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Comings & Goings
McCarty named director of partnerships at Universe

The Comings & Goings column is about sharing the professional successes of our community. We want to recognize those landing new jobs, new clients for their business, joining boards of organizations and other achievements. Please share your successes with us at: [email protected].
Congratulations to Steven McCarty on his new position with Universe, as Director of Partnerships. Universe supports movement organizations, labor unions, and Democratic campaigns, with the software they need to win. On accepting the new position he said, āI’m most excited to take my years of campaign and technology experience to down-ballot Democrats across the country as we fight to preserve our Democracy this election cycle.ā
Prior to this, McCarty was Business Development + Partnerships Lead, at STAC labs (State Technology Acceleration Collaborative), where he spearheaded strategic business development initiatives, expanding STAC labs’ partner network by 400% with the launch of the Progressive Tech Index and doubling DemLaunch user base from four to 11 states within a year. Prior to that he was president at The Kiwanis Club of Washington, D.C.; Senior Customer Success Manager at Crowdskout; Vice President at Circle K International, Indianapolis, Ind.; and a summer fellow at Michigan State AFL-CIO, Lansing, Mich.
He has done a lot of volunteer work, including being an elected Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner for ANC 2G04, representing Blagden Alley, Naylor Court, and Shepherd Court. He received a Youth Champion Award for outstanding support to LGBTQ Youth, from SMYAL; and was named a Kiwanis Member of the Year, Kiwanis Club of Washington, D.C.
Delaware
Milton Pride Fest to take place Saturday
This yearās theme is āSmall Town, Big Heartā

Milton, Del., will host its Pride Fest this Saturday with the theme āSmall Town, Big Heart.ā The townās population of just over 3,000 is in its sixth year hosting Pride.
The event is hosted by Sussex Pride and Milton Theatre and will take place from 4-8 p.m. in the area surrounding the theater. Admission is pay-what-you-can and proceeds will support the Milton Theatreās education wing campaign, an initiative dedicated to expanding arts education and creating spaces for the next generation of performers and artists.
The musical act schedule includes Goldstar at 4 p.m., Magnolia Applebottom and Friends at 5:30 p.m., and Mamaās Blacksheep at 6:45 p.m. There will be vendors, food trucks, and a Kids Fest with an inflatable obstacle course.
āIn our little corner of the world, LOVE leads the way! Milton Pride 2025 is a celebration for EVERYONE ā neighbors, families, allies, and friends ā because acceptance, kindness, and community belong to us all,ā Milton Theatreās website reads. āWhether youāre here to cheer, learn, or simply feel the joy ⦠youāre welcome exactly as you are. Letās come together and celebrate Milton, a SMALL TOWN ⦠with a BIG HEART!ā
District of Columbia
Drive with Pride in D.C.
A new Pride-themed license plate is now available in the District, with proceeds directly benefiting local LGBTQ organizations.

Just in time for Pride month, the D.C. Department of Motor Vehicles has partnered with the Mayorās Office of LGBTQ Affairs to create a special āPride Lives Hereā license plate.
The plate, which was initially unveiled in February, has a one-time $25 application fee and a $20 annual display fee. Both fees will go directly to the Office of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Questioning Affairs Fund.
The MOLGBTQA Fund provides $1,000,000 annually to 25,000 residents through its grant program, funding a slew of LGBTQ organizations in the DMV area ā including Capital Pride Alliance, Whitman-Walker, the D.C. Center for the LGBTQ Community, and the Washington Blade Foundation.
The license plate features an inclusive rainbow flag wrapping around the license numbers, with silver stars in the background ā a tribute to both D.C.ās robust queer community and the resilience the LGBTQ community has shown.
The āPride Lives Hereā plate is one of only 13 specialty plates offered in the District, and the only one whose fees go directly to the LGBTQ community.
To apply for a Pride plate, visit the DC DMVās website at https://dmv.dc.gov/

The nationās capital welcomed WorldPride this past weekend, a massive celebration that usually takes place in a different city every two years.
The Saturday parade attracted hundreds of thousands of people from around the world and the country. The state of Delaware, a few hours drive from D.C., saw participants in the parade, with CAMP Rehoboth, an LGBTQ community center in Rehoboth Beach, hosting a bus day trip.
Hope Vella sits on the board of directors and marched with CAMP Rehoboth. Vella said that although the parade took a long time to start and the temperature was hot, she was āon a cloudā from being there.
āIt didnāt matter to me how long it took to start. With the current changes that are in place regarding diversity and inclusion, I wanted my face there,ā Vella said. āMy life is an intersection. I am a Black woman. I am a lesbian, and I have a disability. All of these things are trying to be erased ⦠I didnāt care how long it took. I didnāt care how far it was going to be. I was going to finish that parade. I didnāt care how hot it was.ā
The nearly two mile parade route didnāt feel as long because everyone was so happy interacting with the crowd, Vella said. The group gave out beads, buttons, and pins to parade watchers.
āThe World Pride celebration gave me hope because so many people came out. And the joy and the love that was between us ⦠That gave me hope,ā Vella said.
Vella said that people with disabilities are often overlooked. More than one in four Americans have disabilities, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Vella said it was important for her āto be out there and to be seen in my wholeness as a Black woman, as a lesbian, as a woman with a disability and to not be hiding. I want our society to understand that we exist in LGBTQ+ spaces also.ā
Retired Maj. Gen. Tammy Smith is involved with CAMP Rehoboth and marched with a coalition of LGBTQ military members. Smith said they were walking to give transgender military members visibility and to remind people why they are serving.
āWhen we are not visible, what is allowed to take our place is stereotypes,ā Smith said. āAnd so without visibility, people think all veterans are conservative and perhaps not open to full equality. Without visibility, they might think a small state with a farming background may be a place thatās unwelcoming, but when you actually meet the people who are from those places, it sets aside those stereotypes and the real authenticity is allowed to come forward.ā
During the parade, Smith said she saw trans military members in the parade make eye contact or fist bump with transgender people in the crowd.Ā
āThey were seen. Both sides were seen during that parade and I just felt privileged to be able to witness that,ā Smith said.
Smith said Delaware is a state that is about freedom and equality and is the first state for a reason. The LGBTQ community is engrained as part of life in the Rehoboth and Lewes areas.
āWhat pride means to me is that we must always be doing what is necessary to maintain our dignity as a community,ā Smith said. āWe canāt let what people with negative messaging might be tossing our way impact us and the celebration of Pride. I donāt see it as being self-promoting. I see it as an act of dignity and strength.ā
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