Local
Former Baltimore Pride coordinator pleads guilty to theft
Liller receives suspended sentence, probation
Paul Liller received a suspended sentence and two years of probation in a theft case.
Just as leaders from the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Community Center of Baltimore and Central Maryland (GLCCB) are gearing up to host Pride 2016, the 2015 Pride Coordinator, Paul Liller, accepted a plea deal in a case in which he had been accused of theft by GLCCB’s board president Jabari Lyles.
Following three postponements that began in Baltimore’s District Court last December, Liller signed an Alford plea agreement in Baltimore Circuit Court on March 30. He pled guilty to a misdemeanor (Theft — less than $1,000 value) without admitting guilt and maintaining his innocence but admitting that the prosecution could likely prove the charge based on the evidence.
Liller, 33, was charged, according to Assistant State’s Attorney Toi Mason, with “taking property” from the GLCCB in the amount of $704.58. Sources told the Blade that it was a result of his using the GLCCB’s debit card to buy non-GLCCB-related items.
These purchases allegedly occurred between Aug. 15-Sept. 15 based on a complaint filed by Lyles on behalf of the GLCCB. According to the original charging documents, they included such items as various art supplies, crafting supplies and office supplies.
Since becoming GLCCB’s Pride coordinator in late 2014, Liller was appointed the GLCCB’s development coordinator and ultimately deputy director and acting executive director after the resignation of Joel Tinsley-Hall effective July 6, 2015.
Liller resigned suddenly on Oct. 13 amid rumors concerning missing funds from Pride. The GLCCB then initiated a review of its financial transactions whose findings led to the complaint.
As a result of the plea deal, Liller received an 18-month suspended sentence, two years supervised probation and restitution to the GLCCB in the amount charged.
GLCCB president Lyles did not respond to requests from the Blade for comment.
Photos
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)
PHOTOS: Helen Hayes Awards
Laverne Cox, Reneé Rapp, Deacon Maccubbin named WorldPride grand marshals
House passes reconciliation with gender-affirming care funding ban
PHOTOS: D.C. Trans Pride
Men convicted of murdering two men in NYC gay bar drugging scheme sentenced
Looking back at 50 years of Pride in D.C
WorldPride events round-up
Pope Leo XIV: Family based on ‘stable union between a man and a woman’
Wes Moore signs HIV decriminalization bill
