Local

Md. lesbian Episcopal priest elected bishop in L.A.

Published

17 years ago

December 18, 2009

The Archbishop of Canterbury, the British-based spiritual leader of the Anglican Church, says the election earlier this month of a lesbian Episcopal priest from Annapolis, Md., as assistant bishop in Los Angeles could be reversed to avert a further split in the church over homosexuality.

Archbishop Rowan Williams told Reuters News Service in London that the election of Rev. Canon Mary Glasspool by the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles as the church’s first lesbian bishop “raises very serious questions” for the Episcopal Church, which serves as the U.S. branch of the worldwide Anglican Communion.

“The process of selection is only part complete,” Williams said. “The election has to be confirmed, or could be rejected, by diocesan bishops and diocesan standing committees. That decision will have very important implications.”

The confirmation process of bishops elected by Episcopal dioceses has long been considered a formality. Bishops from all U.S. Episcopal dioceses, who vote by mail to confirm such elections, almost always uphold the elections. A refusal to confirm Glasspool’s election would be viewed as a clear rebuke due to fears that her sexual orientation would worsen the church rift over the ordination of gays, according to church observers.

Glasspool, 55, spoke to the Baltimore Sun and other media outlets the day after her Dec. 5 election to the post of assistant bishop in the Los Angeles Episcopal diocese. But this week, a spokesperson for the Diocese of Maryland, to which Glasspool is currently assigned, told DC Agenda she was no longer granting interviews until at least Jan. 4 due to “family commitments.”

Her election comes at a time when Episcopal congregations continue to struggle over the issue of whether to ordain gay clergy following the election in 2003 of gay Episcopal priest V. Gene Robinson as bishop of the Diocese of New Hampshire.

Robinson’s election prompted dozens of conservative Episcopal congregations to sever ties with the U.S. Episcopal Church, with some creating new ties with ultra-conservative Anglican dioceses in Africa and South America.

At the urging of the Archbishop of Canterbury, most U.S. Episcopal dioceses agreed to a moratorium on electing gay bishops shortly after Robinson’s election. But earlier this year, U.S. Episcopal Church leaders voted at their national convention in Anaheim, Calif., to remove all barriers to the selection of gay men and lesbians to top church positions, including the post of bishop.

A statement on the Dioceses of Los Angeles web site says Glasspool was approached by diocesan officials in L.A. to apply for one of two vacant posts for assistant bishop, which are referred to in the church as “Bishop Suffragan” positions.

The statement says she was elected on the seventh ballot cast by about 800 clergy and lay delegates to the annual meeting of the L.A. Diocesan Convention in Riverside, Calif. It also notes that she is the second woman to be elected a bishop since the diocese was founded 114 years ago.

Biographical information released by the diocese says Glasspool is a resident of Annapolis, Md., and lives with her domestic partner of 19 years, Becki Sanders. Glasspool, a native of New York City, was ordained a priest in 1982 in the Diocese of Pennsylvania. She holds a master of divinity degree from the Episcopal Divinity School in Cambridge, Mass.

If confirmed by U.S. Episcopal bishops in the consent process, Glasspool is scheduled to be ordained as a bishop in May 2010 in Los Angeles.

“I am very excited about the future of the whole Episcopal Church, and I see the Diocese of Los Angeles leading the way into that future,” Glasspool said in a statement released the day following her election to the L.A. Diocese.

“But just for this moment, let me say again, thank you, and thanks be to our loving, surprising God,” she said. “I look forward, in the coming months, to getting to know you all better, as together we build up the Body of Christ for the world.”

Related Topics:Episcopalian Lesbian bishop Mary Glasspool

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Baltimore

Popular Mount Vernon gay bar Leon’s to temporarily close after owner’s death

Ron Singer passed away on July 7

Published

2 days ago

July 17, 2026

Baltimore Banner

Leon’s Backroom Bar in Mount Vernon. (Photo by Jessica Gallagher for the Baltimore Banner)

By WESLEY CASE | Leon’s Backroom, Baltimore’s oldest gay bar, temporarily shut down after service on Wednesday night, according to a post on the business’s Instagram page.

The announcement comes a little more than a week after the death of the Mount Vernon bar’s owner, Ron Singer, who died at 66 on July 7.

The rest of this article can be found on the Baltimore Banner’s website.

Local

Comings & Goings

New garden center offers array of products in Rehoboth

Published

2 days ago

July 17, 2026

Peter Rosenstein

Bay Laurel Home & Garden is located just outside Rehoboth on Route 1.

The Comings & Goings column is about sharing the professional successes of our community. We want to recognize those landing new jobs, new clients for their business, joining boards of organizations and other achievements. Please share your successes with us at [email protected].

Congratulations to Stuart Ortel and Scott Marker, and Dave Lyons and Rick Hardy, on the recent opening of their garden center on Route 1 in Rehoboth Beach, in the former Farmer Girl site. It is called Bay Laurel Home and Garden and debuted earlier this year. The four owners are all well known to the denizens of Rehoboth Beach.

Stuart and Scott have been active members of the Rehoboth Beach community since 1999. Stuart is a landscape architect, and has established relationships with many local folks in the building and landscape industry. When this opportunity for Bay Laurel Home & Garden presented itself, and they had the perfect team of people in place, he and Scott were committed to making it a reality. So, when Scott and Stuart introduced this opportunity to create a new garden center to Dave and Rick, they embraced the chance to cultivate a business where beautiful plants, inspiring home and garden products, and outstanding customer service come together. Dave and Rick knew about owning a business in Rehoboth as they previously owned Coho’s Market, where they discovered firsthand the value of serving their community, and the rewards of running a locally owned business.

The garden center launched with a refreshed brand identity, updated merchandising, and expanded product lines, all designed to create an inspiring and welcoming environment for your home. Bay Laurel Home & Garden offers a beautifully appointed garden center and curated home and gift shop.

The new center features a full nursery with annuals, perennials, shrubs, trees, and seasonal selections; a garden center offering pottery, fountains, and garden ornamentation, and essential tools and garden supplies. It has a garden shop featuring unique indoor/outdoor furnishings and accessories, and a gift shop featuring botanical and coastal style items for home and entertaining.

Rehoboth Beach

Celebrate Pride in Rehoboth Beach this weekend

‘A vital space for community, healing, and connection’

Published

4 days ago

July 15, 2026

Thomas Weaverling

Rehoboth’s Pride festivities kick off Friday. (Washington Blade file photo by Daniel Truitt)

Pride in Rehoboth Beach is kicking off this week on Friday, July 17, with events happening throughout the weekend.

“Rehoboth Beach Pride is more than a festival — it is a vital space for community, healing, and connection,” said David Mariner, director of Sussex Pride, which organizes many of the events.

The weekend will begin with the Grand Opening & Community Preview from 1-4 p.m. on Friday, July 17, celebrating the opening of Novus Medical Services and the new Sussex Pride Community Center.

This will be followed by an Interfaith Pride Service at 6 p.m. at the Metropolitan Community Church Rehoboth to gather for healing and the affirmation of queer spirituality with Rev. Carla Christopher, chair of Sussex Pride Faith.

Members of the community are then invited to head over to join the Rehoboth Beach Bears at the Pines to have dinner, mingle, and give back to local initiatives.

End the first night of Pride in Rehoboth at Diego’s Bar & Nightclub with music by DJ Joey P from 9 p.m.-1 a.m.

Rehoboth Beach Pride Festival will take place on Saturday, July 18, 2026, from 9 a.m.- 3 p.m. inside the Rehoboth Beach Convention Center. A full list of events is available at rehobothbeachpride.org.

Roxy Overbrooke will host on the main stage as live performances take place throughout the day, featuring music from DJ MK and Tribe 9 Entertainment.

The festival will include educational workshops, community meetups, and a raffle dedicated to raising funds for unhoused LGBTQ+ youth across Delaware.

Feature workshops include panels discussing topics such as unhoused LGBTQ+ youth in Delaware, the needs of trans and non-binary youth, as well as the increase in HIV and syphilis diagnoses amid federal budget cuts, in a panel moderated by Blade Editor Kevin Naff.

Saturday night will also feature an evening comedy and entertainment show at the Convention Center presented by the Gay Women of Rehoboth. Performers will include comedians Suzanne Westen h oefer and Karen Mills as well as musician Kristen Merlin. Tickets are available at gaywomenofrehoboth.org.

The Rehoboth Beach Pride Ride will take place at 10 a.m. on Sunday, July 19, hosted by the Dykes on Bikes Rehoboth Beach Women’s Motorcycle Club, starting at Lefty’s.

Goolee’s Drag Brunch will also take place on Sunday from 12-2 p.m at Goolee’s Grille. This is a family-friendly event hosted by Regina Cox and Ruby, featuring Aurora Sterling, Michelle Leigh Sterling, Scarlet St. Cartier, and Joanna Blue. Tickets can be purchased online.

Pride in Rehoboth will conclude at 2 p.m. with the official Rehoboth Beach Pride Closing Party at Aqua Bar & Grill, celebrating the venue’s landmark 20th anniversary with DJ Biff until 7 p.m.

Due to an influx of visitors for the summer season, those coming from out-of-town are encouraged to use the Park & Ride.