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McAuliffe speaks at Pride event in Richmond
Urges LGBT residents to vote in November
Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe urged LGBT residents to vote during a recent Pride appearance. (Washington Blade file photo by Lee Whitman)
Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) urged LGBT Virginians to turn out and vote in the statewide election in November in an appearance on Sept. 23, at the annual Virginia Pride Fest in Richmond.
McAuliffe’s appearance at the LGBT event, which drew more than 30,000 people, marked the third time he attended the event since taking office as governor in 2014.
“The governor was thrilled to speak at the event this weekend and thanked the attendees for standing up for equal rights in our Commonwealth,” McAuliffe’s press secretary, Brian Coy, told the Washington Blade.
“He talked about how important open and inclusive policies are to economic growth in Virginia and he urged attendees to stay engaged with the upcoming elections and vote for candidates who will continue the progress we have made on equal rights and a stronger economy,” Coy said.
Virginia Lt. Gov. Ralph Northam, who is running as a Democrat to succeed McAuliffe in the November election, did not attend the Virginia Pride Fest event but his campaign workers circulated throughout the festival grounds reminding LGBT voters of Northam’s longstanding support for LGBT rights.
Under Virginia law governors can only serve one four-year term in office. McAuliffe has endorsed Northam, who is being challenged by Republican Ed Gillespie, the former chair of the Republican National Committee.
James Millner, president of Virginia Pride, the group that produces the Pride Fest event, said Richmond Mayor Levar M. Stoney also appeared and spoke at the Pride event, becoming the first Richmond mayor to appear at a Pride festival.
Millner said this year’s Pride Fest included about 125 vendor booths consisting of nonprofit LGBT and LGBT supportive organizations as well as LGBT supportive businesses and corporate sponsors. He said the number of vendor booths represented an increase from about 85 that participated in last year’s Pride Fest.
“We very consciously sought out vendors and participants and organizations that really demonstrate the diversity of the community, both LGBTQ and our allies, whether they are faith based organizations, whether they are nonprofit advocacy groups, or whether they are for profit businesses that are selling their wares – all of that comes together to create a remarkable experience for people who come to this event,” said Millner, who worked as a communications spokesperson for D.C.’s Whitman-Walker Health before moving to Richmond.
WorldPride 2025 concluded with the WorldPride Street Festival and Closing Concert held along Pennsylvania Ave., N.W. on Sunday, June 8. Performers on the main stage included Doechii, Khalid, Courtney Act, Parker Matthews, 2AM Ricky, Suzie Toot, MkX and Brooke Eden.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
Celebrating the transgender community, Baltimore Safe Haven, an organization committed to empowering LGBTQ individuals in Baltimore City, plans to host their fourth annual Baltimore Trans Pride on Saturday.
Instead of the usual parade and march, this year’s Trans Pride will be a block party on Charles Street and between 21st and 22nd Streets. The event will start at 1 p.m. with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and last until 10 p.m.
Community members can go on guided tours, enjoy refreshments by local vendors, listen to presenters, and watch performances by special guests.
Sukihana, the event’s headliner, plans to take to the stage to entertain the crowd, along with a variety of local performers, according to Melissa Deveraux, Baltimore Safe Haven’s executive assistant to Executive Director Iya Dammons.
“Some (are) prominently known, some (are) just making a name for themselves,” Deveraux said. Iya is always making sure that community talent is showcased at all of our functions.”
In company with Pride on Saturday, Baltimore Safe Haven will be opening its new building on Friday from 1-4 p.m.
“That is sort of going to be the prelude to pride,” Lau said. “Thanks to Sen. Mary Washington and the Weinberg Foundation, we were able to purchase the building outright, and it’s going to be a community hub of administrative buildings and 12-bedroom apartments.”
Renee Lau, administrative assistant for special projects coordinator for Baltimore Safe Haven, said the planning process for Baltimore Trans Pride began in January, and putting it all together was a collaboration of multiple city agencies and organizations.
“Safe Haven is an LGBT community organization, but we service the entire community, and that’s the message we try to spread,” Lau said. “We’re not just here for the LGBT community. We’re here to spread goodwill and offer harm reduction and housing to the entire community.”
Lau said the organization’s biggest goal for the event is to gain exposure.
“(We want) to let and let people know who we are and what our community is about,” she said. “Right now, because of what’s happening in DC, there’s a lot of bad untruths going on, and the total thing is bringing out the truth.”
Deveraux said having a place of inclusivity, acceptance, and togetherness is important in today’s political climate and the current administration.
“This event will have people seeing the strength and resilience of the transgender community, showing that no matter what we are going through, we still show up,” Deveraux said. “We are here, we will not be erased.”
The 2025 WorldPride Parade was held in Washington, D.C. on Saturday, June 7. Laverne Cox and Renée Rapp were the grand marshals.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key and Robert Rapanut)
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