Local

Gays for Trump plans ‘Deploraball’ picnic in July

Celebrating Trump’s first months in White House

Published

9 years ago

February 8, 2017

Deploraball, Gays for Trump, gay news, Washington Blade

Gays for Trump held a ‘Deploraball’ party following last month’s inauguration. Another event is planned for July 4 Weekend. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

The North Carolina-based group Gays for Trump has announced that it plans to hold a “Deploraball” Pre-4th of July Picnic on the National Mall in Washington tentatively scheduled for July 1.

Gays for Trump co-founder Peter Boykin said the group has contacted the National Park Service about obtaining a permit for the event.

“We celebrate Donald Trump’s first days in the White House and his first 4th of July as president,” a statement on the group’s website says. “We are all Deplorables on the Trump Train and let’s have a Deploraball Picnic!” the statement says.

Gays for Trump first adopted the name Deploraball for an LGBT inaugural ball it organized at a hotel in Potomac, Md., on Jan. 20 on the day of Trump’s inauguration.

Boykin said the group is hopeful that the July 1 picnic on the National Mall will draw a large crowd but he is uncertain how many people will turn out.

“Our mission is to increase the amount of LGBT conservative voices in American society,” Boykin said in an email last month to the group’s supporters.

He said that in addition to the picnic Gays for Trump plans to have a presence at the American Conservative Union’s annual CPAC Conference in Washington on Feb. 22, an event that the nation’s most prominent conservative political figures are expected to attend.

Boykin said Gays for Trump is also planning to set up booths at many of the nation’s LGBT Pride festivals in June, including D.C.’s Capital Pride festival.

“If we get protested, that would be sad,” Boykin told the Blade in an email. “But I am sure the media would like to focus on that,” he said. “And that only further proves our cause as we stand up against our own LGBT brothers and sisters for what is right.”

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Virginia

VIDEO: LGBTQ groups march in Va. inaugural parade

Abigail Spanberger took office on Saturday

Published

2 hours ago

January 17, 2026

Michael Key

Diversity Richmond and the Virginia Pride project of Diversity Richmond march in the 2026 Inauguration Parade on the grounds of the state capitol in Richmond, Va. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

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.

View on Threads

*The LGBTQ contingent in the inaugural parade in Richmond, Va. pass by the review stand on Jan. 17, 2026. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)*

Virginia

Va. Senate approves referendum to repeal marriage amendment

Outgoing state Sen. Adam Ebbin introduced SJ3

Published

10 hours ago

January 17, 2026

Staff reports

(Bigstock photo)

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

Published

1 day ago

January 16, 2026

Baltimore Banner

Merrick Moses, a violence prevention coordinator, works at the Pride Center of Maryland in Baltimore. (Photo by Ulysses Muñoz for the Baltimore Banner)

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.