Delaware
Delaware guv endorses opponent of trans U.S. House candidate
Supporters, polling say State Sen. McBride leads in race
Delaware’s Democratic governor, John Carney, this week announced he has endorsed his former State Housing Authority Director and cabinet member Eugene Young over Delaware State Sen. Sarah McBride, the nation’s first openly transgender state senator, for Delaware’s single seat in the U.S. House of Representatives in the state’s Sept. 10 Democratic primary.
Carney’s endorsement of Young came one day before the Delaware Building and Construction Trades Union announced it and 20 of its local unions from across the state have endorsed McBride for the congressional seat, calling her “a champion for working people.”
McBride’s campaign website shows that she has also received the endorsement of 21 of her fellow members of the Delaware Legislature, including 11 state senators and 10 members of the state House of Representatives. A third candidate in the race, former Delaware State Treasurer Colleen Davis, recently withdrew her candidacy citing health reasons and has endorsed McBride.
A public opinion poll of likely Democratic primary voters conducted in September showed that McBride was leading Young by a margin of 44 percent to 23 percent. The poll was commissioned by the Human Rights Campaign Equality Votes PAC, a national LGBTQ rights organization.
Campaign finance records filed with the Federal Election Commission show that McBride had a commanding lead over Young in money raised for her campaign as of Dec. 31, 2023, the most recent filings released by the FEC. At that time, McBride had raised a total of $1,236,066, with $850,179 in cash on hand. The FEC figures show Young had raised a total of $287,300 for his campaign, with $199,594 in cash on hand.
Supporters of both McBride and Young have said each of the two would make history If elected to the U.S. House. McBride would become the nation’s first transgender member of the U.S. Congress. Young’s supporters point out he would become Delaware’s first Black man elected to Congress.
The current Delaware U.S. House member, Lisa Blunt Rochester (D), became the state’s first Black woman to hold a congressional seat in Delaware when she was first elected in 2016. Rochester is giving up her House seat to run for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by incumbent Sen. Thomas Carper (D) who is not running for re-election.
Sean Meloy, vice president for political programs for the LGBTQ Victory Fund, which raises money for LGBTQ candidates running for public office nationwide, said he did not think Carney’s endorsement of Young would have a significant impact on the election.
“The governor has been doing work with his former cabinet member on the campaign trail for the last few months,” Meloy told the Washington Blade. “So, I don’t think it’s that big of a surprise. I think it’s a formalization of what most people have expected was coming and what was already happening,” he said. “I don’t think it’s going to be that big of a change.”
Meloy added, “I think what would be of interest to voters is that Sarah got like 20 union endorsements today from all across the state and from different types of groups. So, I think that’s going to help Sarah continue to succeed more than the governor’s endorsement of his cabinet member.”
At the time it released its poll in September showing McBride ahead of Young, the Human Rights Campaign credited McBride with working “to pass vital policies for her constituents, like paid medical and family leave, as well as laws making Delawareans safer by restricting the availability of assault weapons and high capacity magazines.” It added, “Her depth of understanding on the issues that matter to most of the people of Delaware is built on a lifetime advocating for her neighbors and making real change.”
In announcing his endorsement of Young, Carney praised Young for his work to help Delaware residents access affordable housing and put in place programs that helped residents become homeowners.
“Having served as a member of Congress myself, I know Eugene is the type of leader we need – someone who will roll up his sleeves and work together to find real solutions for the people of Delaware,” Carney said in a statement.
Delaware
Delaware hosts LGBTQ flag raising ceremony
Gov. Matt Meyer declares June 2025 as Pride month
Delaware Gov. Matt Meyer hosted a flag raising ceremony and presented a proclamation marking June 2025 as Pride month on Tuesday.
The public event took place at 11 a.m. at Legislative Hall in Dover.
“For many, many years of our state’s history, coming out here and doing what we’re doing today would have been just about unimaginable,” Meyer said at the event. “Today, this is a symbol of all of the progress that we have all made together.”
Lieutenant Gov. Kyle Evans Gay, Sens. Dan Cruce, Russ Huxtable, and Marie Pinkney, Reps. Eric Morrison, Deshanna Neal, and Claire Snyder-Hall, and LGBTQ+ Commission Chair Cora Castle and Vice Chair Vienna Cavazos were in attendance, among others.
Last week, Meyer announced the members of a new LGBTQ+ commission, which will work with the state government to improve services in areas such as employment, equality, education, mental health, social services, health, and housing.
As Pride month continues, Delaware is currently considering an amendment to codify same-sex marriage in its Constitution.
“Today is about making history and raising this flag,” said Lt. Gov. Gay at the event. “Today is about charting a new course forward with our new commission and today is about marking how far we’ve come.”
Delaware
Delaware Gov. Meyer announces LGBTQ commission
Nine members appointed to work to protect rights of residents
Delaware Gov. Matt Meyer announced the members of a new LGBTQ commission on the first day of Pride month.
The members include representatives from all three counties: Chair Cora Castle, Dwayne Bensing, Noah Duckett, and Mark Purpura of New Castle County; Vice Chair Vienna Cavazos, Leslie Ledogar, and John Kane of Sussex County; and Daniel Lopez of Kent County. They will serve three-year terms without monetary compensation.
The commission was created by an executive order from previous Gov. Bethany Hall-Long in January. It will work to “strengthen ties between the government and LGBTQ+ organizations, help remove barriers to societal participation for LGBTQ+ people and improve the delivery of services to the community in Delaware in areas such as employment, equality, education, mental health, social services, health, and housing.
“The commission will advise the governor, the governor’s Cabinet, the General Assembly, and other policymakers on the effects of policies and laws on the “unique challenges and needs of LGBTQ+ people.”
Commission Chair Cora Castle is president of OmniPotential Energy Partners, executive director of the Delaware Sustainable Chemistry Alliance, secretary of Sierra Club Delaware, and the vice chair of the New Castle County Board of Adjustment. She said it is “extremely humbling” to be included in this group of people.
“Having the opportunity to serve and be out here and help Gov. Meyer and help everybody across the state is again just so humbling,” Castle told the Washington Blade. “I love doing work on policy, I love having the opportunity to lead and this is something where I think I can make a difference and I think that my voice matters.”
Castle said it’s important that everyone understands that the commission is here to serve all of Delaware.
Vienna Cavazos is the commission’s vice-chair and youngest member at 19. They moved to Delaware from Texas in 2022 and have a background in youth advocacy and organizing.
“I am beyond grateful to have been asked to serve not only this governor but this state,” Cavazos said. “I appreciate the work that has been done in years prior and I’m excited to do the work that we need to do to bring us back to the 21st century.”
Leslie Ledogar, board president of CAMP Rehoboth, is also a member of the commission. She said it is a “huge honor” to be included.
“I believe that the commission will be a safe space in which we can discuss those issues and make sure that, in Delaware, we are not erased,” Ledogar said. “We do still have power at the state level, notwithstanding federal actions in the opposite and very very disturbing and dangerous direction.”
The commission will begin meeting soon. A major topic will be developing policies to protect health care for LGBTQ Delawareans.
“This commission will be critical as we work to protect the rights of all Delawareans, and I want to thank each of these individuals for their willingness to serve,” Gov. Meyer wrote in a Facebook post. “Together, we will ensure Delaware remains a welcoming state and a beacon of hope to all LGBTQ+ Americans.”
Delaware
Delaware Pride Festival returns this Saturday
28th annual festival boasts activities for all in Dover
The 28th annual Delaware Pride Festival is back this weekend in the capital city of Dover.
The Saturday event will take place from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. on the Legislative Green outside of the state capitol building in Dover. The festival is hosted by drag queen Scarlet Masters.
The schedule includes a policy panel with State Representatives Eric Morrison and DeShanna Neal, a performance from the Rainbow Chorale of Delaware, and drag shows. There will also be food vendors, a kids zone, beer garden, and 21+ after party.
“Pride season is a riot, a time to advocate, and a time to remember those that came before us to take us as far as we are today, especially our trans and BIPOC siblings,” wrote Delaware Pride President Zach Workman in a letter on its website. “Always remember that when one member of our community is under attack, we come together to support them. We remember the sacrifices of our ancestors in order to fuel our push into the future. We are here, we have always been here, and we will be here for the future to come no matter how many times others try to erase us … This festival is a testament to the strength of queer Delawareans as it has stood the test of time over the last 28 iterations, becoming a lasting tradition.”
Why being a good man — and father — still matters
PHOTOS: WorldPride Street Festival and Closing Concert
Baltimore Trans Pride to take place Saturday
PHOTOS: WorldPride Parade
Judge temporarily blocks executive orders targeting LGBTQ, HIV groups
PHOTOS: WorldPride Boat Parade
Activists rally for Andry Hernández Romero in front of Supreme Court
The best U.S. cities for LGBTQ homebuyers in 2025
A hilarious ‘Twelfth Night’ at Folger full of ‘elegant kink’
