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Comings & Goings
Mendelsohn, Lovitz honored for LGBT contributions
The ‘Comings & Goings’ column chronicles important life changes of Blade readers.
The Comings & Goings column is about sharing the professional successes of our community. We want to recognize those landing new jobs, new clients for their business, joining boards of organizations and other achievements. Please share your successes with us at [email protected].
Michaela Ivri Mendelsohn (Photo courtesy of Mendelsohn)
Congratulations to Michaela Ivri Mendelsohn who was selected to be the state and national recipient of the Face of Diversity Award and was recognized amongst her peers at the National Restaurant Association Public Affairs Conference in D.C., and in Sacramento at the CRA Restaurant Day (Lobby Day). The National Restaurant Association and PepsiCo Foodservice created the Faces of Diversity award to promote the importance of diversity and inclusion.
She is currently the CEO of Pollo West Corp, one of the largest franchises for El Pollo Loco restaurants in the Western Region of the United States. A groundbreaking business leader, Mendelsohn passionately advocates for trans women in the workplace through her work with the California Restaurant Association, and she is the founder of the California Trans Work Project (CTWP), which creates models for trans-positive workplaces in California and across the country. It’s the first organization of its kind and was recently awarded a large grant by the state of California.
Previously, Mendelsohn was named one of GO! Magazine’s “100 Women We Love,” alongside Ellen DeGeneres and Rachel Maddow. She is a transgender activist, professional speaker and corporate CEO with more than 40 years of entrepreneurial leadership experience.
She has worked as a consultant to Jenji Kohan in developing Laverne Cox’s character on “Orange is the New Black,” and she was the first transgender contestant to compete in the Ms. Senior California Pageant.
Congratulations also to Jonathan D. Lovitz, recently named an ‘Outstanding Young Alumni’ by the University of Florida from which he graduated Summa Cum Laude. Lovitz is a senior vice president at the National LGBT Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC). In addition to leading public affairs, media relations, supplier diversity, and political advocacy efforts, he regularly speaks to conferences and the media about LGBT economic empowerment and the vital role business plays in creating equity for the LGBT community. He is a regular commentator on MSNBC, CNBC, and NPR among others, and has often spoken and raised money for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, The Trevor Project, GLSEN, the Democratic Party, and more.
Lovitz previously served as director of communications and operations for StartOut, a national nonprofit empowering LGBT entrepreneurs; and as a respected stage and television actor and news anchor for Logo TV and other networks. He regularly speaks to colleges and universities encouraging young people to get involved in public service and use the Internet to make a difference for their communities. While business and LGBT youth causes are his primary focus, Lovitz looks for any chance to serve a community in need of a voice, including serving on multiple nonprofit boards.
This year, he was also named one of the top “40 LGBTQ Leaders Under 40” by Business Equality Magazine.
Jonathan Lovitz (Washington Blade photo 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)
a&e features
Looking back at 50 years of Pride in D.C
Washington Blade’s unique archives chronicle highs, lows of our movement
To celebrate the 50th anniversary of LGBTQ Pride in Washington, D.C., the Washington Blade team combed our archives and put together a glossy magazine showcasing five decades of celebrations in the city. Below is a sampling of images from the magazine but be sure to find a print copy starting this week.
The magazine is being distributed now and is complimentary. You can find copies at LGBTQ bars and restaurants across the city. Or visit the Blade booth at the Pride festival on June 7 and 8 where we will distribute copies.
Thank you to our advertisers and sponsors, whose support has enabled us to distribute the magazine free of charge. And thanks to our dedicated team at the Blade, especially Photo Editor Michael Key, who spent many hours searching the archives for the best images, many of which are unique to the Blade and cannot be found elsewhere. And thanks to our dynamic production team of Meaghan Juba, who designed the magazine, and Phil Rockstroh who managed the process. Stephen Rutgers and Brian Pitts handled sales and marketing and staff writers Lou Chibbaro Jr., Christopher Kane, Michael K. Lavers, Joe Reberkenny along with freelancer and former Blade staffer Joey DiGuglielmo wrote the essays.
The magazine represents more than 50 years of hard work by countless reporters, editors, advertising sales reps, photographers, and other media professionals who have brought you the Washington Blade since 1969.
We hope you enjoy the magazine and keep it as a reminder of all the many ups and downs our local LGBTQ community has experienced over the past 50 years.
I hope you will consider supporting our vital mission by becoming a Blade member today. At a time when reliable, accurate LGBTQ news is more essential than ever, your contribution helps make it possible. With a monthly gift starting at just $7, you’ll ensure that the Blade remains a trusted, free resource for the community — now and for years to come. Click here to help fund LGBTQ journalism.
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Looking back at 50 years of Pride in D.C
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