Local
The Fix | October 2: R.I.P. Sahara Davenport, new Maine polls, trans vote
Ravens center Mark Birk is against marriage, so is Rupert Everett, a critical ruling in Pakistan, poz dating, more bumps for George Michael & more
![Sahara Davenport, Pump With Me, RuPaul's Drag Race, gay news, Washington Blade](https://www.washingtonblade.com/content/files/2012/10/Sahara_Davenport_thumb_via_YouTube_Pump_Me_Up_Screen_Shot.jpg)
![Sahara_Davenport_insert_via_YouTube_Pump_Me_Up_Screen_Shot Sahara Davenport, Pump With Me, RuPaul's Drag Race, gay news, Washington Blade](https://www.washingtonblade.com/content/files/2012/10/Sahara_Davenport_insert_via_YouTube_Pump_Me_Up_Screen_Shot.jpg)
We’re sad to report that RuPaul’s drag race alumna Sahara Davenport has passed away at the young age of 27, according to JoeMyGod. (Screen Shot from Pump With Me via YouTube)
Raven’s center Mark Birk wants you to know that he won’t be joining the pro-LGBT love-fest in the NFL — he’s totally against gays gettin’ hitched, and he wants the world to know, says Out Sports. Well bully for you, Birk. But Chris Kluwe has already tore apart Birk’s reasoning. Nice. Now here’s the news:
- Queerty reports that Rupert Everett says that he’s getting ‘death threats’ over the fact that he doesn’t think his people should seek out marriage rights, and doesn’t think that gays are good parents.
- Well most of the straight people in Maine disagree with Mr. Everett, because new polls show that the ballot measure that would legalize same-sex nuptials in the state is ahead by 21 points, according to Towleroad.
- JoeMyGod reports that Project Runway alum Jack Mackenroth is the co-founder of a new dating site for poz guys.
- Poor George Michael has had a rough 11 months? Queerty is reporting that he canceled his Australian tour over “anxiety.” We hope he recovers soon and comes to DC!
- Maybe Logo isn’t abandoning us LGBTs after all, because Towleroad is reporting they’ve green-lighted DTLA, a new gay male scripted series (set, typically, in downtown L.A.). Looks dramatic, but LOOK AT THAT FREAKING CAST!!! Not nearly as funny as this other gay scripted series also set in downtown L.A.
- Pakistan’s Supreme Court has ruled that transgender citizens are fully equal to other citizens, according to the International Herald Tribune. This looks like a game changer there.
VIDEO | PSA aims to protect trans people from losing right to vote
(h/t Queerty)
Virginia
Parades, community events held to mark Pride Month in Va.
Upwards of 30,000 people attended PrideFest in Norfolk on June 22
![](https://www.washingtonblade.com/content/files/2024/06/20240629_Shi-Queeta_Lee_at_Arlington_Pride_insert_c_Washington_Blade_by_Michael_Key.jpg)
Activists across Virginia last month held a series of events to mark Pride Month.
Hampton Roads Pride, a volunteer-run organization founded in 1997, held 37 different Pride events throughout the region in June.
Their biggest event, PrideFest, which is part of their larger three day event, Pride Weekend, celebrated its 36th anniversary on June 22. Pride Weekend took place from June 21-23 and began with a block party at NorVa in Norfolk.
PrideFest took place at Town Point Park, and an estimated 30,000 people attended. More than 70 venders participated, while Todrick Hall and Mariah Counts are among those who performed.
Another PrideFest event with a DJ in the afternoon and live music at night took place in Virginia Beach on June 23. Congressman Bobby Scott and U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) are among those who attended Pride events in Suffolk on June 30.
Norfolk Mayor Kenneth Alexander, along with members of the Norfolk and Virginia Beach City Councils, also attended the Pride events in their respective cities. Jamar Walker, the first openly gay federal judge in Virginia, also took part.
“You know people all throughout Pride Month, at all of our various events, tell me all kinds of stories about their own experiences and the past of this community … and some of our older folks especially, remember when we couldn’t have this,” Hampton Roads Pride President Jeff Ryder told the Washington Blade on Monday during a telephone interview.
“It was a great year,” he added. “It was a big achievement for us to have unique celebrations in each of our seven communities. Each of these cities is so different from one another, but to be able to create a Pride celebration that’s unique in each of those places was really great, and I think really well received by folks who may not have felt represented previously. We’re always trying to do better, to embrace every aspect of our community, and take a big step forward there this year.”
State Dels. Adele McClure (D-Arlington County) and Alfonso Lopez (D-Arlington County) are among those who spoke at Arlington Pride that took place at Long Bridge Park on June 29. The Fredericksburg Pride march and festival took place the same day at Riverfront Park in Fredericksburg.
Republican Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin on June 10 hosted a Pride Month reception in Richmond.
Youngkin in previous years has hosted Pride Month receptions, even though Equality Virginia and other advocacy groups have criticized him for supporting anti-LGBTQ bills.
The Republican governor in March signed a bill that codified marriage equality in Virginia. Youngkin last month vetoed a measure that would have expanded the definition of bullying in the state.
Baltimore
Baltimore street named in honor of trans activist
Iya Dammons is founder of support groups Safe Haven in Baltimore, D.C.
![](https://www.washingtonblade.com/content/files/2024/07/20240629_Iya_Dammons_at_street_naming_ceremony_in_Baltimore_insert_courtesy_Iya_Dammons.jpg)
Baltimore city officials and LGBTQ activists participated in a ceremony on June 29 officially dedicating the renaming of a street in honor of transgender woman Iya Dammons, who founded and serves as executive director of the LGBTQ services organization Maryland Safe Haven.
A section of Baltimore’s 21st Street at the intersection of North Charles Street, where the Maryland Safe Haven offices are located, has been renamed Iya Dammons Way.
The ceremony took place six years after Dammons founded Maryland Safe Haven in 2018 and one year after she launched a Safe Haven operation in D.C.in 2023 located at 331 H St., N.E.
A statement on its website says Safe Haven provides a wide range of supportive services for LGBTQ people in need, with a special outreach to Black trans women “navigating survival mode” living.
“Through compassionate harm reduction and upward mobility services, advocacy support, and community engagement, we foster a respectful, non-judgmental environment that empowers individual agency,” the statement says. “Our programs encompass community outreach, a drop-in center providing HIV testing, harm reduction, PrEP, medical linkage, case management, and assistance in accessing housing services,” it says.
Among those participating in the street renaming ceremony were Baltimore City Council member Zeke Cohen, interim director of Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott’s Office of LGBTQ Affairs Alexis Blackmon, and Dominique Morgan, an official with the national foundation Borealis Philanthropy, which provides financial support for transgender supportive nonprofit organizations, including Safe Haven.
“This is a significant achievement and historic moment for our city,” a statement by Maryland Safe Haven announcing the ceremony says. “Iya Dammons has been a tireless advocate for transgender rights and has worked tirelessly to provide safe spaces and resources for transgender individuals in our city,” it says. “This honor is well-deserved, and we are thrilled to see her contributions recognized in such a meaningful way.”
Baltimore
Despite record crowds, Baltimore Pride’s LGBTQ critics say organizers dropped the ball
People on social media expressed concern about block party stampede
![](https://www.washingtonblade.com/content/files/2024/06/Screenshot-2024-06-29-at-18.01.33.png)
BY JOHN-JOHN WILLIAMS IV | This year’s Baltimore Pride Week attracted 150,000 people — record attendance that far exceeded initial projections of 100,000.
But some see room for improvement and want organizers to address safety issues and make changes so the annual event that celebrates the LGBTQ population is better run.
The rest of this article can be found on the Baltimore Banner’s website.
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