According to Montgomery County Council President Evan Glass, Montgomery County Police have received reports of signs and flags being vandalized in Silver Spring. Glass tweeted the following:
Earlier today MCPD received reports of Pride flags, Ukrainian flags and inclusive lawn signs in Silver Spring being desecrated.
Per the City of Rockville: The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer/Questioning Plus (LGBTQ+) Pride Month is celebrated in the United States to commemorate the Stonewall Riots, which occurred at the end of June 1969. The commemorative month also recognizes the impact LGBTQ+ individuals have had on history—locally, nationally, and internationally.
The City of Rockville has issued proclamations declaring LGBTQ+ Pride Month since June 2017.
Per the City of Rockville: The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer/Questioning Plus (LGBTQ+) Pride Month is celebrated in the United States to commemorate the Stonewall Riots, which occurred at the end of June 1969. The commemorative month also recognizes the impact LGBTQ+ individuals have had on history—locally, nationally, and internationally. The City of Rockville has issued proclamations declaring LGBTQ+ Pride Month since June 2017.
The event is free and open to all ages, and will feature:
Per Montgomery County: Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich, Council President Evan Glass, Maryland Secretary of Veterans Affairs Anthony Woods, Councilmembers and members of the Montgomery Delegation to the Maryland General Assembly joined LGBTQ+ community leaders today to commemorate Pride Month by raising the Progress Pride Flag outside of the Executive Office Building in Rockville.
Speakers arrived in Montgomery County’s first #RideWithPride Ride On bus, which is wrapped with the Intersex Progress Flag and will be serving residents across the County throughout the month of June in honor of Pride. Learn more about the #RideWithPride bus on the Montgomery County Department of Transportation website.
Per Montgomery County: Montgomery County Council President Evan Glass (At-Large) announced a series of LGBTQ+ Pride Month events throughout the month of June. Events include a Pride flag raising outside the Executive Office Building in Rockville, Pride Family Day at Glen Echo Park and a Pride youth writing competition.
“I’m excited to host Montgomery County’s fifth annual LGBTQ+ Pride month events,” said Council President Evan Glass. “This is a time for celebration, reflection and unity. Today, the rights of LGBTQ+ Americans are under relentless attack. Members of the LGBTQ+ community — especially people of color and trans people — continue to face discrimination and efforts to undermine their human rights. As we continue our struggle for greater civil rights and liberties, Pride Month is a time to not only reflect on our progress but to focus on the work ahead.”
Per Montgomery County: In preparation for Pride Month in June, the County’s Department of Health and Human Services and the Office of Community Partnerships have announced a community-wide call to artists and designers to create the County’s official 2023 Montgomery County Pride decal. The winning design will be printed and distributed for use by businesses, nonprofit organizations, County Government and others to show their public support for LGBTQ+ communities in Montgomery County. The winning design from the youth/young adult category will be printed for use specifically at youth-serving establishments and schools.
All submissions are due by Wednesday, June 1 and should be submitted electronically on the MontgomeryCountyPride.org website. The County’s LGBTQ+ Advisory Board will choose up to five final designs to be displayed at County Pride Month events and on social media for public voting.
Per Montgomery County: In honor of Pride Month, Montgomery County will partner with Live in Your Truth Programs, a local LGBTQ+ arts and culture organization, to host its third annual “Pride in the Plaza” event from noon-8 p.m. on Sunday, June 25. Pride in the Plaza is an outdoor LGBTQ+ pride festival at Downtown Silver Spring’s Veterans Plaza.
Pride in the Plaza will feature an LGBTQ+ focused resource and vendor fair, a bilingual Drag Story Hour and the championship finale of “Live in Your Truth Program’s Drag Duels” series. The day will conclude with the third annual Pride in the Plaza Mini-Ball, a free voguing competition with cash prizes. The mini-ball competition, sponsored in partnership with the Capitol Ballroom Council, will begin at 5 p.m.
Per the Olney Theatre: Olney Theatre Center is adding a performance of its hit production of Kinky Boots on Wednesday, March 22 at 8:00 pm and donating proceeds from the evening to two partner organizations. MoCo Pride Center is the latest participant in Olney Theatre’s Community Partners Program, which seeks to deepen the theatre’s connections with local non-profits that are aligned with the theatre’s mission and values. Parasol Patrol was instrumental in the success of Olney Theatre Center’s recent Drag Story Hour event at the Olney branch of the Montgomery County Public Library. More than 100 Parasol Patrol volunteers showed up with rainbow flags and umbrellas to welcome the dozens of families who came to enjoy story hour with Drag Queen D’Manda Martini.
Tickets for the performance are $47-$79 and can be purchased at www.olneytheatre.org or by calling the box office at 301-924-3400. Discounts are available for students, seniors, active military, and first responders. The production is currently running through March 26 in the Mainstage Theatre.
Per MCPD: A Rockville man has been arrested and charged in connection with the death of a 20-year-old woman reported missing on Monday, January 2, 2023. Keylin Yolibeth Chavez-Dominguez’s body was discovered on Saturday, January 28, in the Upper Paint Branch Stream Valley Park under the Paint Branch Overpass of MD 200 – Inter County Connector.
Through the course of the investigation, Montgomery County Department of Police – Major Crimes, Homicide Division detectives identified the ex-boyfriend, 30-year-old Francisco Ramon Lara Garcia, as a suspect. Lara Garcia and Chavez-Dominguez were living together at the time of her disappearance.
Per the City of Rockville: Rockville has scored 100 marks for the city’s commitment to the health, welfare, safety and equality of its lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer community in its sixth year of participating, and the 11th year for the Human Rights Campaign’s Municipal Equality Index.
Rockville scored 95 out of 100, plus an additional 10 bonus points, for its nondiscrimination laws, law enforcement, employment and workplace inclusivity, leadership and services to the LGBTQ+ community. Final scores cannot exceed 100.