Local
Chase Brexton to host LGBT health events
BreastFest cancer screening to be offered
Chase Brexton’s upcoming events include BreastFest cancer screening. (Washington Blade file photo by Michael Key)
The LGBT Health Resource Center of Chase Brexton Health Care is slated to host four events from March 25-30 to recognize LGBT Health Awareness Week.
“The activities we have planned are about visibility and building community,” said Nate Sweeney, executive director of the LGBT Health Resource Center. “We want to provide a safe space and lessen the stigma that many in the LGBTQ community face when trying to obtain fair and inclusive healthcare.”
On March 25, there will be a BreastFest Cancer Screening at American Radiology Services (3700 Fleet St., Suite 110, in Baltimore). BreastFest provides lesbian, same-gender-loving, bisexual and queer women over 40 with breast cancer screenings by appointment. This event is trans inclusive for anyone in need of breast tissue screening.
March 28 will feature a Trans vs. Bureaucracy Workshop from 6-8 p.m. at Chase Brexton’s Mount Vernon Center (first floor community room; 1111 N. Charles St.). This workshop provides documents and counsel for trans patients of Chase Brexton who are navigating the legal processes of name/gender marker change. The workshop will include a round-table discussion to share the personal narratives of trans individuals and their experiences navigating bureaucracy.
Bisexual Speed Dating will take place on March 29 from 6-9 p.m. at Flavor (15 E. Centre St. in Baltimore). This evening event aims to bring bi/pan people together for potential friendship or romance. There is a $10 cover, with proceeds supporting LGBTQ cancer screenings.
On March 30, there will be a screening of “You Are Not Alone” on from 6-9 p.m. at Chase Brexton’s Mount Vernon Center. “You Are Not Alone” is an award-winning documentary featuring stories of gay black men struggling with depression. The film will be followed by a discussion of the film, battling stigma, and building community. The event is free.
Sweeney adds, “It is important for people to have the opportunity to be with those who are going through the same thing or have similar experiences. That is why our events this year are centered on particular identities within our community. We are thrilled to be working with great partners like FreeState Justice, The Center for Black Equity, The Baltimore Transgender Alliance, Baltimore TransMen Inc, the STAR TRACK program at University of Maryland and others to not only bring attention to some of the health disparities that our communities face, but to do something about it.”
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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