The Washington Blade is a lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) newspaper in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. The Blade is the oldest LGBT newspaper in the United States and second largest by circulation, behind Gay City News of New York City. The Blade was often referred to as America's gay newspaper of record because it chronicled LGBT news locally, nationally, and internationally.The New York Times said the Blade is considered "one of the most influential publications written for a gay audience."

The paper was originally launched by a group of volunteers as an independent publication in October 1969 with a focus on bringing the community together. In 2001, the Blade was purchased by Window Media, LLC, a group of gay-oriented newspapers circulated throughout the United States^{[dead link]} with a staff composed of professional journalists, becoming a leading source of news for the readers both in Washington and around the nation. The paper published weekly on Fridays and celebrated its fortieth anniversary in October 2009.

Oladele Brendon Ayanbadejo ( /ˈbrɛndən ˌaɪ.ənbəˈdeɪʒoʊ/; born September 6, 1976) is an American football linebacker for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League. He was signed by the Atlanta Falcons as an undrafted free agent in 1999. He played college football for the UCLA Bruins.

Ayanbadejo has been selected to the Pro Bowl three times as a special teams player. He also was named to the All-Pro team two times as special teams player by Pro Football Weekly/Pro Football Writers Association. He has also been a member of the Chicago Bears and Miami Dolphins in the NFL, the Amsterdam Admirals in NFL Europe, and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, Toronto Argonauts and BC Lions of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He is the younger brother of fullback and former teammate Obafemi Ayanbadejo.

Ayanbadejo was born in Chicago to a Nigerian father and an American mother of Irish descent. He has one older brother, Obafemi Ayanbadejo, also a professional football player. Shortly after his birth the family moved to Nigeria, but after his parents separated he returned to the United States with his mother, settling in Chicago and then Santa Cruz, California. He attended Santa Cruz High School.

Vicky Gene Robinson (born May 29, 1947 in Fayette County, Kentucky) is the ninth bishop of the Diocese of New Hampshire in the Episcopal Church in the United States of America. Robinson was elected bishop in 2003 and entered office in March 2004. Before becoming bishop, he served as assistant to the retiring New Hampshire bishop, as Canon to the Ordinary.

Robinson is widely known for being the first openly gay, non-celibate priest to be ordained a bishop in a major Christian denomination believing in the historic episcopate. His sexual orientation was privately acknowledged in the 1970s, when he studied in seminary, was ordained, married, and started a family. He went public with his sexual identity and divorced in the 1980s. When delegates to the Episcopal convention were voting on the ratification of his election, it became an issue of controversy. His election was ratified 62 to 45. After his election, some theologically conservative parishes have aligned themselves with bishops outside the Episcopal Church in the United States, a process called the Anglican realignment. His story has appeared in print and film.