Local
Lesbian D.C. official named in school favoritism probe
Deputy mayor says placement of son in desirable school was within rules
Courtney Snowden (Photo courtesy the Raben Group)
Courtney Snowden, who serves as D.C.’s Deputy Mayor for Greater Economic Opportunity, was identified this week as the subject of an investigation by the D.C. Inspector General into allegations that former city Public Schools Chancellor Kaya Henderson gave preferential treatment to some city government officials by allowing their kids to enroll in prestigious schools.
The Washington Post cited unnamed but knowledgeable sources as saying Henderson in 2015 allowed Snowden to bypass a school lottery required of parents to apply for enrollment of their children in certain schools and allowed Snowden to enroll her son in the Capitol Hill Montessori at Logan school, which had a waiting list of more than 1,000 families seeking to enroll their kids.
Snowden, a lesbian, told the Post that neither she nor Henderson did anything wrong, pointing out that Henderson invoked her authority under school system rules to make a “discretionary” exemption to the lottery system based on her showing her son’s “unique needs” for enrolling in the school.
Inspector General Daniel W. Lucas informed the D.C. Council last month that an investigation conducted by his office found that Henderson “failed to act impartially and gave preferential treatment to certain District government officials and members of the public,” by placing their children in schools outside the lottery system, according to the Post.
The Post, which published stories linking Snowden to the investigation for three consecutive days last week, reported that D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser had been informed of the Inspector General’s investigation but was not told which city officials may have benefited from Henderson’s alleged favoritism.
“Courtney Snowden is an outstanding public servant who has taken on the critical task of ensuring that economic opportunity is available to all District residents,” mayoral spokesperson Kevin Harris said in a statement.
“The opportunity to petition the school chancellor for a waiver is available to all District parents,” he said in the statement. “Deputy Mayor Snowden did what any parent would do by pursuing every available option when her child faced a challenge.”
Henderson, who resigned from her post as chancellor last year, released a statement last month responding to the initial findings in a report that the Inspector General presented to the D.C. Council about her alleged improper favoritism actions.
Among other things, she said she stood by her decision to make “a very limited number of discretionary placements of students when extraordinary circumstances applied,” the Post reported.
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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