Local
U.S. Attorney prosecuting D.C. anti-trans attack as hate crime
Police chief praises decision to retain charge
D.C. Police Chief Peter Newsham and Mayor Muriel Bowser were reluctant at a news conference on Tuesday to join LGBT activists in criticizing the U.S. Attorney’s Office for dropping most of the hate crime designations made by D.C. police for violent crimes against LGBT people in 2018.
Bowser and Newsham called the news conference to provide an update on the D.C. police response to an increase in violent crime, including shootings, in recent weeks. Newsham gave a report on several arrests in a number of cases. He and Bowser said the department would be requiring some officers to work one extra day in overtime each week to step up efforts to apprehend violent offenders and recover illegal firearms.
In response to a question by the Washington Blade asking for their reaction to a Washington Post investigative report in August showing that prosecutors with the U.S. Attorney’s Office dropped hate crime designations last year for nearly all hate crime charges brought by D.C. police in both LGBT and non-LGBT cases, Bowser said she was pleased that LGBT people, especially transgender women, were coming forward to report hate crimes.
“And we are sending a very clear message that we’re investigating these crimes and we expect them to be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” she said.
“I appreciate the work that MPD has done,” Bowser said, adding that the increase in hate crimes based on LGBT status, religious status and other categories over the past two years in D.C. appears to be part of a national trend. “And I think we should be proud people in the LGBT community, especially transgender women, are calling us for help.”
Newsham noted that the U.S. Attorney’s Office, which prosecutes most violent crimes in the District, has retained the hate crime designation made by D.C. police for the most recent anti-LGBT incident in the city. He was referring to a Sept. 17 assault and robbery of a transgender woman on the 7700 block of Eastern Ave., N.W. for which D.C. police arrested a male suspect, 23-year-old Besufikad Tujuba, on charges of bias related assault and biased related second-degree theft.
Charging documents filed in D.C. Superior Court accuse Tujuba of yelling anti-trans and anti-gay slurs shortly before he allegedly punched and kicked the woman and stole her purse, which contained $40 in cash and her cell phone. The victim is a client of the Casa Ruby LGBT community services center, which is located about three blocks from where the incident took place.
“I think there’s been a lot of discussion about it, about the fact that there have been a lot of crimes going to the U.S. Attorney’s Office that we believe to be hate crimes,” Newsham said in response to the Blade’s question. “I’m really thankful that in this most recent case they did make the hate crime designation.”
U.S. Attorney for D.C., Jessie K. Liu, who was appointed by President Trump, has said her office drops hate crime designations for cases only after her prosecutors determine the evidence isn’t sufficient to obtain a hate crime conviction before a jury.
She has said her office continues to prosecute such cases as non-hate crimes for the underlying offense such as assault or murder.
LGBT activists have complained that prosecutors with the U.S. Attorney’s Office appear to be overly cautious about bringing hate crimes cases to trial, saying the federally appointed prosecutors often prefer to drop the hate crime designation as part of a plea bargain offer to persuade a defendant to plead guilty to a less serious charge.
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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