Local
High tech sales engineer Steve Collins dies at 66
A longtime LGBTQ marching band member
Steven Lee Collins, a technical sales engineer for high tech companies in the Northern Virginia area and an active member and supporter of the local LGBTQ marching band DC Different Drummers for 30 years, died March 23 at Virginia Hospital Center from complications associated with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, according to his husband Mike Merena. He was 66.
Merena said Collins, who had a master’s degree in engineering administration, worked in a discipline known as microscopy, which, among other things, is used to manufacture high tech scientific laboratory and engineering tools and machinery.
Collins most recently worked as a technical sales engineer since 2012 at the Northern Virginia office of ULTRA TEC Manufacturing, Inc., a firm that manufactures and sells precision equipment and other products to high tech companies in the U.S. and abroad.
Merena said that in addition to his many years of work in the high-tech industry Collins enjoyed performing as a percussionist with the D.C. Different Drummers, the local LGBTQ organization that includes several types of bands, including symphonic and jazz as well as its most well-known Marching Band.
“He was a percussionist and participated in D.C. Different Drummers productions of all types,” Merena said. “From marching in the Pride parades in D.C., Baltimore, New York City, and other cities in the Mid Atlantic to the symphonic concerts held here in D.C., the jazz combo and band, Steve was always happy to be involved and did a lot to help younger members participate in these activities as well,” Merena said.
Merena said Collins was especially honored to have performed with D.C. Different Drummers when it was included in both of President Barack Obama’s inaugural parades, which marched along Pennsylvania Avenue from the U.S. Capitol to the White House.
According to Merena, Collins was born and raised in Elkhart, Ind. He graduated from Concord High School in Elkhart in 1972 and attended Indiana’s Ball State University, where he received his bachelor’s degree in communications in 1976. He received his master’s degree in engineering administration at George Washington University in D.C. in 1985, according to his LinkedIn page.
That same year he participated in a Fairfax County continuing education program in the study of the Japanese language for business, his LinkedIn page says.
Prior to joining the ULTRA TEC firm Collins worked from 1997 to 2012 as a technical sales engineer for the South Bay Technology firm in Arlington, Va. And prior to that, his LinkedIn page says, he served as president and sales manager of the tech firm Plasma Sciences, Inc. from 1989 to 1997. Merena said Collins and his partners in the company sold it to another company in 1997.
“Steve was a very kind, loving, and caring person,” Merena said. “He was a wonderful husband, father, and brother.”
Merena said Collins loved to entertain. He said his husband helped organize parties at the couple’s house for the D.C. Different Drummers’ awards ceremony as well as events for other organizations, including the local Brother Help Thyself LGBTQ charity group and the semi-annual banquet for the bowling league the two were members of.
Collins is survived by his husband Mike Merena, his daughter Nichole Collins, his son Matthew Erin Collins, his sisters Linda Miller and Tracy Eash, and numerous nieces and nephews, friends and loved ones, Merena said.
A celebration of life for Collins, who was cremated, will be held at a time and place yet to be decided, Merena said.
Donations in Collins’ name can be made to D.C. Different Drummers at dcdd.org.
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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