Local
Librarian Maurice Lapierre dies at 85
Longtime supporter of Dignity Washington
Maurice Edmond Lapierre, a career librarian who taught library science at the university level and was a longtime member and supporter of the D.C. LGBTQ Catholic group Dignity Washington, died May 2 at the Virginia Hospital Center in Arlington from complications associated with COVID-19. He was 85.
A curriculum vitae outlining his educational background and work history shows Lapierre worked as a librarian, library sciences consultant, and adjunct associate professor teaching library science over a career that spanned the years of 1959 to 2000, when friends believe he retired.
According to the curriculum vitae, he served as a librarian, high-level official, or a consultant at six university libraries and libraries at private sector organizations throughout the United States, Canada, and the nation of Bahrain, where he served as Chief Medical Librarian for the Ministry of Health from July 1982 to June 1984.
His last position prior to his retirement was that of head of the collections management division at Marymount University in Arlington, Va., from March 1990 to August 2000, his career write-up says.
In addition to Marymount, he served in library positions at Ohio State University; McGill University in Montreal; New York University; the University of California at Los Angeles; and the University of Alabama.
He also served at the University of Alabama as Adjunct Associate Professor at the Graduate School of Library Service from 1978 to 1982. He served as an Assistant Professor at Ohio State University from 1965 to 1966, his curriculum vitae says.
His friend Tom Yates said Lapierre was born and raised in Rhode Island. His curriculum vitae says he served in the U.S. Naval Reserve from 1953 to 1955 and was stationed part of that time on the U.S.S. Hornet vessel as a Yeoman Third Class.
He received his bachelor’s degree in modern languages and philosophy at Boston College in 1959, his career write-up says. He received a master’s degree in library science with course work for a master’s in French at the University of California at Los Angeles.
In 1973, he received his doctorate in Library and Information Science and completed course work for another master’s degree in Public Management Science at Case Western Reserve University.
Yates said he believes Lapierre became involved with Dignity Washington in the late 1990s. Dignity Washington member Tom Hardy said Lapierre served as co-leader of the Dignity Book Club for more than 20 years and was a frequent participant in the organization’s weekly Catholic Mass, where he served as a reader.
“He traveled widely in his later years and enjoyed many Celebrity Mediterranean cruises, especially to Italy and the Greek islands,” said Hardy, who added that Lapierre also traveled frequently to the Caribbean islands.
“Maurice was a kind and generous friend, volunteering his time, talents, and treasure to both Dignity Washington and Dignity NOVA,” said Yates, who was referring to Dignity’s Northern Virginia chapter. Yates said Lapierre was also a music lover and an accomplished pianist.
Lapierre has two surviving brothers, Bertrand Lapierre of Fullerton, Calif.; and Rene Lapierre of Warden, Wash., Yates said. Others who knew Lapierre said he has many surviving friends.
Yates said a planned memorial service has been put on hold during the coronavirus restrictions until friends and family members can safely gather.
Virginia
Parades, community events held to mark Pride Month in Va.
Upwards of 30,000 people attended PrideFest in Norfolk on June 22
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.
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
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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