Local
Ward 5 D.C. Council candidate comes out as gay
Former teacher currently serves on school board
![](https://www.washingtonblade.com/content/files/2022/04/Zachary_Parker_insert_courtesy_Zachary_Parker_for_Ward_5.jpg)
Ward 5 D.C. Council candidate Zachary Parker, who currently serves as an elected member of the D.C. State Board of Education, announced on March 30 in a video posted on his Twitter page that he is gay.
Parker is one of seven candidates competing for the Ward 5 Council seat in the cityās June 21 Democratic primary. The seat became open when incumbent Ward 5 Council member Kenyan McDuffie announced he is running for the office of D.C. Attorney General and would not seek re-election for his Council seat.
Parker, a former teacher and education advocate, becomes the second openly gay candidate running this year for a seat on the D.C. Council. Earlier this year, gay former D.C. police officer Salah Czapary announced he is running in the Democratic primary for the Ward 1 Council seat held by incumbent Council member Brianne Nadeau.
āHi everybody, it is Zach, and I aim to share some personal news, which is, Iām gay,ā Parker stated in his video announcement.
āI am very proud and confident in who I am and who Iāve always been,ā he said. āMany already know ā my family, my friends, many community leaders,ā he continued. āBut I recognize that many may not know, and this may come as a surprise. So, I thought it was important for me to come share my full self, especially in light of rising violence, legislative violence and homophobia across our country and here in D.C., where some 40 percent of all homeless youth are LGBTQ+,ā he said.
Like Czapary, Parkerās campaign website includes a detailed assessment of a wide range of issues he says he will address if elected to the Council, including public safety and education. He told the Washington Blade on Thursday that his current website discusses how LGBT issues fit into many other broader issues and concerns he would address as a Council member. He said he also will be releasing in the next few weeks a detailed LGBTQ platform.
In 2021, his colleagues on the Board of Education voted unanimously to elect him president of the board for that year.
Some Ward 5 political observers consider Parker to be the front-runner in the race in his role as a public official who won election to the Ward 5 Board of Education seat in 2018. Parker has been endorsed by D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine, who is not seeking re-election for attorney general but is considered a popular figure across the city.
āZachary Parker is the only candidate in this race who is prepared, who is earnest, chock full of integrity and honor, and understands the most important issues that confront the District of Columbia,ā Racine said in a statement announcing his endorsement of Parker.
Among the other six candidates running for the Ward 5 Council seat is former Ward 5 and former At-Large D.C. Council member Vincent Orange, who enjoys wide name recognition. The others running include community activists Kathy Henderson, Gordon Fletcher, Faith Gibson Hubbard, Gary Johnson, and Art Lloyd.
āIāll tell you that there are many community leaders who have encouraged me not to share this news, in part, because they recognize that homophobia is alive and well,ā Parker said in his video announcement. āAt the same time, I havenāt wanted to make my identity the centerpiece of my campaign,ā he said. āInstead, I wanted to lead with substance and on the issues, and thatās exactly what Iāve been doing.ā
Parkerās positions on a wide range of issues can be accessed at zacharyforward5.com.
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.
āYou 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,ā Hampton Roads Pride President Jeff Ryder told the Washington Blade on Monday during a telephone interview.
āIt was a great year,ā 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.ā
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 Baltimoreās 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 ānavigating survival modeā living.
āThrough compassionate harm reduction and upward mobility services, advocacy support, and community engagement, we foster a respectful, non-judgmental environment that empowers individual agency,ā the statement says. āOur programs encompass community outreach, a drop-in center providing HIV testing, harm reduction, PrEP, medical linkage, case management, and assistance in accessing housing services,ā it says.
Among those participating in the street renaming ceremony were Baltimore City Council member Zeke Cohen, interim director of Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scottās 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.
āThis is a significant achievement and historic moment for our city,ā a statement by Maryland Safe Haven announcing the ceremony says. āIya 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,ā it says. āThis honor is well-deserved, and we are thrilled to see her contributions recognized in such a meaningful way.ā
Baltimore
Despite record crowds, Baltimore Prideās 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 yearās Baltimore Pride Week attracted 150,000 people ā 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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