Local
LGBTQ contingent to join D.C.’s MLK Day Peace Walk
King family members to participate in commemorating civil rights leader
Members of Check It Enterprises, an LGBTQ youth-organized clothing store in Anacostia that provides community services and music events, were expected to participate as a contingent in D.C.’s Martin Luther King Day Peace Walk scheduled for Monday, Jan. 17.
Ron Motten, one of Check It Enterprises’ lead organizers, said he was hopeful that predictions of rain and possible snow would not materialize and as many people as possible would turn out for the event.
It couldn’t immediately be confirmed whether other LGBTQ organizations and activists would be joining this year’s annual MLK Day Peace Walk, but LGBTQ advocates have participated in the event in past years.
Among those expressing strong support for this year’s King Day Peace Walk is longtime gay activist Bo Shuff, who serves as executive director of DC Vote, the lead organization advocating for D.C. statehood.
Shuff told the Washington Informer that the King family, including Martin Luther King III, who will be playing a lead role in this year’s King Day Peace Walk, are strong supporters of D.C. statehood.
A large number of local LGBTQ activists have been involved with DC Vote, and a number of them were expected to participate in the Peace Walk.
Information posted on the Peace Walk website states that participants in the event will begin to assemble at 8:30 a.m. at the intersection of Potomac Avenue and South Capitol Street, S.E., across from Washington Nationals Stadium.
The Peace Walk was scheduled to kick off at 10 a.m. with hundreds of participants walking on and across the Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge.
Martin Luther King III, his wife Andrea Waters King, and their daughter, Yolanda Renee King, along with other civil rights and human rights activists were scheduled to hold a press conference at 10:30 a.m. midway across the span of the bridge to call on the U.S. Senate to pass the Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act
Supporters say both bills are aimed at ensuring that all eligible Americans, especially members of minority groups, can vote without hurdles put in place by numerous state laws passed by Republican controlled state legislatures over the past year.
After crossing the Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge, the Peace Walk was scheduled to travel southeast along Howard Road and South Capitol Street and make its way to Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue, S.E., and Good Hope Road, S.E., before reaching its final destination — Ambassador Baptist Church at 1412 Minnesota Ave., S.E.
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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