News
Utah att’y gen’l seeks to halt same-sex marriages
Tarbet says ruling shifts away ‘from society’s understanding of what marriage is’
Utah Gov. Gary Herbert is seeking to halt same-sex marriages in Utah. (Photo public domain)
The governor of Utah and the state’s acting attorney general are calling for a halt to same-sex marriages in the state following a wave of couples exchanging vows after a court ruling instituting marriage equality.
Acting Attorney General Brian Tarbet — along with attorneys for Gov. Gary Herbert — filed two requests on Friday for emergency stays. One is before the district court that struck down the state’s ban on same-sex marriage, the other is before the U.S. Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals, where it is anticipated state officials will appeal the decision.
The request before the district court, which stunned the nation by delivering a surprise ruling in favor of marriage equality in the country’s most conservative state, says a stay should be put in place because the Tenth Circuit has no precedent for marriage equality and other courts have upheld bans on same-sex marriage.
“This Court’s decision constitutes a fundamental shift away from society’s understanding of what marriage is,” the requests states. “For over one hundred years Utah has adhered to a definition of marriage as the union of a man and a woman and has never recognized as a marriage any other kind of relationship…And, Utah does not stand alone. A majority of States adhere to the same definition of marriage.”
Moreover, Herbert’s attorneys write that continuing to allow same-sex couples to wed could subject them to “irreparable harm” if a higher court decides to overturn the ruling.
“Such marriages would be entered into under a cloud of uncertainty,” the requests states. “Should the appeal be successful those couples may suffer irreparable harm when their marriages are declared invalid.”
The decision on instituting a stay won’t happen immediately. According to the Associated Press, the attorney general’s office reportedly said the judge would need a couple of days to review any request for an emergency stay.
UPDATE: In response to the state’s request for a stay, U.S. District Judge Robert Shelby scheduled a hearing on Monday at 9 am. The docket doesn’t give any indication of whether Shelby will announce a decision once the hearing is complete, or at a later time.
Shelby also gives the plaintiff same-sex couples in the case until 5 pm on Sunday to respond to the stay, and defendants the opportunity the reply to that response.
Attorneys representing the plaintiffs at Magleby and Greenwood PC already responded to the request before the Tenth Circuit, saying the state didn’t address issues the appellate court considers important in deciding whether to grant a stay.
“[A]s the District Court explained in its summary judgment order, ‘the harm experienced by same- sex couples in Utah as a result of their inability to marry is undisputed’ in this matter,” the brief states.
In a blog post, University of Southern California law professor David Cruz writes that Shelby is “unlikely” to grant a stay on Utah same-sex marriage, and if the Tenth Circuit does, it won’t be the result of the state’s arguments.
“It can be hard to convince judges that they made a mistake in their rulings,” Cruz said. “But the state officials did not even make much effort here. Their position basically was a safety-in-numbers argument: we’ve got lots of cases we cited upholding laws excluding same-sex couples from marriage.”
The ruling in favor marriage equality unleashed of wave of gay couples applying for marriage licenses in the few hours on Friday after the decision was handed down, but before the clerks’ offices closed.
According to KSL News, the Salt Lake City county clerk issued between 115 and 120 marriage licenses, breaking a record for the number issued in one day. Salt Lake City Mayor Ralph Becker was at the clerk’s office and performed 35 same-sex marriages. State Sen. Jim Dabakis, who’s gay and chair of the Utah Democratic Party married his longtime partner Stephen Justesen.
But not all gay couples were allowed the opportunity to wed. According to Reuters, same-sex couples also tried to obtain marriage licenses in Weber County, Washington County, Davis County and Utah County, but clerks there turned them away on the grounds that they needed to see the federal court ruling and evaluate it.
Meanwhile, the Salt Lake City county clerk pledged to open again on Saturday at 11 am to accommodate more couples seeking to wed.
The window of opportunity for these gay couples may be short. If the courts institute a stay on the ruling as requested by the state, it would mean gay couples would no longer be able to obtain marriage licenses from clerks throughout the state.
Federal Government
Markwayne Mullin confirmed as next DHS secretary
Okla. senator to succeed Kristi Noem
The U.S. Senate confirmed Markwayne Mullin as the next secretary of Homeland Security on Monday, as the agency continues to grapple with what lawmakers have described as a “never-ending” funding standoff, with Democrats attempting to withhold funding from one of the nation’s largest and most costly agencies.
Mullin — a Republican senator from Oklahoma, former mixed martial arts fighter, and plumbing business owner — was confirmed in a 54–45 vote. Two Democrats — U.S. Sens. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) and Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) — sided with Republicans in supporting his confirmation.
The new agency head is expected to follow the policy direction set by President Donald Trump, emphasizing stricter immigration enforcement. This includes proposals to support immigration agents at polling sites and to cut funding to so-called “sanctuary cities.”
Mullin replaces Kristi Noem, who was fired earlier this month following a widely scrutinized 2-day congressional hearing on Capitol Hill.
During the hearing, Noem faced intense questioning over her response to several crises, including the fatal shooting of two American citizens in Minneapolis by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, a $220 million border security advertising campaign that featured her on horseback near Mount Rushmore amid one of the largest federal workforce reductions in U.S. history, and the federal response to major natural disasters such as the July 2025 Texas floods and Hurricane Helene in 2024.
Noem had previously drawn criticism for a series of policy decisions in South Dakota that broadly focused on restricting the rights of LGBTQ individuals. In 2023, she signed House Bill 1080, banning gender-affirming medical care for transgender minors. She also signed legislation and executive orders restricting trans athletes’ participation in women’s sports, as well as the state’s “Religious Freedom Restoration Act,” which critics argued enabled discrimination against LGBTQ individuals. Additionally, the state canceled contracts related to LGBTQ support services — including suicide prevention and health care navigation programs‚ and later agreed to a $300,000 settlement with trans advocacy group, The Transformation Project.
Despite her removal from DHS, Noem will remain in the Trump-Vance administration as a special envoy for the “Shield of the Americas,” an initiative aimed at promoting U.S. influence in the Western Hemisphere, including efforts to counter cartel networks, reduce Chinese influence, and manage migration.
The new head of DHS has served in Congress since 2013, in both houses of the federal legislature. While in the Senate and a member of the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, Mullin has been a vocal critic of policies aimed at expanding LGBTQ inclusion. He led a group of lawmakers in urging the Administration for Community Living to reverse a rule requiring states to prioritize Older Americans Act services based on sexual orientation and gender identity, arguing the policy could have unintended consequences.
Mullin also makes history as the first Native American — and a citizen of the Cherokee Nation — to lead the Department of Homeland Security. He was also among the 147 Republicans who voted to overturn the 2020 presidential election results despite no evidence of widespread fraud, and was present in the U.S. House of Representatives chamber on Jan. 6.
A gay man was murdered in Petersburg, Va., on March 13.
Shyyell Diamond Sanchez-McCray, who was also known as Saamel and Mable, was a drag queen who won the Miss Mayflower EOY pageant in 2015. Reports also indicate Sanchez-McCray, 42, was a well-known community activist in Virginia and in North Carolina.
Local media reports indicate police officers found Sanchez-McCray shot to death inside a home in Petersburg.
Sanchez-McCray’s brother, Jamal Mitchell Diamond, in a public statement the Washington Blade received from Equality Virginia and GLAAD, said Sanchez-McCray was not transgender as initial reports indicated.
“Our family has always embraced the fullness of who he was. He used the names Saamel, Shyyell, and Mable interchangeably, and we honor all of them. There is no division within our family regarding how he is being represented — only a shared commitment to preserving his truth with love and respect,” said Diamond.
“He was also deeply committed to community work through Nationz Foundation, where he worked and completed multiple state-certified programs to support marginalized communities,” added Diamond. “That work meant a great deal to him.”
Authorities have not made any arrests.
The Petersburg Bureau of Police has asked anyone with information about Sanchez-McCray’s murder to call Petersburg-Dinwiddie Crime Solvers at 804-861-1212.
District of Columbia
Trans Day of Visibility events planned
Rally on the National Mall scheduled for Saturday
The Christopher Street Project has a number of events planned for the 2026 Trans Day of Visibility, including a rally on the Mall and an “Empowerment Ball” at the Eaton Hotel. Plenaries, panel discussions and meetings with members of Congress are scheduled in the three days of programming.
Announced speakers include N.H. state Rep. Alice Wade; Commissioner of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago Precious Brady-Davis; activist and performer Miss Peppermint (“RuPaul’s Drag Race”); Lexington, Ky. Councilwoman Emma Curtis; Rabbi Abby Stein; D.C. activist and host Rayceen Pendarvis; Air Force Master Sgt. Logan Ireland; among other leaders, advocates and performers.
Conference programming on Thursday and Friday includes an educational forum and a Capitol Hill policy education day. Registration for the two-day conference has closed.
The “Trans Day of Visibility PAC Reception” is scheduled for Thursday, March 26 from 7:30-9 p.m. at As You Are (500 8th St., S.E.). Special guests include Rep. Dina Titus (D-Nevada) and Rep. Delia Ramirez (D-Ill.). Tickets are available at christopherstreetproject.org starting at $25.
The National Council of Jewish Women and the Christopher Street Project host a “Trans Day of Visibility Shabbat” on Friday, March 27 from 7-8 p.m. at Sixth & I (600 I St., N.W.). The service is to be led by Rabbi Jenna Shaw and Rabbi Abby Stein.
The “Now You See Me: Trans Empowerment Social & Ball” is scheduled for Friday, March 27 from 6-11 p.m. at the Eaton Hotel (1201 K. St., N.W.). The trans-themed drag ball is hosted by the Marsha P. Johnson Institute with support from the D.C. Mayor’s Office of LGBTQ+ Affairs, the Capital Ballroom Council, the Christopher Street Project, the Center for Black Equity, Generation for Common Good, and Parenting is Political. RSVP online at christopherstreetproject.org.
The National Transgender Day of Visibility Rally is scheduled for Saturday, March 28 on the National Mall at 11 a.m. The rally will include speakers and performances. Following the rally, attendees are encouraged to participate in the “No Kings” rally being held at Anacostia Park.
Markwayne Mullin confirmed as next DHS secretary
Gay man murdered in Va.
Trans Day of Visibility events planned
Virginia General Assembly’s 2026 legislative session ends
Polish court rules country must recognize same-sex marriages from EU states
Queer American in Israel discusses Iran war’s impact
Calendar: March 21-26
‘How We Survived’ panel set for March 25
Small is beautiful: subcompact SUVs
