Local
Lead entertainers cancel appearances at Capital Pride, Black Pride
Various reasons cited
![](https://www.washingtonblade.com/content/files/2010/05/CapitalPride_LOGO_125x1252.jpg)
The lead entertainers scheduled to perform at D.C.ās Capital Pride and Black Pride festivals abruptly cancelled their appearances this week, prompting organizers to scramble to rearrange their programs.
D.C. born and nationally recognized rapper Wale informed Black Pride organizers by e-mail earlier this week that he backed out of his May 30 appearance at the D.C. Convention Center for the Black Pride annual festival because he was uncomfortable performing at a gay event.
Shortly thereafter, singer and actress Mya, who was scheduled to perform June 13 at the Capital Pride festival, disclosed that complications associated with recent foot surgery would prevent her from appearing at that event.
āWhile we are sad to learn that Mya will be unable to entertain at Capital Pride due to medical reasons, we wish her a speedy recovery,ā said Dyana Mason, Capital Pride’s executive director.
āThe 35th anniversary of Capital Pride has lots of fantastic entertainment planned for the main stage of the festival, including Inaya Day, Kirsten Price, the Gay Menās Chorus of Washington, the D.C. Cowboys and many more,ā she said.
Earl Fowlkes, a board member and spokesperson for Black Pride, said organizers were able to book nationally known rhythm and blues singer J. Holiday as a replacement for Wale. Holiday, 25 and a D.C. native, is best known for his 2007 hit song āBed,ā which rose to the No. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 ratings, according to Billboard Magazine.
Wale, 25, became a nationally recognized rapper in 2006, when his song āDig Dug (Shake It)ā caught the eye of a record company producer who arranged for a wider distribution of his music. Among other things, he has performed on MTV and appeared recently on the David Letterman Show.
Fowlkes said Black Pride organizers were startled this week when they received two e-mails from Waleās agent, one saying the rapper had to cancel due to āfamily obligations,ā and the second saying he didnāt know Black Pride was a gay-related event when he agreed to appear.
āWe were clear about what kind of event this is,ā Fowlkes told the Blade. āAfter doing this for 20 years, we certainly donāt want to put ourselves and the artist in an uncomfortable situation by not telling them what we are.
āWeāre Black Gay Pride, and the people coming out there are members of our community,ā he said. āWe made that very clear.ā
Fowlkes said Black Pride officials believe homophobia was the underlying reason that Wale cancelled his appearance. He said Waleās agent has refunded an advance fee that Black Pride made to book the rapper, but noted the group is considering taking legal action for what Fowlkes described as a breach of contract.
āWhat was important to us on our 20th year is we really wanted to break some new ground,ā Fowlkes said. āAnd one of the things we wanted was a male back artist. We always had female artists and weāve never really had a male black heterosexual identified artist.ā
He said organizers carefully vetted Wale, whose music is popular within the black LGBT community, for any signs of anti-gay themes in his lyrics and statements, and none were found.
Jeffrey Richardson, president of the Gertrude Stein Democratic Club and one of the local black LGBT leaders scheduled to be honored at this yearās Black Pride events, called Waleās cancellation a sign that the LGBT community still has a long way to go to overcome prejudice.
āThis is pure homophobia on his part,ā Richardson said. āThis reflects the feelings of the broader community. For a lot of folks, the biggest fear is of being labeled as gay. Itās a stigma we still have a lot of work to do to overcome.ā
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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