Local
Fired GWU coach accused of trying to out athletic director
Longeran allegedly spread rumors about Nero
Mike Lonergan was fired by GWU. (Photo by Rikster2; courtesy Wikimedia Commons)
George Washington University announced on Sept. 17 that it has fired controversial men’s basketball coach Mike Lonergan following an investigation triggered by a Washington Post expose in which players said Lonergan told them the G.W. athletic director, Patrick Nero, masturbated in his office while watching videos of the players practicing.
“Players said Lonergan shared his distaste for Nero in a manner both inappropriate and outlandish,” the Post reported in a July 21 story. “Five current and former players said Lonergan told players Nero requested the practice tapes so he could masturbate while viewing them in his office,” the Post story said.
“The players said Lonergan also told them Nero had engaged in a sexual relationship with a member of the team,” the story reported. “Players said they found those comments to be shocking and offensive, with no grounding in reality,” the Post reported.
Nero and university officials declined to comment on the Post’s revelations at the time the Post published its story. But Nero’s attorney, Debra Katz, who did not respond to a request by the Blade for comment, told the Post that Nero has always been a strong advocate for the welfare of student athletes.
“He will not be deterred from advocating for students by false and reprehensible remarks,” the Post quoted her as saying.
In addition to reporting on Lonergan’s reported remarks about Nero, the Post story reported that at least 13 men’s basketball players left the team and the university during the past five years because of what those who knew them said was bizarre and abusive behavior by Lonergan toward his players.
“The university recently conducted a thorough investigation into allegations concerning Coach Lonergan,” G.W. Provost Forrest Maltzman said in a statement released on Sept. 17. “The university concluded that Coach Lonergan had engaged in conduct inconsistent with the university’s values,” Maltzman said in his statement.
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)
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