTQ community. She said large corporate donors were backing her opponents and urged her LGBTQ supporters to help raise funds for her in the remaining days of the campaign.
Among those attending the meet & greet was gay longtime Dupont Circle civic activist Randy Downs who last November opened a nearby eatery called Protest Pizza. “I am queer and I am a Janeese supporter,” Downs told the Blade.
Stevie McCarty, president of Capital Stonewall Democrats, who also spoke at the meet & greet event, said his group would organize events in support of Lewis George in the remaining days of the campaign. Among them, he said, was an LGBTQ bar crawl in which supporters of Lewis George, including the candidate herself, would visit LGBTQ bars to promote her candidacy.
Virginians for Marriage Equality on Monday launched a campaign in support of repealing Virginia’s constitutional amendment that defines marriage as between a man and a woman.
Equality Virginia Executive Director Narissa Rahaman, former state Sen. Adam Ebbin, former state Del. Mark Sickles, and American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia Executive Director Mary Bauer are among those who spoke at the launch that took place in Richmond. State Del. Kirk McPike (D-Alexandria), who co-chairs the campaign, also participated.
“This amendment is about making clear that the government has no business deciding which marriages or which families are worthy of recognition,” said Bauer. “The ACLU of Virginia has been fighting for Virginians’ right to marry who they love since the landmark case, Loving v. Virginia, which struck down the ban on interracial marriage. Now we are proud to carry that legacy forward by standing with our coalition partners in the fight to pass this amendment and finally enshrine the right to marriage equality in the commonwealth’s constitution.”
Voters in 2006 approved the Marshall-Newman Amendment.
Same-sex couples have been able to legally marry in Virginia since 2014. Former Gov. Glenn Youngkin, who is a Republican, in 2024 signed a bill that codified marriage equality in state law.
Two successive legislatures must approve a proposed constitutional amendment before it can go to the ballot.
Democratic Gov. Abigail Spanberger in February signed a bill that finalized the referendum’s language.
The referendum will take place on Nov. 3.
Madonna turns Times Square into massive dance floor
Blade welcomes summer intern
PHOTOS: Shepherdstown Pride Parade
Charges against Budapest mayor for organizing Pride march dropped
Gallup finds LGBTQ support among Americans is dropping
Books for a pre-Pride celebration
Barney Frank’s powerful legacy for LGBTQ federal employees
Claudia López comes up short in Colombian presidential election
PHOTOS: Hagerstown Pride
