Local
Longtime Gay Men’s Chorus member Russell Capps dies at 54
Served as executive for large non-profits
Russell Craig ‘Russ’ Capps, a longtime resident of Kensington, Md., who worked for most of his career as a chief financial officer and chief operating officer for large non-profit organizations and who served many years as a singer and board member of the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington, D.C., died Aug. 19 at the age of 54.
His friend Michael Hill said the cause of death was complications associated with a heart attack.
A write-up about his life provided by Hill on behalf of Capps’ family says that since 1997, when he first met the man who later became his husband, Kenneth Yazge, in Rehoboth Beach, Del., the two shared more than two decades together, among other things, “hosting some of the most incredible dinner parties” and traveling with a large circle of friends and loved ones.
“The number of people who claimed Russ as their best friend is countless,” the write-up sent to the Washington Blade by Hill says. “He had an intensity for those he loved and would go to the ends of the earth to help anyone who needed him,” it says.
The write up notes that for much of his adult life Capps was a “bedrock leader” for the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington, D.C. Among other things, he served as the chorus’s treasurer and on its board of directors.
His deepest love, the write-up says, was his 14-year stint as a member of the chorus’s ensemble known as Potomac Fever, with whom he traveled for singing engagements and performed at the first inaugural concert for President Barack Obama and later at the first LGBT reception at the Obama White House.
According to the write-up, Capps most recently worked as COO for the American Foreign Service Association. Prior to that he served as CFO for the Construction Specifications Institute and held similar positions at the American Dental Education Association and the D.C.-based Center for Development & Population Activities
He also served for 12 years as CFO at the Association of Corporate Counsel and was active for many years as a leader and panelist for the American Society of Association Executives, the write-up says.
Capps received a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Virginia’s Radford University and was a graduate of Rebert E. Lee High School in Springfield, Va.
The write-up says Capps and Yazge, who married in 2013, “saw each other through life’s great ups and downs, including renovating their Kensington house, selling and starting businesses and new jobs, and buying a second home in Rehoboth Beach, an escape that they fled to any time they could and one that they shared generously with family and friends.”
Capps is survived by his husband, Kenneth M. Yazge; his brother, Robert L. Capps, Jr.; his niece, Brittany Capps; and his nephew, Stephen Capps. He is predeceased by his parents, Robert and Mary.
A celebration of Capps’ life is scheduled to be held at Foundry United Methodist Church in D.C. on Saturday, Sept. 7, 2019, at 1 p.m. The write-up provided by Hill says donations in lieu of flowers can be made to the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington, D.C. at gmcw.org.
District of Columbia
Billy Porter, Keke Palmer, Ava Max to perform at Capital Pride
Concert to be held at annual festival on June 9
The Capital Pride Alliance, the group that organizes D.C.’s annual LGBTQ Pride events, announced this week the lineup of performers for the Sunday, June 9, Capital Pride Concert to be held during the Capital Pride Festival on Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W. near the U.S. Capitol.
Among the performers will be nationally acclaimed singers and recording artists Billy Porter and Keke Palmer, who will also serve as grand marshals for the Capital Pride Parade set to take place one day earlier on Saturday, June 8.
The Capital Price announcement says the other lead performers will be Ava Max, Sapphira Cristal, and the pop female trio Exposé.
“The beloved pop icons will captivate audiences with upbeat performances coupled with their fierce advocacy for LGBTQ+ rights, echoing the vibrant spirit of this year’s theme, ‘Totally Radical,’” according to a statement released by Capital Pride Alliance.
“With Billy Porter and Keke Palmer leading the parade as Grand Marshals, we’re not only honoring their incredible contributions to the LGBTQ+ community but also amplifying their voices as fierce advocates for equality and acceptance,” Capital Pride Alliance Executive Director Ryan Bos said in the statement.
“The concert and festival serve as a platform to showcase the diverse array of LGBTQ+ talent, from the chart-topping hits of Ava Max to the iconic sounds of Exposé and the electrifying performances of Sapphira Cristal,” Bos said in the statement. “Capital Pride 2024 promises to be a celebration like no other.”
The concert will take place from 12-10 p.m. on the main stage and other stages across the four-block long festival site on Pennsylvania Avenue.
Arts & Entertainment
Washington Blade’s Pride on the Pier and fireworks show returning June 8
The annual Pride on the Pier Fireworks Show presented by the Leonard-Litz Foundation will take place on Saturday, June 8 at 9 p.m.
The Washington Blade, in partnership with LURe DC and The Wharf, is excited to announce the 5th annual Pride on the Pier and fireworks show during D.C. Pride weekend on Saturday, June 8, 2024, from 2-10 p.m.
The event will include the annual Pride on the Pier Fireworks Show presented by the Leonard-Litz Foundation at 9 p.m.
Pride on the Pier extends the city’s annual celebration of LGBTQ visibility to the bustling Southwest waterfront with an exciting array of activities and entertainment for all ages. The District Pier will offer DJs, dancing, drag, and other entertainment. Alcoholic beverages will be available for purchase for those 21 and older. Local DJ’s Heat, Eletrox and Honey will perform throughout the event.
3 p.m. – Capital Pride Parade on the Big Screen
3:30 p.m. – Drag Show hosted by Cake Pop!
9 p.m. – Fireworks Show Presented by Leonard-Litz Foundation
The event is free and open to the public. The Dockmasters Building will be home to a VIP experience. To learn more and to purchase tickets go to www.prideonthepier.com/vip. VIP tickets are limited.
Event sponsors include Absolut, Buying Time, Capital Pride, DC Brau, DC Fray, Burney Wealth Management, Infinate Legacy, Leonard-Litz Foundation, Mayor’s Office of LGBTQ Affairs, MISTR, NBC4, The Wharf. More information regarding activities will be released at www.PrideOnThePier.com
Maryland
Trone discusses transgender niece
Blade interviewed Md. congressman, Angela Alsobrooks last week
Editor’s note: The Washington Blade last week interviewed both U.S. Rep. David Trone (D-Md.) and Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks. The full interviews with both Democratic candidates for retiring U.S. Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.)’s seat will be on the Blade’s website later this week.
Maryland Congressman David Trone last week discussed his transgender niece during an interview with the Washington Blade about his U.S. Senate campaign.
Trone, who is running to succeed retiring U.S. Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.), on May 1 told the Blade during a telephone interview that his niece transitioned when she was in her early 20s. Trone also noted she attended Furman University, a small, liberal arts university in Greenville, S.C.
“I was concerned about how she would be able to transition there,” said Trone.
Trone, who founded Total Wine & More, attended Furman University as an undergrad and is on the school’s board of trustees. Trone told the Blade he donated $10 million to the university to “build out their mental health capacity, which I felt was a way that she could have the best mental health care possible when she worked her way through (her) transition.”
Trone’s niece graduated from the university after she spent five years there.
“She had a great relationship with Furman,” said Trone.
Trone and Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks are the leading Democrats running to succeed Cardin. The winner of the May 14 Democratic primary will face former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan in November.
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Billy Porter, Keke Palmer, Ava Max to perform at Capital Pride
