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Md. Senate passes marriage bill

House of Delegates plans hearing Friday; their vote key to measure’s progress

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In what activists are calling a historic development, the Maryland Senate Thursday evening voted 25-21 to pass the Civil Marriage Protection Act, a bill that would allow same-sex couples in the state to wed.

The bill now goes to the House of Delegates, where most political observers say it will pass within the next two weeks. Gov. Martin O’Malley has said he will sign the bill if it gets to him.

The vote to give final approval of the bill came shortly after the Senate voted 30-17 to limit debate to 30 additional minutes each for supporters and opponents.

In a development that surprised some observers, senators didn’t use all of that time, prompting Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller (D-Calvert and Prince George’s Counties) to order a roll call vote on the bill.

The vote was identical to a preliminary vote on the bill held the previous day in terms of those voting for and against it except that one senator who voted no in the preliminary vote — Joanne Benson (D-Prince George’s County) — was absent for the final vote.

“I’ve never been prouder to be a Maryland State senator than I am tonight,” said Sen. Jamie Raskin (D-Montgomery County), a sponsor of the bill and the designated floor leader for the bill’s backers.

“I just want to say that for me, the issue is summarized by this thought: It is a fundamental wrong to deny our citizens a fundamental right,” he said.

Raskin and Sen. Nancy Jacobs (R-Cecil and Harford Counties), the Senate’s minority leader, each praised their fellow senators on both sides of the issue for keeping the debate civil and dignified.

But Jacobs, who acknowledged she expects the House of Delegates to follow suit and pass the bill shortly, told her colleague in a floor speech that the issue won’t end with the legislature’s approval of the measure the governor’s signature.

Pointing to one of her colleagues who raised the issue of a voter referendum in Maryland on same-sex marriage, Jacobs said, “Well, when we knew we did not have the votes, that’s what we started investing our time in.”

“We’ve met with people all around the country who have run successful referendums on this issue,” she said. “And I just guarantee the people in the State of Maryland who feel very strongly about this issue that you will see it again and you will see it at the ballot box.”

Discussion of the bill in the House of Delegates is set to begin Friday with a hearing of the House Judiciary Committee that lawmakers say is likely to be far more rancorous than the relatively gentile debate tonight and Wednesday in the Senate.

Earlier in the day on Thursday, State Sen. Richard Madaleno (D-Montgomery County), who is gay, urged his colleagues to afford him and his partner, along with thousands of same-sex couples in the state, the right to marry during the second day of debate on a same-sex marriage bill.

Madaleno was one of about a dozen senators who spoke today for or against the  measure. Observers expect it will win approval by the full legislature this spring.

Madaleno noted that the bill “reiterates that no religious denomination will ever be required to recognize or perform or bless or celebrate any marriage that is against its belief.”

At the same time the measure would provide “full equality under the law for thousands of same-gender couples in our state, couples like Mark and myself” through civil marriage, he said.

“Many of you know Mark … my partner. But even using that term partner sounds a little odd,” he said, noting that the two had a church wedding ten years ago with friends and family members attending.

“He in my heart is my spouse, even though the laws in the State of Maryland do not say he is,” Madaleno said during a Senate floor speech.

“But to the law, he remains a legal stranger to me. He is my partner. I wouldn’t ask any of you to call your spouse your partner because that makes it sound as if he’s your business associate, that your spouse is your business associate and not the person you choose to spend your life with.”

Opponents of the bill, including Sen. Brian Simonaire (R-Anne Arundel County), argued that the bill would “redefine” marriage and damage it as an institution that serves as the foundation of all societies.

“Unintended consequences — that is the subplot of today’s vote,” Simonaire said. “Yes, this bill affects homosexual individuals wanting to marry. But as we’ve seen in other states, it also affects young, impressionable students in our school system who are taught the homosexual world view.”

“It may also affect teachers and public employees who lose their jobs due to their religious beliefs if they are unwilling to teach the promotion of same-sex marriage,” he said.

Backers of the bill, including Raskin, the floor leader on behalf of the measure, disputed that assertion, saying the state education authority and local boards of education throughout the state decide the content of school curricula, with input from local communities.

Sen. Allan Kittleman (R-Howard County), the only Republican supporting the bill in the Senate, said he struggled over the issue of same-sex marriage but came to realized that it is a matter of civil rights and equal justice for all Maryland residents.

“It is the right thing to do,” he said. “The time has come. Today is that time.”

The Senate voted on Wednesday 25-22 to give preliminary approval of the bill by passing a committee report recommending that the bill be enacted into law. Most observers of the legislature saw that vote as confirmation that senators would approve the bill in a final vote on Thursday or possibly early Friday.

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World Pride 2025

Episcopal bishop to speak at WorldPride human rights conference

Trump demanded apology from Mariann Edgar Budde over post-Inauguration sermon

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The Right Rev. Mariann Edgar Budde. (Screen capture via PBS NewsHour/YouTube)

The Right Rev. Mariann Edgar Budde is among those who are scheduled to speak at the WorldPride 2025 Human Rights Conference that will take place from June 4-6.

Budde, who is the bishop of the Diocese of Washington, in January urged President Donald Trump “to have mercy” on LGBTQ people, immigrants, and others “who are scared right now” during a post-Inauguration service that he and Vice President JD Vance attended at the Washington National Cathedral. Trump criticized Budde’s comments and demanded an apology.

The Right Rev. Mariann Edgar Budde speaks at the Washington National Cathedral on Jan. 21, 2025. (PBS NewsHour clip)

A press release the Washington Blade received notes Icelandic Industries Minister Hanna Katrín Friðriksson, UK Black Pride founder Phyll Opoku-Gyimah, and Bob the Drag Queen are among those who are also expected to participate in the conference.

The conference will take place at the JW Marriott (1331 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W.) and registration is open here.

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World Pride 2025

Pabllo Vittar to perform at WorldPride

Brazilian drag queen, singer, joined Madonna on stage in 2024 Rio concert

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Pabllo Vittar (Screen capture via Pabllo Vittar/YouTube)

A Brazilian drag queen and singer who performed with Madonna at her 2024 concert on Rio de Janeiro’s Copacabana Beach will perform at WorldPride.

The Capital Pride Alliance on Thursday announced Pabllo Vittar will perform on the Main Stage of the main party that will take place on June 7 at DCBX (1235 W St., N.E.) in Northeast D.C.

Vittar and Anitta, a Brazilian pop star who is bisexual, on May 4, 2024, joined Madonna on stage at her free concert, which was the last one of her Celebration Tour. Authorities estimated 1.6 million people attended.

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District of Columbia

$3.7 billion RFK stadium proposal draws support from Team DC

Washington Commanders ‘proud’ to champion LGBTQ community

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The long-suffering RFK Stadium will be razed to make way for a new domed facility that could one day host the Super Bowl. (Washington Blade file photo by Michael Key)

Miguel Ayala, president of the D.C. LGBTQ sports organization Team D.C., has expressed support for the $3.7 billion deal reached between Mayor Muriel Bowser and the Washington Commanders football team to bring the team back to D.C. in a redeveloped site on the grounds of the city’s long shuttered RFK stadium.

With the deal calling for the city to provide $1 billion in taxpayer funds for infrastructure related costs for the massive redevelopment project — and with the Commanders to provide the remaining $2.7 billion — as of this week the deal did not have majority support on the D.C. Council, which must vote to approve it.

Ayala’s support for the project on behalf of Team D.C. raises the question of whether members of the city’s influential LGBTQ community might play some role in urging the D.C. Council to approve the project.

The proposal comes at a time when the Washington Commanders team includes a message of support for the LGBTQ community on its website. The message follows its hosting last October of its 4th annual LGBTQ Pride Night Out at the Commanders game against the Cleveland Browns.

“The Washington Commanders are proud to champion the LGBTQ+ community and its allies,” the team states on its website. “Through the unifying power of sports, we aim to create a culture where all feel welcome and celebrated.”

In a statement released to the Washington Blade, Ayala points out that the Commanders are among every D.C.-based professional sports team that hosts a Pride Night Out event, which Team DC helps to organize.

“Each year, our events have grown stronger, with vibrant tailgates, on-field celebrations, and powerful moments that shine a spotlight on our community,” Ayala said. “We can’t wait to kick off our first Night Out at the Commanders Stadium in 2030.”

He was referring to plans by the Commanders organization and the D.C. mayor’s office to have the stadium deal approved by the D.C. Council in July, with construction of the new stadium to begin then, and with a planned completion in time for the 2030 professional football season.

Ayala also points out that the RFK stadium grounds currently serve as home to LGBTQ-related sports activity, including the D.C. Gay Flag Football League and the D.C. Front Runners group. He added that the RFK grounds will serve as the playing fields for this year’s WorldPride Capital Cup sports competition, where LGBTQ rugby and soccer teams from around the world will compete.

“This new stadium will be more than just a field – it will be a powerful new addition to the vibrant, diverse, and proud communities we champion every day,” he said in his statement.

At an April 28 news conference, Bowser, Washington Commanders owner Josh Harris and other city officials provided details of the stadium project, noting that it includes a massive development of the new stadium and the surrounding 180 acres of land.

In addition to the 65,000-seat domed stadium, officials said the project would include 5,000 to 6,000 residential housing units, with 30 percent designated as “affordable” for low- and moderate-income residents. They said the project would also include parks and recreation areas, hotels, restaurants, retail, and neighborhood amenities.

“As we focus on the growth of our economy, we’re not only bringing our team home, but we’re also bringing new jobs and new revenue to our city and to Ward 7,” Bowser said in a statement

Opponents of the project, including D.C. Council Chair Phil Mendelson (D-At-Large), have said they don’t believe the city should use its own funds for a stadium and the related development. 

So far, just four Council members have expressed support for the project. Mendelson and two other Council members have expressed opposition, and the remaining five have not yet said whether they would vote for or against it. The project needs seven of the current 12-member Council for it to be approved.

Council member Zachary Parker (D-Ward 5), the Council’s only gay member, who initially had not taken a position on the proposal, this week said he was looking at the project more favorably, according to news media reports. 

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