Local
Ravens player feuds with Del. Burns
Team brass are backing the linebacker, other players have vocally come to his defense; players union rebukes Md. Del.
Baltimore Ravens linebacker Brendon Ayanbadejo has publicly supported marriage equality since 2009. (Photo courtesy of Ayanbadejo)
Baltimore Ravens linebacker Brendon Ayanbadejo has been one of the few NFL players to be outspoken in support of same-sex marriage. He wrote an article about it in the Huffington Post in 2009 and has lent his name and face to videos promoting marriage equality in Maryland. “Same-sex marriage isn’t a ‘gay’ issue, it’s an ‘equality’ issue,” he said.
Recently, Ayanbadejo, 36, donated a pair of Ravens tickets as part of a fundraiser for Marylanders for Marriage Equality. This did not sit well with Del. Emmett C. Burns, Jr., a Democrat from Baltimore County, who has been a forceful opponent of LGBT rights in general and same-sex marriage in particular.
In a letter dated Aug. 29 sent to Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti that was shared with the media, Burns wrote, “Many of my constituents and your football supporters are appalled and aghast that a member of the Ravens Football Team would step into this controversial divide and try to sway public opinion one way or the other.” Burns advised Bisciotti that Ayanbadejo concentrate on football and not divide the fan base.
Ayanbadejo was taken aback when hearing of the letter. “I was surprised. Just what our country was founded on, for someone to try to take that away from me, I was pretty surprised that something like that would come up, especially from a politician,” he told the Baltimore Sun.
He indicated that members of the Ravens organization, including team president Dick Cass, offered words of support at the Under Armour Performance Center, the Ravens practice facility in Owings Mills, and a few gave him high-fives, according to the Sun. Regarding Cass, Ayanbadejo stated, “[He said] we’re in support of you and it’s good that you’re able to voice your opinion and say how you feel. Dick personally told me, ‘We’re not an organization that discriminates.’”
This dust-up with Burns brought Ayanbadejo support from other players in the National Football League. NFL Players Association president Domonique Foxworth characterized Burns’ letter as “asinine.”
“I don’t think football players are different from any other human beings, with the exception of having a larger platform,” said Foxworth, who played for the Ravens from 2009 to 2011. “I think that’s all the reason to speak out. Whether people agree with what you’re saying or not, it’s your right to say it. I don’t think any social issues have been solved by silencing one group.”
In addition, Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker LaMarr Woodley and Minnesota Vikings punter Chris Kluwe were among those who backed Ayanbadejo. Kluwe, in particular, was vocal about his support. Appearing on MSNBC’s “The Ed Show” on Sept. 7 and interviewed by other media, Kluwe, who has been a strong opponent of Minnesota’s constitutional amendment against same-sex marriage that will appear on November’s ballot, spoke out for marriage equality and Ayanbadejo’s right to support it.
He also penned a scathing, profanity-laced letter to Burns that was made public. Among the milder passages Kluwe wrote, “By using your position as an elected official (when referring to your constituents so as to implicitly threaten the Ravens organization) to state that the Ravens should ‘inhibit such expressions from your employees,’ more specifically Brendon Ayanbadejo, not only are you clearly violating the First Amendment, you also come across as a narcissistic fromunda stain. What on earth would possess you to be so mind-boggingly stupid?”
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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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