Local
Capital Pride announces 2016 award recipients
Recognition follows normalization of diplomatic relations
Rayceen Pendarvis is among this year’s Capital Pride honorees. (Photo courtesy of Rayceen Pendarvis)
HIV/AIDS activist and local entertainment show host Rayceen Pendarvis, journalist and former TV news anchor Kathleen Matthews, and veteran transgender rights advocate Jeri Hughes are among those named as 2016 recipients of the Capital Pride Alliance’s annual LGBT rights awards.
The organization’s Capital Pride Heroes Award, the Engendered Spirits recognition, and its Bill Miles Award, named for the group’s late founding board member, draw attention this year to eight individuals that have distinguished themselves as extraordinary advocates and allies of the LGBT community, Capital Pride officials said in a statement.
The awards will be presented at the Capital Pride Heroes Gala, which takes place at 7 p.m. on June 1 at the Carnegie Library, 901 K St., N.W.
“The Capital Pride Alliance is extraordinarily fortunate to have a community with so many individuals, leaders, and activists dedicated to fighting for and successfully advancing LGBTA rights for all of us,” said Capital Pride board president Bernie Delia.
“This year was a particularly difficult selection process, with so many outstanding individuals from whom to choose,” Delia said. “We are truly grateful and honored to announce and celebrate these individuals.”
The Capital Pride Alliance, among other things, produces D.C.’s annual Capital Pride Parade and Street Festival.
The Capital Pride Heroes designation was given to these individuals, whose backgrounds and accomplishments are taken from a Capital Pride pamphlet:
• Bishop Allyson Abrams, presiding bishop of the LGBT supportive Pneuma Christian Fellowship, founder of the Empowerment Liberation Cathedral and social justice advocate.
• Kathleen Matthews – LGBT advocate, human rights activist, journalist, TV news anchor, vice president for Global Communications at Marriott International Corporation, and former Maryland congressional candidate.
• Rayceen Pendarvis – HIV/AIDS activist, host of “The Ask Rayceen Show,” emcee of multiple D.C. Black Pride festivals and events, volunteer, equality advocate, and gay Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner.
• Peter Rosenstein – LGBT rights activist, racial justice champion, CEO of national healthcare and education related associations, member of multiple nonprofit boards, and co-coordinator of a group advocating for marriage equality in D.C. He also serves as a Washington Blade columnist.
Engendered Spirits honorees recognized for having made significant contributions to the transgender community:
• Julius Agers – “Two-spirited, transgender activist, volunteer for numerous nonprofit organizations and political campaigns, staff member at the D.C. Fire and EMS Department.”
• Jeri Hughes – “Human rights advocate, volunteer, marriage equality and ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ repeal activist,” longtime advocate for banning employment discrimination against transgender people, and LGBT rights activist.
Bill Miles Award for Outstanding Volunteer Service:
• Chelsea Bland – “Labor union and LGBTQ rights activist, volunteer co-producer at Capital Pride for Volunteers, LGBT committee chair for the Office and Professional Employees International Union (OPEIU) Local 2, and freelance photographer.”
• Michael Creason – “Volunteer sign language interpreter for Capital Pride and multiple LGBT organizations, nationally certified sign language interpreter, and producer at Capital Pride for Accessibility.”
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.
Rehoboth Summer Kickoff Party set for May 15 with Ashley Biden
Curve magazine honors Washington Blade publisher
Auction of Rehoboth’s Blue Moon canceled
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