Local
Concern over Uganda ambassador appearance at King Day event
UNCF says they invited diplomat based on distinguished career
An LGBT advocate who asked not to be identified is urging two national gay rights groups and human rights organization TransAfrica to call on the United Negro College Fund to cancel an invitation to the Ugandan ambassador to the U.S. to appear as the keynote speaker at a Jan. 16 Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration in Greenbelt, Md.
“I am writing to you to share my shock, sadness and disappointment that the featured keynote speaker for the United Negro College Fund Jan. 16, 2012 event celebrating the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is H.E. Perezi K. Kamunanwire, Ambassador to the United States from Uganda,” the activist said in an email to the Blade.
The D.C.-area activist noted that with legislation pending in Uganda calling for the death penalty for persons found “guilty” of committing consensual homosexual sex acts among adults that it is “most inappropriate” for an African-American organization to invite an official representative of Uganda to speak at a King Day event.
The activist stated in the email that the activist has urged the Human Rights Campaign and the National Black Justice Coalition, two LGBT organizations; and TransAfrica, a human rights organization that promotes equality and freedom in African countries, to speak out against the United Negro College Fund’s decision to invite the Ugandan ambassador to speak at the King event.
Joye Griffin, a spokesperson for the United Negro College Fund, said in a statement that the organization has a strong policy opposing discrimination based on sexual orientation. She said UNCF also opposes “abuses and violations of human rights whenever they occur.” Griffin said UNCF invited the Ugandan ambassador to speak at the King Day event based on his career as a distinguished educator and scholar who has taught at U.S. universities and directed black studies programs.
Representatives of the other three groups couldn’t be immediately reached to obtain their response to the activist’s concern.
U.S. and international LGBT rights organizations have called on the Uganda Parliament to withdraw from consideration what activists have described as the “kill the gays” bill.
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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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