Local
HoCo adopts gender-neutral graduation gowns
Move sparks controversy among some parents
‘This is a move that will help all of our students feel more comfortable and welcomed,’ said Catherine Hyde. (Photo by Steve Charing)
In a move that has stirred controversy, Howard County school officials will require that caps and gowns for graduation be gender-neutral. Instead of boys wearing one color and girls another, one color will be used. This decision is intended to make transgender students feel more comfortable.
“I understand it’s going to be hard for some, because it’s hard to break from tradition and a lot of parents have strong memories of being in school colors at graduation,” Catherine Hyde, mother of a transgender graduate of Marriotts Ridge High School and a parent facilitator for the Howard County chapter of PFLAG, told the Sun. “This is a move that will help all of our students feel more comfortable and welcomed.”
The Maryland State Department of Education issued non-binding recommendations in October for providing “safe spaces” for gender-nonconforming students, according to the Sun. The Department encouraged school systems to “consider gender neutral dress codes for class or yearbook photos, honor society ceremonies, graduation ceremonies, or dances.”
Not everybody agrees with the decision. Anne-Marie Colgrave, whose daughter is graduating from Marriotts Ridge H.S. in May, told the Sun, “Why take away tradition? Forcing gender neutral, this causes animosity instead of promoting diversity,” she said. “They’re trying to support the minorities, but you’re making yourself stand out because you’re a minority, and there will be backlash. It’s not going to help your cause, it’s going to hurt it.”
But Patrick Paschall, executive director of FreeState Legal and Equality Maryland, believes the action will be helpful. “We know that LGBT youth experience discrimination and bullying and harassment in schools. This decision by Howard County is an opportunity to remove one more barrier,” he told WJZ-CBS Baltimore.
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PHOTOS: Helen Hayes Awards
Gay Men’s Chorus, local drag artists have featured performance at ceremony
The 41st Helen Hayes Awards were held at The Anthem on Monday, May 19. Felicia Curry and Mike Millan served as the hosts.
A performance featuring members of the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington and local drag artists was held at the end of the first act of the program to celebrate WorldPride 2025.
The annual awards ceremony honors achievement in D.C.-area theater productions and is produced by Theatre Washington.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
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)
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