Local
An early holiday gift for city’s gay couples
With about 200 spectators cheering from the pews, D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty signed a bill last week to legalize same-sex marriage in Washington during a ceremony at a church that played a leading role in pushing for black civil rights in the 1950s and 1960s.
“To the world, today an era of struggle ends for thousands of residents of Washington, D.C., who have been denied the fundamental right to marry the person of their choosing,” Fenty told the gathering at All Souls Unitarian Church in Northwest D.C.
“I say to all those residents who watch the nation’s capital today that our city is taking a leap forward in ensuring freedom and equality to all residents.”
Fenty signed the Religious Freedom & Civil Marriage Equality Amendment Act of 2009 four days after the D.C. Council gave its final approval of the measure, 11-2.
The signing also came five months after a separate bill passed by the Council and signed by Fenty, which recognizes same-sex marriages performed in other jurisdictions, became law after clearing its required congressional review.
The measure that Fenty signed Friday was expected to be sent to Capitol Hill this week, where it, too, must undergo a congressional review of 30 legislative days. Most congressional observers expect the Democratic controlled Congress will allow the bill to become law by taking no legislative action to overturn it.
“The signing of this bill marks a watershed moment for human rights in the District of Columbia,” said Rev. Robert Hardies, pastor of All Souls Unitarian Church and one of the leaders of a coalition of D.C. clergy members who support same-sex marriage equality.
“I and the nearly 200 D.C. clergy who supported this bill look forward to celebrating the marriages of loving lesbian and gay couples in sanctuaries like this one all over our city,” he said.
Among those standing behind Fenty as he signed the bill at a table set up in front of the church alter were D.C. Council Chair Vincent Gray (D-At Large); gay Council member David Catania (I-At Large), author and lead sponsor of the bill; and Council member Phil Mendelson (D-At Large), chair of the committee that shepherded the bill through the Council.
Also standing at the table for the signing were gay Council member Jim Graham (D-Ward 1), in whose ward the church is located; Council members Jack Evans (D-Ward 1); Muriel Bowser (D-Ward 4), and Harry Thomas Jr. (D-Ward 5); and Fenty’s LGBT Affairs Office director, Christopher Dyer.
Fenty and Catania, among others participating in the bill signing ceremony, said the decision to hold the event in a church was symbolic of the message they sought to project during the campaign to legalize same-sex marriage in the city: that the legislation would not infringe on the rights of people of faith and would, in fact, give ministers supportive of marriage equality the right to legally perform same-sex marriages.
Most of the opposition to the legislation was led by clergy who oppose same-sex marriage on religious grounds. Bishop Harry Jackson, pastor of Hope Christian Church in Beltsville, Md., and the lead spokesperson for the bill’s opponents, has vowed to continue efforts to urge Congress to overturn the legislation.
Jackson and his supporters also are appealing in D.C. Superior Court a ruling by the city’s election board denying a proposed voter initiative that sought to ban same-sex marriage in the District of Columbia.
Catania told people gathered for the bill’s signing that six generations of his family, including his grandfather, have been Baptist ministers. He noted that leaders of the churches in which his ancestors were a part were outspoken abolitionists in the fight against slavery prior to the Civil War.
“I was raised in a household that loved this country,” he said. “And at times, even in our struggles, we wonder whether our best days are behind us. I have to be completely honest with you. I’ve never been more certain in my life that our best days are before us.”
Catania said the passage and signing of a same-sex marriage bill was the culmination of years of work from committed LGBT activists and their allies, beginning with veteran D.C. gay activist Frank Kameny, who is credited with founding the local LGBT rights movement in the early 1960s.
“I was fortunate enough to simply guide the process and draft [the bill], but it would not have taken place without the extraordinary leadership of Phil Mendelson on the Judiciary Committee and our non-stop support from our [Council] chairman. And enough cannot be said about the rank and file members of this Council, who stood with us.”
Sources familiar with the mayor’s office said Fenty also considered holding the signing ceremony at Covenant Baptist church in
Southeast D.C., which is headed by pro-same-sex marriage pastors Dennis and Christine Wiley. The Wileys, along with Hardies of All Souls, were co-chairs of the coalition of clergy backing same-sex marriage. One source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Fenty is thought to have chosen All Souls in part because it’s located in the neighborhood where he grew up.
In his remarks, Fenty introduced his parents, who were in the audience, and noted that their status as an interracial couple made them a part of the marriage equality movement.
“My parents know a little something about marriage equality,” he said. “They married almost 40 years ago and in a country at the time where every jurisdiction didn’t agree that an interracial couple should be married. Had they not been able to, I would not be standing here as mayor of the District of Columbia right now.”
Graham, who, along with Catania, has been a longtime LGBT rights advocate, appeared to express the emotion that many LGBT activists and same-sex couples present at the bill signing event shared.
“Thank God for this day,” he said. “Thank God that I was able to live to see this day.”
Graham praised Fenty for standing out as a “certainty” that the bill would be signed whenever the Council felt the time was right to pass it.
He also pointed to the historic support All Souls Unitarian Church provided for the African American civil rights movement in the 1950s, when the church founded one of the city’s first integrated youth clubs. It was at a time when D.C.’s youth recreation facilities were segregated among black and whites.
“We can’t overlook how fitting it is that we are in this church,” he said, “because this church has a great tradition of fighting for civil rights and human rights.”
Fenty, Catania and Graham were beseeched after the ceremony by activists and same-sex couples attending the event who asked them to pose for pictures with them and to sign copies of a mayoral press statement announcing the bill signing.
“It’s an exciting day for many of us,” said gay Democratic activist Peter Rosenstein, one of the organizers of the same-sex marriage advocacy group Campaign for All D.C. Families. “It’s a day that many of us thought wouldn’t come in our lifetimes. It’s for us and for future generations.”
Michael Crawford, co-chair of D.C. for Marriage, said he doesn’t believe Fenty and the 11 Council members who voted for the bill would face serious opposition in their upcoming elections over this specific issue.
“The folks who are claiming they will enact political retribution against Council members that voted for marriage equality, by and large, don’t live in the District,” he said. “So it’s going to be pretty difficult for them to have an impact on District elections.”
Rev. Abena McCray, pastor of D.C.’s LGBT welcoming Unity Fellowship Church, and Bishop Rainey Cheeks, pastor of the city’s Inner Light Ministries, which also has a largely LGBT congregation, each said the mayor’s signing of the marriage bill would boost the faith and morale of LGBT people of faith.
“I don’t anticipate a backlash,” McCray said, when asked about clergy who have opposed the bill.
“God is in control,” she said. “God spoke today. History was made. And we’re going to move forward in only one thing, and that’s love.”
Cheeks said he expects efforts by people of faith to fight the legislation will be diminished once they understand it.
“When they really understand that this law does not take away anything from anybody, it adds to,” they will be far less likely to try to reverse the law, he said.
“Every church and every denomination already has the right to say no to whomever they want to say no to,” Cheeks said, on the question of performing same-sex marriages. “It simply expands the right for us to be able to do what we need to do.”
District of Columbia
D.C. to receive $300,000 from Gilead for ‘illegal kickback scheme’
Alleged effort to pay doctors to prescribe company’s HIV meds

D.C. Attorney General Brian L. Schwalb announced on July 15 that the pharmaceutical company Gilead Sciences will pay $316,413 to the District as part of a settlement of civil allegations that it engaged in an illegal kickback scheme with doctors to promote and sell its HIV medication.
A statement released by Schwalb says Gilead allegedly violated D.C. and federal false claims laws “by paying doctors and other healthcare providers to promote and prescribe its suite of HIV medications over those marketed by its competitors.”
The statement adds, “Because the resulting insurance claims filed with the District’s Medicaid program were induced by kickbacks, they violated the District’s False Claims Act ((FCA).”
Gilead’s $316,413 payment to D.C. is part of a total of $202 million the drug company agreed to pay in April of this year to 46 states and the District to settle a lawsuit initially filed against it in 2016 over illegal kickback allegations.
“For years, Gilead Sciences illegally boosted sales by paying lavish kickbacks to doctors, and in so doing, cheated both District patients and taxpayers,” Schwalb said in his statement.
“Gilead develops, manufacturers, and sells medications for the treatment of infectious diseases, including HIV/AIDS,” the statement continues. “A federal and multistate investigation revealed that between 2011 and 2017, Gilead administered a kickback program for its suite of HIV medications whereby 548 healthcare providers received over $23.7 million in honoraria payments, in addition to extravagant meals and paid travel expenses,” the statement says.
It says these payments were part of Gilead’s “HIV Speaker Programs” intended to entice the doctors to prescribe Gilead’s drugs. “Throughout this period, Gilead caused claims for payment for its HIV medication – induced by the illegal kickbacks – to be submitted to the District’s Medicaid program,” Schwalb’s statement says.
In a statement at the time of the settlement in April, Gilead said it “entered into this agreement to avoid the cost and distraction of potential litigation regarding this legacy compliance matter.”
The statement adds, “Gilead’s speaker programs have served to educate healthcare professionals about the appropriate use and benefits of these important medications … Gilead’s therapies have transformed the treatment paradigm for HIV, and Gilead will continue to drive innovation to meet patients’ needs.”
While under criticism for the alleged kickback scheme, Gilead received favorable news coverage in June when the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved a new HIV prevention medication developed by Gilead called lenacapavir that needs to be taken by injection once every six months.
Public health experts and AIDS activists called the new HIV prevention, or PrEP, drug, which testing showed to be greater than 99 percent effective in preventing HIV infection, a major advancement in the years-long effort to end the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the U.S. and worldwide.
Delaware
Delaware church to protest Rehoboth restaurant’s drag brunch
Broad community support, counter protest mobilized for Goolee’s Grille

Delaware LGBTQ advocates are organizing a counter-protest in response to a planned protest against a drag brunch in Rehoboth Beach on July 20.
Members of St. Ann’s Church in Bethany Beach announced plans to protest a Sunday drag brunch hosted at Goolee’s Grille, a gay-owned restaurant in Rehoboth Beach. In the church newsletter, they described the action as a “peaceful and Legal Rosary Rally in Protest and Reparation for Goolee’s Grille Rehoboth Beach hosting ‘Drag Brunch’ to normalize transgender and variants.”
The counter-protest will begin at 11:15 a.m. outside the restaurant and is organized by a coalition of local organizations including Sussex Pride, Indivisible Delaware, Speak Out Against Hate, CAMP Rehoboth, Rehoboth Beach Pride, and the Delaware Anti-Violence Project.
“The rally is aimed at showcasing the overwhelming support for Goolee’s Grill, a beloved small business that has stood as a beacon of diversity and acceptance in the Rehoboth Beach community,” read a press release from Sussex Pride.
The Rehoboth Beach Pride festival takes place the day before on July 19.
“As we celebrate Rehoboth Beach Pride, all LGBTQ+ people, but particularly LGBTQ+ youth, should know that there are many faith communities here that love and accept us exactly as we are,” said David Mariner, executive director of Sussex Pride. “These members of St. Ann’s Church of Bethany do not speak for everyone.”
Goolee’s hosts drag brunches every third Sunday of the month. This week’s show is sold out, though the gift shop will be open. The restaurant opened in 2004 in Ocean City before moving to Rehoboth in 2014.
“As a perpetual student of Jesus Christ, my faith has always taught me to love my neighbor, offer myself to the stranger, and reach out to those living on the fringe,” said Rev. Shelley D. McDade, Rector of the Parish of All Saints’ Church & St. George’s Chapel. “Thank you, Goolee’s, for continually serving up an authentic dish of love, acceptance and fun.”
District of Columbia
Gay Ward 1 Council candidate expresses ‘passion’ for public service
Brian Footer says listening to residents’ concerns is focus of campaign

Gay Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner Brian Footer, who has announced his candidacy for the Ward 1 D.C. Council seat up for election in 2026, says his campaign includes a diverse coalition of supporters dedicated to addressing the concerns of Ward 1 residents.
In an interview with the Washington Blade, Footer outlined his plans for addressing a wide range of issues impacting Ward 1 and the city as a whole, which he said affect all city residents, including LGBTQ residents.
“On the City Council I’m going to be especially focused on making housing more affordable, improving public safety, and making it easier to do business in our community,” he said. The needs and concerns of the city’s senior citizens is also an issue of great interest for him, he told the Blade.
“Public service is something that has always been ingrained in me,” he added. “And local government is where I’ve chosen to channel that passion, because it directly impacts people’s lives.”
Footer, a Democrat, initially will be running for the Ward 1 Council seat in the city’s June 2, 2026, Democratic primary. If he were to win the primary and the November 2026 general election, he would become the Council’s second openly gay member.
Incumbent Ward 1 Council member Brianne Nadeau (D) told the Blade last week that she wasn’t ready to discuss her plans for the future and whether she would run for re-election. Longtime Ward 1 community activist Terry Lynch has announced his candidacy for the Ward 1 Council seat as a Democrat.
Blade: Can you tell a little about your background, where you were born and raised and where you are from if you are not a native of the D.C. area?
Footer: I’m proud to say I’m a third-generation native of the D.C. area. From my grandfather’s dental practice just north of Dupont. From my parents meeting while working at G.W. Hospital. Or three generations of Footers attending the Hebrew School of Washington Hebrew. D.C. is my home and part of my family’s history.
And for the past 20 plus years as an adult gay man, D.C. has been my chosen home, in large part due to the vibrant and proud LGBTQ+ community. Public service is something that has always been ingrained in me. And local government is where I’ve chosen to channel that passion, because it directly impacts people’s lives.
I started my public service journey as a U.S. House page working for Dick Gephardt. And cut my teeth in local policy working for the New York City Council’s Speaker, Christine Quinn, managing her aging and veterans affairs portfolio. That’s where I got to experience how local government can truly impact people’s daily lives. …
I chose to extend my public service by first running for ANC in 2014…. And I came back to the ANC in 2022 and served as chair of 1E since then.
Blade: Can you say a little about how you describe your occupation and your working career?
Footer: I would say that I am an expert in the Older Americans Act. And that is an amazing space to make sure that we’re supporting our senior community to a place of dignity and respect. And so, I worked for government for many years, like 10 or 11 years. I started at the federal level, went down to the state level and eventually found my passion at the local level.
And that’s where I started getting my expertise in the aging space. And currently I work at KPMG as a healthcare consultant. And my clients there are the Center for Medicaid and Medicare Services.
Blade: Have you been involved in local D.C. community affairs for
a good amount of time?
Footer: Yes, in 2014 I decided to run for ANC. And as I mentioned, I have a passion for really getting into local issues. And so, running for ANC was an opportunity to extend my experiences and I’ve had an amazing time doing that. And then I ran for the Ward 1 Dems position. I was chair of that. And that took me through the 2016 presidential election.
And then in 2022 I decided to run again for ANC just a couple of blocks away. And I represent the southern part of Howard University and the northern part of Shaw. And I’m on the southern boundary of ANC 1 E, which represents Howard University, Park View, and Pleasant Plakins, with Georgia Avenue running through all SMDs [Single Member Districts].
Blade: What neighborhood do you live in now?
Footer: I live in the northern Shaw neighborhood, kind of the east side of U Street. So, I live in a building called Atlantic Plumbing. It’s right next to the 9:30 Club.
Blade: You mention on your campaign website that you feel things are not going as well as they should in the city in a number of different areas. Can you tell a little about what those areas or issues are and what you would do to correct or fix them?
Footer: So, on the City Council I’m going to be especially focused on making housing more affordable, improving public safety, and making it easier to do business in our community. And these are urgent issues. And people need relief now, not a decade from now. And so, with respect to public safety, we have been given a false choice between law enforcement and compassionate long-term solutions that get people back on their feet.
We need both. And they have to be coordinated. We have a lot of public safety programs in place, but they’re not working because we’ve thrown everything at the wall and aren’t doing any one of them very well. We have the information and data about crime and safety in Ward 1 to focus on targeted policies that will actually work if only we’re committed to them and follow through. I mean better coordination between agencies, more consistent support for violence prevention programs, and urgent improvements for things like street lighting, trash, and behavioral health services. So, we need to feel safe and be safe. Right now, too many residents don’t feel either.
With respect for housing, the rent is too high. It is unaffordable for lots of families. And so, over the past 10 years, rent has increased more than 66 percent while the consumer price index for the area increased by approximately 25 percent; that means that rent prices have been increasing by a rate of more than double that of general inflation.
We’ve been given a false choice between supporting business or supporting renters. I’m in favor of working with the business communities to build as many new homes as possible. It doesn’t have to come at the expense of renters and owners’ rent. There are solutions that have been implemented elsewhere in the country we should emulate. We should use the power of local government to make it easier and cheaper to build while bringing renters and the business community to the table.
As for small businesses, there are plenty of good programs in D.C. to support small businesses. Right now, however, different parts of the D.C. government don’t talk to each other. And we’re putting the onus on business owners to navigate this bureaucratic maze. We should be making it a lot easier for entrepreneurs and small businesses to get the licenses they need, pay their people a living wage, and serve our community.
Blade: Can you say a little about the current Ward 1 Council member? Do you feel she is not doing what you feel should be done on these issues?
Footer: So, you know, what I’ll say about Council member Nadeau, she has served Ward 1 for many years. And I respect anyone who steps up for public service. Whether she decides to run again or not, my decision to enter this race comes from listening to neighbors who are ready for a new vision. One that’s focused on safety, stability, and a city government that truly works for everyone.
I’m not running against anyone. I’m running for the future of Ward 1. I bring a different leadership style. I listen first. I build coalitions. I act boldly and I follow through. This campaign is about what we can do differently and better to make people feel safe, supported, and seen. Ward 1 deserves that conversation no matter who is on the ballot.
Blade: The local D.C. government and its current laws, including the Human Rights Act, are recognized as being supportive of the rights of the LGBTQ community. As a gay candidate, is there anything else you think needs to be done to protect the rights and the wellbeing of the D.C. LGBTQ community?
Footer: I will say I’m proud to be a gay man and part of D.C.’s vibrant LGBTQ+ community. And my involvements in the community over the years have been both personal and political, from organizing alongside queer leaders, advocating for inclusive policies, to showing up for the community when it matters most.
In D.C., I have worked with and supported local LGBTQ+ groups in a variety of ways, from volunteering for the Victory Fund in my early career to organizing LGBTQ+ senior housing round tables for SAGE and other housing advocates. But beyond formal affiliations, my queer identity informs how I lead. It’s with empathy, resilience and a deep appreciation for chosen family and intersectionality.
That’s why I’m running – to make sure queer people in Ward 1 and across the city feel seen, heard, and supported. And just to answer your question a little more directly, I think that there are two things in particular that are going to be important that I want to work towards and bring a lot of attention to.
One of them is dealing with housing. LGBTQ+ seniors are twice as likely to live alone and four times less likely to have children compared to their non-LGBTQ+ peers. And so national surveys show that many LGBTQ+ seniors fear having to go back in the closet when entering assisted living or retirement communities or nursing homes. And so, stories of misgendering and lack of cultural competency among staff are common.
So, affirming and safe and affordable housing isn’t just about comfort. It’s about dignity and safety for our seniors. And the second topic we see a lot about is to support organizations like SMYAL, because up to 40 percent of youth experiencing homelessness in D.C. identify as LGBTQ+. So, we need to make sure that we have those services to support people.
Blade: The D.C. Council has been considering a proposal by Mayor Bower in her FY 2026 budget to repeal a law impacting restaurants and bars, including the city’s gay bars, known as Initiative 82 that was passed twice by voters in a ballot initiative, which calls for ending the so-called tipped wage and requiring the businesses to pay the full minimum wage to restaurant and bar workers. Businesses and many of the tipped workers say the law has had a devastating impact on the businesses and they support repealing it. Do you have a position on that?
Footer: I think this is a good example of what I’ve said before that we are consistently being given false choices, right? And so, I think that we need to do our due diligence in order to find what is the common ground. You won’t find a small business in D.C. that doesn’t want to pay their people a living wage. And so, the question becomes how do you support our small business community to be able to thrive and also make sure that they’re supporting their employees.
And so, the specifics of whether I would vote for repealing it – I would say I’m not in favor of repealing what the voters have now said twice. But I do think the economic situation of our city has changed since the last time the voters had the opportunity to address this issue. And so, I figure it’s the City Council and the mayor’s job and the city government’s job to find out how we can make sure we’re blending those two things. It shouldn’t have to be a binary choice.
Blade: So, at this point are you saying you would not support the full repeal of the law?
Footer: At this point I don’t know if I would support a full repeal.
Blade: One other issue we have learned is that another candidate, longtime community activist Terry Lynch, has entered the race for the Ward 1 Council seat. Have you had any interaction with him over the years?
Footer: I haven’t. I recently reached out to him, and we’re supposed to get together soon to catch up. But I’m not very familiar with Terry Lynch. I’m looking forward to meeting him
Blade: The local LGBTQ group GLAA DC, formerly known as the Gay & Lesbian Activists Alliance, issues ratings for candidates running for the D.C. Council and for mayor. They base their ratings on a candidate’s record on LGBTQ issues and their response to a questionnaire the group sends to all candidates. Two of the questions they always ask is do you support decriminalizing sex work between consenting adults and decriminalizing possession of recreational drugs such as cocaine. How would you answer those two questions?
Footer: We just started to do a lot more research into that. And I don’t have a position on that just yet. But you’re not the first person to bring up that topic. It’s definitely something we’re going to do research on and have a better understanding on how that directly impacts people in Ward 1. So, I’ll have a more formal answer and be able to talk through the specifics of that.
-
Obituary1 day ago
Cassandra Mary Ake-Duvall, 36, passed away on July 2, 2025.
-
District of Columbia2 days ago
Trans woman attacked, beaten near Lincoln Memorial
-
Delaware1 day ago
Delaware church to protest Rehoboth restaurant’s drag brunch
-
Movies3 days ago
‘Superman’ is here to to save us, despite MAGA backlash