Local

Pride parade to march out of Mount Vernon

In switch, June 17 celebration heads north

Published

9 years ago

April 12, 2017

Steve Charing

Baltimore Pride Parade, gay news, Washington Blade

This year’s Pride parade will kick off in Mount Vernon. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

Breaking a decades-old tradition, the Baltimore Pride Parade, scheduled for June 17, will depart what had been considered the “gayborhood” in Mount Vernon and venture north to the Station North-Old Goucher neighborhood.

The parade this year will originate on the corner of Charles and Eager Streets, according to Donald Young, Pride Parade chair and Baltimore Pride main stage manager, and will begin at 2 p.m. In the past, the parade started several blocks south near the Washington Monument.

“Last year was the largest Pride Parade in Baltimore history,” Young told the Blade. He promises an even bigger and longer Pride Parade this year. The Block Party, he says, will take place between North Avenue and 22^nd Street and between Maryland Avenue and St. Paul Street.

The new parade route was welcomed by Old Goucher leadership. “We are pleased to learn that this year’s 42^nd annual Pride festivities will be centered on Charles Street in Old Goucher,” said Kelly Cross, president of the Old Goucher Community Association, in a statement.

“There’s no better place in the city for this event. Charles Street is Baltimore’s traditional ‘Main Street’ and we have ample venues to support the full range of activities included in the celebration.”

Cross noted that various neighborhoods in the city have at times claimed the title of “gayborhood,” such as Charles Village, Waverly and most recently Mount Vernon. However, in 2016, the GLBT Community Center of Baltimore (GLCCB), the organization that runs Pride, moved its headquarters from Mount Vernon to Old Goucher. The Pride Foundation of Maryland is also located there as well as the refurbished Baltimore Eagle.

For more information, visit baltimorepride.org.

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Virginia

VIDEO: LGBTQ groups march in Va. inaugural parade

Abigail Spanberger took office on Saturday

Published

11 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

19 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

2 days 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.