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Strang elected president of GLAA

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Bobbi Strang, gay news, Washington Blade

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].

Bobbi Strang, gay news, Washington Blade

Bobbi Strang (Photo courtesy of Strang)

Congratulations to Bobbi Elaine Strang on her election as President of the Gay and Lesbian Activists Alliance. Founded in 1971, GLAA is an all-volunteer, non-partisan, non-profit political organization that defends the civil rights of LGBT people in the nation’s capital.

GLAA lobbies the D.C. Council; monitors government agencies; educates and rates local candidates; and works in coalitions to defend the safety, health and equal rights of LGBT families. GLAA remains the nation’s oldest continuously active gay and lesbian civil rights organization.

Strang previously served on the boards of GLOV (Gays and Lesbians Opposing Violence) and the Gertrude Stein Democratic Club. Currently she co-facilitates the DC Center’s Job Club and sits on both the boards of the Office of Police Complaints and Metropolitan Community Church. She was awarded the Engendered Spirit Award in 2015 by Capital Trans Pride for her advocacy on transgender issues in D.C.

She holds a master’s degree from Salisbury University and has worked at the D.C. Department of Employment Services since 2012 as the first openly transgender employee of the agency. In her spare time, she composes and performs music with a local punk rock band as a guitarist and vocalist.

Congratulations also to Sarah Lawson, the new staff social worker and therapist at the DC Center. There she works with individuals and groups to provide behavioral health support under the OVSJG grant. This position also oversees the D.C. Anti-Violence Project and engages in community outreach.

Lawson has a wealth of experience, including working as a Health Clinical Intern at Whitman-Walker Health and at Synergy Family Services of Langley Park, Md., as a social work intern. Prior to that she was the manager of grants and social media/contract communications consultant at Safe Shores, The DC Children’s Advocacy Center and as a Development Associate at the New Israel Fund.

She earned her bachelor’s in Journalism from Indiana University in Bloomington, and her master’s of Social Work, Clinical Behavioral Health, at the University of Maryland, Baltimore. She has her license as a LGSW.

Sarah Lawson (Photo courtesy of Lawson)

Congratulations also to Renée Rosenfeld who was recently awarded the 2018 Marc A. Levey Award for Distinguished Service to the Producers Guild of America New Media Council during the PGA’s Produced By Conference at Paramount Studios in Los Angeles.

She has more than two decades of experience in entertainment and strategic communications. She guided the strategic creative development and implementation for the first national broadcast PSA campaign for the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, receiving more than 500 million media impressions in less than one year. A native of the District, Rosenfeld returned home to lead the strategy to create and build the AMW Safety Center for America’s Most Wanted, the television show’s brand extension into consumer and family safety. She has developed innovative media, content and communications strategies for the Kellogg Foundation, Phillips Sonicare, Boeing, Justice for Vets, and the Bill Gates led, American Energy Innovation Council, among others.

Prior to creating strategic content, Rosenfeld was a member of the production team for “The West Wing,” “Felicity” and many other theatrical movies and episodic series and worked with JJ Abrams, Aaron Sorkin and Steven Bochco. Having worked with some of the television and movie industry’s most celebrated filmmakers, she brings instinctive perspective and sensibilities to building story and character to create maximum impact.

She has served as Human Services Commissioner for the City of West Hollywood; on the Victory Fund board of directors and co-chair of the Victory Campaign Board; and as National Media adviser for Freedom to Work. She received her bachelor’s in history from Carnegie-Mellon University.

Renée Rosenfeld (Photo courtesy of Rosenfeld)

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World Pride 2025

D.C. liquor board extends drinking hours for WorldPride

Gay bars, other liquor-serving establishments can stay open 24 hours

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Sasha Colby performs at Pitchers in 2023. Liquor-serving establishments in D.C. will be able to remain open for 24 hours during WorldPride. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

D.C.’s Alcoholic Beverage and Cannabis Board, which regulates liquor sales for the city’s bars, restaurants, nightclubs, and other establishments licensed to serve alcoholic beverages, has approved extended hours for alcohol service and sales during the days when most WorldPride events will be held in the nation’s capital.

In a May 2 announcement, the Alcoholic Beverage and Cannabis Administration, which works with the board, said the extended liquor serving and sales hours for WorldPride will take place beginning Friday, May 30, through 4 a.m. Monday, June 9.

Although the official schedule for WorldPride events shows the events will take place May 17-June 8, most of the large events, including a two-day Pride street festival, parade, and concert, were expected to take place between May 30 and June 8.

According to the ABCA announcement and an ABCA spokesperson, liquor servicing establishments with the appropriate license can stay open for 24 hours and serve alcoholic beverages from 6 a.m. through the day and evening until 4 a.m., with no liquor sales allowed from 4 a.m. to 6 a.m. during the May 30-June 9 period.

The ABCA announcement says liquor serving establishments must apply for the extended hours option and pay a $100 registration fee by a deadline on May 27.

Sources familiar with the liquor board have said the board has for many years approved the extension of liquor serving and sales hours for important events and for certain holidays such as New Year’s Eve.

At the time it approved the extended hours for WorldPride the liquor board also approved extended hours during the time when games for a World Cup soccer tournament will be held in the city on June 18, June 22, and June 26.

It couldn’t immediately be determined how many of D.C.’s 22 LGBTQ bars plan to apply for the extended drinking hours. David Perruzza, owner of the Adams Morgan gay bar Pitchers and its adjoining lesbian bar A League of Her Own, said he will apply for the 4 a.m. extended hours option but he does not intend to keep the two bars open for the full 23 hours.

Under the city’s current alcoholic beverage regulations, licensed liquor serving establishments may serve alcoholic beverages until 2 a.m. on weekdays and 3 a.m. on weekends.

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World Pride 2025

Episcopal bishop to speak at WorldPride human rights conference

Trump demanded apology from Mariann Edgar Budde over post-Inauguration sermon

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The Right Rev. Mariann Edgar Budde. (Screen capture via PBS NewsHour/YouTube)

The Right Rev. Mariann Edgar Budde is among those who are scheduled to speak at the WorldPride 2025 Human Rights Conference that will take place from June 4-6.

Budde, who is the bishop of the Diocese of Washington, in January urged President Donald Trump “to have mercy” on LGBTQ people, immigrants, and others “who are scared right now” during a post-Inauguration service that he and Vice President JD Vance attended at the Washington National Cathedral. Trump criticized Budde’s comments and demanded an apology.

The Right Rev. Mariann Edgar Budde speaks at the Washington National Cathedral on Jan. 21, 2025. (PBS NewsHour clip)

A press release the Washington Blade received notes Icelandic Industries Minister Hanna Katrín Friðriksson, UK Black Pride founder Phyll Opoku-Gyimah, and Bob the Drag Queen are among those who are also expected to participate in the conference.

The conference will take place at the JW Marriott (1331 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W.) and registration is open here.

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World Pride 2025

Pabllo Vittar to perform at WorldPride

Brazilian drag queen, singer, joined Madonna on stage in 2024 Rio concert

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Pabllo Vittar (Screen capture via Pabllo Vittar/YouTube)

A Brazilian drag queen and singer who performed with Madonna at her 2024 concert on Rio de Janeiro’s Copacabana Beach will perform at WorldPride.

The Capital Pride Alliance on Thursday announced Pabllo Vittar will perform on the Main Stage of the main party that will take place on June 7 at DCBX (1235 W St., N.E.) in Northeast D.C.

Vittar and Anitta, a Brazilian pop star who is bisexual, on May 4, 2024, joined Madonna on stage at her free concert, which was the last one of her Celebration Tour. Authorities estimated 1.6 million people attended.

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