Local

Ebbin touts benefits of Amazon’s HQ2 for Crystal City

New corporate home within gay lawmaker’s district

Published

7 years ago

November 28, 2018

HQ2’s Crystal City location is within gay Virginia State Sen. Adam Ebbin’s (D-Arlington-Alexandria) district. (Washington Blade photo by Michael K. Lavers)

The new second headquarters for e-commerce giant Amazon that will be moving to the Crystal City section of Arlington, Va. is within the district of gay Virginia State Sen. Adam Ebbin (D-Arlington-Alexandria).

Ebbin said that while he wasn’t directly involved with the negotiating team working with Amazon organized by Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam (D) and Arlington and Alexandria officials, he is fully supportive of Amazon’s plan to move into his district.

Although the development could create some temporary problems such as traffic congestion and an uptick in the price of homes, Ebbin said he believes the overall impact will be highly beneficial to the region and its residents, including LGBT people who are known to work for Amazon in large numbers at its current headquarters in Seattle.

Ebbin said he has no direct knowledge that Amazon considered Northern Virginia’s record of support for LGBT rights as a factor in the pro-LGBT company’s decision to select Crystal City, but he said he is pleased that Amazon and its CEO, Jeffrey Bezos, are strong supporters of LGBT equality.

He noted that Amazon also has a large and robust LGBT employee group.

“It’s pretty clear that Virginia is on a rapid path to LGBT supportive legislation,” Ebbin said. “We have favorable policies from the governor and favorable laws in Arlington and Alexandria,” he said.

“I’m looking forward to welcoming all of these employees,” he said, noting that the expected total of 25,000 Amazon employees working in the Crystal City headquarters will arrive over a period of years rather than all at once.

Amazon ended more than a year of speculation and intense competition among cities competing for its new headquarters when it announced on Nov. 13 that it would divide its “HQ2” between Northern Virginia and the Long Island City section of New York City. The announcement said the company would bring 25,000 new jobs to each site.

Arlington and Alexandria officials joined Amazon in renaming the area where the company will be located as National Landing. Although most of the “National Landing” will be in the Crystal City area, some of it will be located in nearby Pentagon City and Potomac Yards, which includes part of Alexandria.

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PHOTOS: WorldPride Street Festival and Closing Concert

Doechii, Khalid among performers

Published

2 hours ago

June 11, 2025

Michael Key

Doechii performs at the WorldPride Closing Concert on Sunday, June 8. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

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)

Baltimore

Baltimore Trans Pride to take place Saturday

Baltimore Safe Haven hosts annual event

Published

5 hours ago

June 11, 2025

Daniela White

Baltimore Trans Pride in 2022. Baltimore Safe Haven's annual event will take place on Saturday. (Washington Blade photo by Linus Berggren)

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.”