Local
Kris Fair seeks to be first out delegate from western Md.
Frederick activist to officially announce campaign on Nov. 15
Kris Fair, a Democrat and lifelong resident of Frederick County, will officially announce his candidacy for the Maryland House of Delegates in the current District 3A at a free event on Nov. 15. It will take place at the Monocacy Brewing Company (1781 N. Market St., Frederick) at 6 p.m. The program will run from 6:45 p.m. to 7:15 p.m.
State Del. Karen Lewis Young will be introducing Fair at the kickoff event and endorsing him for the seat she currently holds. Lewis Young is preparing her run for the Maryland Senate with the impending retirement of state Sen. Ron Young. Fair has served as Lewis Young’s legislative director and former campaign manager. In addition, speakers will include local activists and campaign co-chairs Tracy Racheff and Wil Graham.
At the announcement, numerous local businesses and organizations will be represented, including Brewer’s Alley beer, Dublin Roasters coffee, and food from Traditional Authentic Mexican Food truck. Additionally, the Frederick County Health Department will be providing COVID-19 vaccines (Moderna, Pfizer and Johnson and Johnson). Love for Lochlin will be providing free flu vaccines.
The campaign asks attendees to bring hygienic items (toothpaste, shampoo, conditioner, soap, toothbrush, hairbrush, deodorant, body wash, toilet paper, etc.) that will be donated through a local nonprofit to families in need during the holiday season.
Fair will outline his message of “progress starts on day one.” His campaign will focus on post-COVID recovery, access to quality education and healthcare for all, fighting for social justice and equity, and investing in critical community needs, including the environment, fair wages, housing and mental health. He will also share how he is uniquely qualified with vast experience in the nonprofit, for-profit, and public sectors and how he will harness his lived experience to support all Frederick residents with a powerful voice in Annapolis.
“As delegate, I will apply my lived experience growing up gay in rural Frederick County, surviving the many adversities in our community to become one of the leaders that built the largest LGBTQ+ organization in western Maryland,” Fair told the Washington Blade. “I will fight every day for Frederick residents and my LGBTQ+ family.”
Fair, who is the current executive director of the Frederick Center, a support and advocacy organization serving the LGBTQ communities in the broader Frederick area, has 20 years leadership experience in civil rights and community outreach organizations serving the disenfranchised with a strong track record of inter-agency coordination. Previously, he chaired the Frederick Center board of directors for over four years and had been the director of Frederick Pride since 2012.
A graduate of Linganore High School in 2002, Frederick Community College in 2008, and Hood College in 2012, Fair has been active with numerous organizations besides the Frederick Center. They include the Frederick Arts Council, the Student Homelessness Initiative Partnership (SHIP), MOM’s Demand Action, the Golden Mile Alliance, Marylanders for Marriage Equality, the Greater Frederick Advertising Federation, the Frederick County Democratic Party and the Weinberg Center for the Arts.
In recognition of his strategic planning abilities, leadership skills, and contributions of many volunteer hours, Fair has been honored with the Community Foundation of Frederick County’s Wertheimer Award, the Human Relations Commission’s Lord Nickens Public Service Award and Hood College’s Thurgood Marshall Civil Rights Award. He has been named the Frederick County Democratic Party volunteer of the year and was recently featured in Frederick Magazine’s People to Watch.
Fair currently lives in Frederick with his husband Dominick.
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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