Local
Beloved Univ. of Md. student, LGBTQ activist Jude Maloney dies at 19
‘They brought joy and light whenever we saw them’
Jude Maloney, a third-year student at the University of Maryland at College Park who identified as a transgender male and who was active with LGBTQ campus organizations, including the Pride Alliance and the group TransU, died on Jan. 25 at Maloney’s off-campus residence at the age of 19.
People who knew Maloney said Maloney preferred the pronouns he/him or they/their.
A statement released by Luke Jensen, director of the university’s LGBT Equity Center, where Maloney worked part-time, did not disclose a cause of death but said there was “no foul play nor was it related to COVID-19.”
During a Feb. 1 virtual service of remembrance for Maloney organized by the College Park campus’s Lutheran Ministry, with which Maloney was involved, people who knew Maloney referred to the death as a suicide.
“Jude was an outstanding student studying Information Science and was a member of the University Honors program in the Honors College,” the statement released by the LGBT Equity Center says. “They were an integral part of various campus communities including Lutheran campus ministries,” says the statement.
“In addition to their responsibilities as student staff in the LGBT Equity Center, they were involved in many of our programs including the Speakers Bureau, the Lavender Leadership Honor Society, and as a student leader for Q Camp,” the statement continues. “Jude was active with several student groups including the Pride Alliance and TransU,’ it says.
“They brought joy and light whenever we saw them,” the statement adds.
Rev. Ray Ranker, pastor and chaplain for the Lutheran Campus Ministry at the University of Maryland at College Park, said Maloney grew up in Calvert County, Md.
“I would say that two important parts of who Jude was include that they were a faithful Christian and that they were a transgender person,” Ranker said. “And so, Jude was active with the LGBT Equity Center, was very active in our campus ministry, was a Sunday school teacher for Hope Lutheran Church at the campus.”
He said Maloney also served as a camp counselor at a Lutheran summer camp in Maryland.
“Jude was very good with kids, loved kids,” Ranker said.
“Jude was incredibly smart and intellectually curious, curious about faith questions and God,” Ranker said. “Jude had a really strong sense of justice and, of course, around LGBTQ issues. But it wasn’t just confined to LGBTQ issues,” said Ranker, who noted that Maloney had a strong interest in learning about the Black civil rights movement.
Information released by the Lee Funeral Home in Maryland says Maloney’s family received friends at a visitation held at the funeral home on Feb. 2.
Ranker, who attended the visitation, said family members and friends then attended the internment of Maloney’s ashes at the Chesapeake Highlands Memorial Gardens Cemetery in Port Republic, Md.
“Jude was a loving child, and friend,” a statement released by the funeral homes says. “Any person who knew or worked with Jude knows what a kind, brilliant, quirky, and tenderhearted person Jude was,” the statement says. “Jude touched many lives and will be greatly missed by all.”
Maloney is survived by parents, Leah Woods and Patrick Maloney; sisters Amanda Webber and Anna Louise Webber, and many friends, including fellow students at the University of Maryland.
Rehoboth Beach
Rehoboth Summer Kickoff Party set for May 15 with Ashley Biden
The Washington Blade’s 19th annual Summer Kickoff Party is scheduled for Friday, May 15 in Rehoboth Beach, Del.
Ashley Biden, daughter of President Joe Biden, has joined the list of speakers, the Blade announced. She will accept an award on behalf of her brother Beau Biden for his LGBTQ advocacy work as Delaware attorney general. (Her appearance was rescheduled from last year.)
The event, to be held this year at Diego’s (37298 Rehoboth Ave. Ext.) from 5-7 p.m., is a fundraiser for the Blade Foundation’s Steve Elkins Memorial Fellowship in Journalism, which funds a summer position reporting on LGBTQ news in Delaware. This year’s recipient will be introduced at the event.
The event will also feature remarks from state Rep. Claire Snyder-Hall. New CAMP Rehoboth Executive Director Dr. Robin Brennan and Blade editor Kevin Naff will also speak. The event is generously sponsored by Realtor Justin Noble, The Avenue Inn & Spa, and Diego’s.
A suggested donation of $25 is partially tax deductible and includes a drink ticket and light appetizers. Tickets are available in advance at bladefoundation.org/rehoboth or at the door.
District of Columbia
Curve magazine honors Washington Blade publisher
Lynne Brown named to 2026 Power List
Washington Blade Publisher Lynne Brown has been named to the 2026 Curve Power List celebrating LGBTQ+ women and nonbinary individuals in North America who are blazing trails in their chosen fields.
“From sports and entertainment icons to corporate leaders and lawmakers, these individuals are breaking barriers, challenging norms, and shaping the future,” Curve Foundation/Curve magazine said in announcing this year’s list, which includes ABC newscaster Robin Roberts, comedian/actress Hannah Einbinder, and singer/actress Renee Rapp, among others.
Brown has worked for the Washington Blade for nearly 40 years. She was named publisher in 2007 before becoming a co-owner in 2010.
“I am honored to be recognized by Curve magazine during Lesbian Visibility Week,” Brown said. “Receiving this Curve honor is twofold. I was an early subscriber to Curve. I enjoy the product and know its history. Its journalism, layout and humorous features have inspired me.
“As an owner/publisher, receiving recognition from a similar source acknowledges my work and efforts, with a sincerity I truly appreciate. Franco Stevens, the publisher of Curve, is a business person of duration, experience, and purpose. The fact that they are in the media business, and honoring me and my publication makes it a tiny bit sweeter.”
Nominations for the Curve Power List come from the community: peers, mentors, fans, and employers.
Curve explained the significance of the list in its announcement: “An annual, publicly nominated list of impactful LGBTQ+ women and nonbinary changemakers is crucial in current times to counter discrimination, legislative rollbacks, hostility, and the invisibility of queer women within mainstream and marginal spaces and endeavors. Such a list also fosters encouragement and solidarity, and elevates voices and achievements—from high-profile roles to under appreciated areas of life.”
Rehoboth Beach
Auction of Rehoboth’s Blue Moon canceled
Details on sale of iconic bar, restaurant not disclosed
The Blue Moon in Rehoboth Beach, Del., has been an iconic presence in the local LGBTQ community for four decades but its status remains murky after a sheriff’s auction of the property was abruptly called off on Tuesday.
The property was listed for sale in December. At that time, owner Tim Ragan told the Blade that he is committed to preserving its legacy as a gay-friendly space.
“We had no idea the interest this would create,” Ragan said in December. “I guess I was a little naive about that.”
Ragan explained that he and longtime partner Randy Haney were separating the real estate from the business. The two buildings associated with the sale were listed by Carrie Lingo at 35 Baltimore Ave., and include an apartment, the front restaurant (6,600 square feet with three floors and a basement), and a secondary building (roughly 1,800 square feet on two floors). They were listed for $4.5 million.
The bar and restaurant business is being sold separately; the price was not publicly disclosed.
But then, earlier this year, the Blue Moon real estate listing turned up on the Sussex County Sheriff’s Office auction site. The auction was slated for Tuesday, April 21 but hours before the sale, the listing changed to “active under contract” indicating that a buyer has been found but the sale is not yet final. As of Wednesday morning, the listing has been removed from the sheriff’s auction site.
Ragan didn’t respond to Blade inquiries about the auction. Back in December, he told the Blade, “It’s time to look for the next people who can continue the history of the Moon and cultivate the next chapter,” noting that he turns 70 this year. “We’re not panicked; we separated the building from the business. Some buyers can’t afford both.”
The identity of the buyer was not disclosed, nor was the sale price.
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