District of Columbia
New D.C. Transgender Oral History Project launched
Effort funded by Humanities DC grant

Cooper Joslin, a local D.C. web developer and multimedia artist, has announced the launch of a D.C. Transgender Oral History Project aimed at recording oral histories of members of the transgender community in the local area.
Joslin, who identifies as nonbinary, said the project is being funded by a grant from Humanities D.C., a local grant making organization affiliated with the National Endowment for the Humanities. Joslin said the project would also be carried out in collaboration with the D.C. Oral History Collaborative, which will support efforts to line up interviews with local trans residents.
āThese interviews will eventually end up with the D.C. Public Library, but they will also be featured on a website called the DC Trans Guide, which will feature both oral histories and resources on changing your name, accessing gender affirming care, and finding support groups in the area,ā Joslin said in a statement.
The interviews for the project will be conducted both in person and virtually, according to Joslin.
Joslinās trans oral history project comes about six months after the D.C. Rainbow History Project announced it had received a $15,000 D.C. government grant for a project called the Trans History Initiative that, among other things, would also obtain oral histories from local transgender residents.
āThe Trans History Initiative will help Rainbow History Project deepen its connections with the Trans community through expanded efforts to preserve the history and cultural contributions of Washington-area trans communities,ā a statement released by the group says.
Vincent Slatt, Rainbow History Projectās director of archiving, told the Blade he was glad to learn of Joslinās trans oral history project. He said in this type of history gathering there is āno such thingā as competition or duplication of efforts.
āMore history, more research, more collecting is good for everyoneāwe support an āall hands-on deckā approach,ā he told the Blade. āIām glad to hear this project has begun.ā
Joslin said members of the local transgender community interested in having their history recorded through the D.C. Transgender Oral History Project can apply through this online form:
DC Trans Guide Oral History Intake Form here.
District of Columbia
Inaugural Uptown Pride to take place June 10
Festival to feature drag storytime, makersā market, DJs

A new Pride festival is coming to D.C.
The inaugural Uptown Pride will be hosted in Sixteenth Street Heights on June 10 with Pride celebrations for Washingtonians of all ages.
The festival, hosted at the intersection of 14th Street, Colorado Avenue and Kennedy Street, NW, will feature a drag storytime, a makersā market, DJs and more. There will also be a raffle for various prizes, with all proceeds going to the Trevor Project, which provides suicide prevention services for LGBTQ teens.
The festival will be from 2-7 p.m. and is partnering with local businesses like Morelandās Tavern, Captain Cookie and Lighthouse Yoga Center for activities and refreshments.
Justin Noble, one of the organizers of the festival, said that the inspiration for the event came out of wanting a Pride experience tailored to the residents of the Sixteenth Street Heights, Petworth and Brightwood neighborhoods.
āIt can be a hassle to get to downtown,ā Noble said. āThere needs to be something in our community that supports LGBTQ+ people and the culture and all of that because weāre everywhere, right? We are everywhere.ā
Organizer Max Davis said that the inclusion of childrenās events like a drag storytime was purposeful, and helps make the event more accessible to LGBTQ families and youth.
āKids I feel are the most important in as far as just showing them, just visibly showing them that you can live out and you can be queer,ā Davis said. āThere is no more dangerous time than now to be queer, questioning youth ⦠So who better to welcome into the fold than kids who might be questioning their sexuality.ā
Davis said that a big part of wanting to bring Pride celebrations uptown was to have a physical representation of support for the LGBTQ community.
āI felt like because there wasnāt anything going on in Sixteenth Street Heights ā the clientele that we were serving up at Morelandās absolutely is supportive, and I never felt that it wasnāt a supportive environment ā but if you donāt have something to actively support that I feel that your support is just words,ā Davis said. āIf our community had someplace to attend even for one day to just be like, āHey, I stand with you,ā ⦠that is something that every community should have available to them to actively support the LGBTQ community.ā
District of Columbia
Capital Pride announces 2023 honorees, grand marshals
Assistant Secretary of Health Levine among picks

Assistant U.S. Secretary of Health Admiral Dr. Rachel Levine and acclaimed longtime D.C. LGBTQ and transgender rights advocate Earline Budd are among nine prominent LGBTQ community leaders named on Wednesday by the Capital Pride Alliance as its 2023 Capital Pride honorees.
Capital Pride Alliance, which organizes D.C.ās annual Capital Pride parade, festival, and related events, announced in a May 24 statement that it will present the honoree awards to each of the recipients at a ceremony scheduled for 7 p.m. on Friday, June 2, at the Penn Social event and catering hall at 801 E St., N.W.
āThe recipients are nominated each year by members of the community,ā the Capital Pride statement says. āThey represent individuals who and organizations that have advanced the causes of LGBTQ+ rights,ā it says.
The statement says Levine was selected for the Capital Pride Paving the Way Award, which āacknowledges an individual or organization that has provided exemplary contributions, support, and/or advocacy that has positively impacted the LGBTQ+ community, and whose leadership has inspired continued progress.ā
Levine, who was appointed by President Biden in 2021 as Assistant Secretary of Health, is a longtime pediatrician who also serves as an admiral in the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps. She became the first openly transgender person to hold the admiralty position.
Capital Pride named Earline Budd as recipient of the Capital Pride Super Hero Award, which ārecognizes additional significant and important contributions to the LGBTQ+ community in the national capital region.ā
The statement announcing the honorees says Levine and Budd will also serve as grand marshals for the June 10 Capital Pride Parade. It says each of the other honorees will serve as parade marshals.
The announcement says the following four people have been named as recipients of the Capital Pride Hero Award:
⢠Shi-Queeta Lee, the D.C.-based nationally acclaimed drag performer
ā¢Ā Benjamin Rosenbaum, longtime congressional staffer, LGBTQ rights advocate, and LGBTQ Jewish community advocate
⢠Nancy Canas, president of D.C. Latinx History Project and advocate for the LGBTQ Latinx community
⢠Abdur-Rahim Briggs, longtime leader of the D.C.-based Project Briggs, which provides philanthropic support for LGBTQ causes.
The following two organizations were named as recipients of the Capital Pride Breaking Barriers Community Impact Award, which recognizes individuals or organizations that have ādemonstrated a significant impact to the LGBTQ+ community at either the local or national level and who helped eliminate barriers for social, personal, or professional growth of the LGBTQ+ community:
⢠Drag Story Hour DMV
⢠National LGBTQ Task Force
The Bill Miles Award for Outstanding Volunteer Services, which acknowledges āexemplary contributions to the Capital Pride Alliance, its programs, initiatives, or other Pride sponsored activities,ā is being given to Brandon Bayton, Jr., a longtime Capital Pride volunteer, consultant, and organ transplant advocate, and LGBTQ rights advocate.
āWe are fortunate to have such a vibrant honoree selection process, with so many outstanding individuals who were nominated,ā said Ashley Smith, president of the Capital Pride Alliance Board of Directors. āWe are very pleased to celebrate these individuals at the 2023 Capital Pride Honors,ā Smith said in the CPA statement.
District of Columbia
Blade names recipients of two summer fellowships
Kravis, Lev-Tov join LGBTQ news team

The Blade Foundation this week announced the recipients of its 2023 summer fellowship program.
Isabelle Kravis (she/they) is a senior at American University studying journalism and womenās, gender, and sexuality studies. She will focus on covering LGBTQ issues in the local D.C. area for 12 weeks starting this week. The fellowship is made possible by a generous donation from the DC Front Runners Pride Run 5K event.
āIāve been reading the Blade since I first moved to D.C. for my freshman year and Iām so excited to be able to contribute to such a historic paper,ā Kravis said. āI love covering the LGBTQ community because of the diversity of experiences that each queer person has and the joy that queer people bring to everything they do. Iām incredibly lucky to have this opportunity to be able to cover both the city and community that I love.ā
Joel Lev-Tov (they/them) is a senior at the University of Maryland College Park studying journalism. Lev-Tov also serves as president of the Association of LGBTQ Journalists at College Park. Lev-Tov is the sixth recipient of the Steve Elkins Memorial Journalism Fellowship, which honors the co-founder of CAMP Rehoboth. The fellow covers issues of interest to the LGBTQ community in Delaware, also for 12 weeks. The fellowship is funded by donations from the Rehoboth Beach community.
āIām extremely excited to start reporting about my community for my community,ā Lev-Tov said. āThe Blade is offering me a special opportunity that Iām very grateful for. I canāt wait to start reporting!ā
Kevin Naff, editor of the Blade, welcomed Kravis and Lev-Tov to work this week.
āWeāre all excited to work with Isabelle and Joel this summer,ā Naff said. āThereās never been more news to cover and they will add an important, fresh perspective to our work. Thank you to our donors and to the Front Runners for making this program possible.ā
For more information on the fellowship program or to donate, visit bladefoundation.org.
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