Local
D.C. chief judge’s advice for couples planning to wed
Clerks can’t refuse to perform civil weddings on religious grounds
Couples lined up outside D.C. Superior Court on March 3 to obtain same-sex marriage licenses the first day they became available. (Photo by Joe Tresh)
D.C. Superior Court Chief Judge Lee Satterfield, who oversees the court’s Marriage Bureau, offered advice for same-sex couples coming to the courthouse for the first time to apply for a marriage license or a court officiated civil wedding.
In an interview with DC Agenda on the day before the city’s same-sex marriage law took effect March 3, Satterfield acknowledged the occasion would be “exciting” for gay couples and promised to do all he could to make the license application process run smoothly.
He said that while he could not comment on internal court personnel matters, he made it clear that clerks and other court officials could not decline to perform same-sex wedding on religious or moral grounds, as is the case in other jurisdictions where gay marriage is legal.
“We expect to have anyone doing and officiating weddings to be officiating all weddings,” he said.
Following is a transcript of Satterfield’s interview with DC Agenda:
DC AGENDA: Leah Gurowitz, the court’s public information officer, said you might be able to talk about the procedures at the courthouse for accommodating the city’s new same-sex marriage law.
LEE SATTERFIELD: I thought it would be good to give some information to the public. I know it’s going to be an exciting day tomorrow for a lot of folk who have been waiting and a lot of residents here in D.C. and even elsewhere who may come to D.C. to apply for a marriage license. So I wanted to offer some tips or advice as to how to make this a good experience and a smooth one.
AGENDA: Thank you. What would you suggest people do as the process begins?
SATTERFIELD: We’re open every day during the weekday 8:30 to 5 p.m. We’re available on other days other than [Wednesday]. But for folk who want to come [Wednesday] during what we expect to be a huge rush and a significant increase in numbers, we’re asking people to, number one, come with a lot of patience because we normally get about 10 to 12 applications in a day. And while I’m going to add some staff to the Marriage Bureau so that we can process a significant amount more, and we’re going to work very hard to do so, I expect that there will be some time delays. But we will accommodate everybody. So we’re asking, number one, that people be patient, who decide to come [Wednesday] and the next couple of days soon after the law becomes effective.
And then there are a number of other things they can do. For instance, come with a completed application. We loaded the application on our web site — dccourts.gov, you can go into the Superior Court section — or actually, there’s a link on the front page for folk to go right to the Marriage Bureau section and get the application so they complete it. I think it’s important that folk — some of the things we see happen to folk that end up having to come back is that they don’t come down with their identification because the law requires that you have to be 18 years and older.
And so if there’s one party coming down they may come down with their own but not with their partner’s — so they have to make sure they have some identification, whether it’s a driver’s license, passport, birth certificate, not just for themselves but the person they’re marrying. So those are the kinds of things that trip people up and they end up having to come back again.
We want to try to avoid, particularly when we expect a significant increase. And then, of course, bring money — cash or money order with the amount. The fee is $35 for applying and then, of course, $10 for the marriage certificate, and that could be paid that day. We have a separate finance office for that, or any day up until you get your license. You have to have proof of payment before that — unless you are registered under the D.C. domestic partnership act. Then we’ll waive the fee. But please bring your certificate showing proof that you’re registered to show the clerks so that they can waive the fee.
AGENDA: What’s the procedure for a civil wedding at the courthouse? Isn’t there an additional waiting time for courthouse weddings?
SATTERFIELD: I’m being told now from one of my staff persons that knows all this that when they apply for the application they apply for a civil wedding at that time. So it will probably be 10 days from that time.
AGENDA: Ten days from when they apply for the license?
SATTERFIELD: Ten days or more. We use that as a reasonable period. Obviously, if they want to do it after 14 days or a specific date after the tenth day, we try to set it for that.
AGENDA: If someone does apply for a civil marriage, who exactly performs them? The web site says something about officials from the staff.
SATTERFIELD: Right. In terms of the civil marriages that are conducted at the courthouse, I designated as chief judge through the clerk of the court here a number of staff. Usually they’re supervisors or managers. And I’ve added some more — authorized some more individuals to do the civil marriage. The judges typically are not doing them during the day because they are involved in their dockets, the cases they have to hear each day, which are quite extensive. So very rarely are the judges involved. Sometimes the judges will go up to help out if we have an increased demand and so forth. And so if it’s done at the court it’s usually done by one of the duly sworn officiates that we designate to perform these weddings. And then individuals, judges do them outside of court for individuals who request — usually somebody that knows the judge. It’s that kind of connection. But we very rarely have judges go up there because at the time of the day they would go during the lunch hour and it’s hard to get them up there because of their other responsibilities.
AGENDA: But if a judge knows the couple…
SATTERFIELD: Oh, sure. If the couple arranges with a judge to perform their ceremony, they should bring the judge’s name and add it to the application so that it can be placed on the certificate. Or if it happens later, that’s fine, too. You don’t have to have it on the day that you apply. But judges often perform ceremonies — you just kind of get to them in a different way.
AGENDA: Could they do the ceremonies outside the courthouse, too?
SATTERFIELD: Oh, the judges? That’s where they mostly do them. That’s where the judges typically do them because they don’t do them here. Typically they will do them outside on the weekends or in the evenings, those kinds of things.
AGENDA: To the extent that you can comment, in other states officials are allowed to decline to perform a same-sex marriage if it is against their religious beliefs. Can the officials do that here?
SATTERFIELD: You know the law, as I understand it in the District of Columbia, does not allow that when it comes to employees of the court — it does for clergy and others. It allows them to decline. It doesn’t allow for our folk to do so. While I don’t discuss personnel matters, what I will say is this: We expect to have anyone doing and officiating weddings to be officiating all weddings.
AGENDA: Where is the Marriage Bureau in the courthouse?
SATTERFIELD: It’s on the fourth floor. Another point I want to make: We have three entrances to the courthouse. I only say this for a number of reasons. We expect a lot of activity for [Wednesday] — out front, including our main entrance. And we have construction going on out there. So if citizens come up and they see it’s quite crowded out there, we have another entrance in what we call the John Martial Plaza, which is the family court entrance, which is that plaza between the Municipal Building and our courthouse. And then we have an entrance on our C Street side of the court building. In terms of how busy they are, the main one on Indiana Avenue is the busiest. The family court one is the second busiest, and then C Street is the least busy. So we have three avenues of getting in and getting out. So I don’t know what all the activity is going to be like outside. But we have those three avenues of getting in and getting out. And the Marriage Bureau is on the fourth floor.
AGENDA: Leah Gurowitz said there’s an exception to the ban on cameras in the courthouse for weddings there?
SATTERFIELD: Right. Once we schedule your civil marriage, we give a permission slip so that the guards will allow you to bring a camera in. I’m glad you mentioned that because we don’t allow cameras for anyone coming in the courthouse. So if folk were coming in to apply, that would apply to them, but if you’re coming back to have a ceremony or guests of those who are having the ceremony, we will allow cameras in then. And that’s another reason for when we schedule it we make sure that the person gets permission in order to bring the camera past the guards.
AGENDA: In terms of the applications themselves, I noticed they had not changed as of a few weeks ago. They only had space for one bride and one groom.
SATTERFIELD: We modified them. We put the modified or our new standard form up over the weekend. So it’s there now.
AGENDA: Do the new forms use the term “spouse?”
SATTERFIELD: You can go up there and get it. We have taken out the bride and groom part and just put two spouse sections, and we’re going to use that from here on out for all applicants. We’re trying to keep it simple with one form.
AGENDA: Do you think some might object to that? Would more traditional heterosexual couples still want the terms bride and groom?
SATTERFIELD: But it’s just an application. So we’re willing to deal with that on the application part. That’s something that nobody sees but us. The certificate is what everybody wants out of this, because that’s the legal document joining you.
AGENDA: Would that legal document still say bride and groom if the parties want it?
SATTERFIELD: … We never had that on the form. What we do is we list the names of the parties. So we never had that on the certificate of license anyway.
AGENDA: Could you explain what the certificate of license is?
SATTERFIELD: It’s going to have our seal on it. It’s the certificate of marriage, the license number, and it’s going to duly authorize and celebrate the marriage between the named [parties] — both spouses. It will list their names. And then it’s signed by and stamped by the Clerk of the Court. And then whoever officiates it would have to sign it after the marriage is performed and then agree to send a copy back to us for our records. We keep a copy of it at the court. And they get a very nice copy of the certificate and the officiate is able to keep a copy as well.
AGENDA: Is that the one that goes to a church if the wedding will be held there?
SATTERFIELD: That’s right. This certificate goes to whether it is a civil marriage here in our court or signed by a judge or signed by a clergy. It’s one certificate for all.
District of Columbia
Senate passes separate bill to avert $1.1 billion cut to D.C. budget
Bipartisan measure prompts Democrats to back GOP funding measure
In a dramatic turn of events, the U.S. Senate at 6:30 p.m. on Friday passed a free-standing bill proposed by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) that calls for amending the Republican-backed budget reconciliation measure to add language eliminating the measure’s call for a $1.1 billion cut in the D.C. budget.
Schumer’s announcement on the Senate floor that the bill, which was introduced by U.S. Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), had bipartisan support prompted eight other Democratic senators and one independent to join Schumer in voting for a motion enabling the GOP-backed budget measure to clear a Democratic filibuster requiring 60 votes to overcome.
The cloture motion to end the filibuster passed by a close margin of 62 to 38, with 37 Democrats who strongly opposed the GOP budget measure voting against cloture. Senator Rand Paul (R-Ky.) was the only GOP senator to vote against cloture.
The Senate then voted along partisan lines to approve the budget reconciliation measure that still includes the $1.1 billion D.C. budget cut provision in an action that averted a federal government shutdown that would have begun at 12:01 a.m. on Saturday, March 15.
Schumer pointed out in the Senate debate over the budget measure that the U.S. House of Representatives, which approved the budget measure containing the $1.1 billion D.C. budget cut four days earlier, will now also have to vote on the freestanding bill exempting D.C. from the House-initiated budget cut when it returns from its recess on March 24.
According to Schumer and others supporting the Collins bill, the bill enjoys bipartisan support in the House, which some political observers say is expected to pass the bill.
The Senate passed the Collins bill by voice vote without a roll call vote being taken after the Senate approved the budget reconciliation measure.
The House budget reconciliation bill passed March 11 broke from longtime past practices for budget bills by declaring D.C. a federal agency and subjecting it to what D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowler and city officials called an unjustified city budget cut that would have a “devastating” impact on D.C. residents.
The unexpected budget cut, if not reversed now by the House, would require the city to make large scale cuts in its current fiscal year 2025 budget that would impact a wide range of city programs, including programs impacting the LGBTQ community, according to observers.
In his remarks on the Senate floor, Schumer said he agreed with his Democratic colleagues who voted against the cloture motion that the GOP backed budget conciliation bill, which is backed by President Donald Trump, is a bad bill that will be harmful to the country.
“For sure the Republican bill is a terrible option,” Shumer said on the Senate Floor on Thursday. “But I believe allowing Donald Trump to take … much more power via a government shutdown is a far worse option,” the Washington Post quoted him as saying.
Among those who chose not to join Schumer in voting for cloture to end the filibuster and allow the GOP budget measure to be approved were U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), the Senate’s only openly lesbian member, and the two Democratic senators from Maryland and Virginia.
But each of them spoke out strongly in favor of the Collins bill to exempt D.C. from the $1.1 billion budget cut.
D.C. officials had initially asked senators to amend the budget reconciliation measure itself to take out the provision calling for the D.C. budget cut. But such an amendment would have been far less likely to pass, and it would have required the House to approve it. With a House vote on that not likely to happen until March 24, the deadline would have been missed to avoid a government shutdown.
Although Collins introduced the freestanding bill in cooperation with Schumer and with strong support from U.S. Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Senate observers believe the Collins bill would not have received as much support from Senate Republicans if Schumer had not worked out a deal with Senate GOP leaders to garner enough Democratic votes to end the filibuster and secure passage of the GOP budget reconciliation measure.
Maryland
Evan Glass running for Montgomery County executive
Former journalist would be first gay person to hold office
Evan Glass is running for Montgomery County executive.
He is currently serving his second term as an at-large member of the Montgomery County Council.
Glass has been a councilman since 2018; he is the first openly gay person to hold a seat on the council. Glass has also been its president and vice president. He is now running to succeed incumbent County Executive Marc Elrich, who has reached the end of his two-term limit.
Glass on Wednesday announced he is entering the race for county executive, which, if elected, would make him the first openly gay person to lead Montgomery County’s executive office.
In an email to the Washington Blade, Glass outlined key campaign priorities, including standing up to President Donald Trump and his “aspiring oligarchs,” supporting vulnerable members of the Montgomery County community as federal budgets are slashed, and protecting residents’ quality of life by ensuring that “Montgomery County remains a place where people can afford to live, raise their families, and retire with security.”
Glass is holding a campaign launch event on March 22 at 11:30 a.m. at 7 Locks Brewing in Rockville to officially kick off his bid for county executive, outline his campaign platform, and connect with supporters.
Over the past seven years, Glass has served on several key committees within the Montgomery County Council. These include the Transportation and Environment Committee, where he has worked to implement policies benefiting both public transit users and the environment, and the Economic Development Committee, which focuses on fostering and sustaining economic growth in Montgomery County.
In addition to his committee work, Glass spearheaded the creation of the Anti-Hate Task Force, which aims to “prioritize policies that promote safety and combat hate crimes” for marginalized communities, including LGBTQ residents. He also helped organize the county’s first Pride celebrations.
During his tenure, Glass has worked to reduce housing costs in Montgomery County by passing legislation to make it more affordable to build and rent homes, particularly near public transportation. He has also championed policies to address the climate crisis, including securing funding for clean energy initiatives.
Glass has helped pass numerous laws to expand grant opportunities for entrepreneurs, ensure fair wages, and increase oversight, and transparency within Montgomery County Public Schools. He also led efforts to expand the county council from nine to 11 members.
Before entering Montgomery County politics, Glass spent 12 years as a journalist for CNN, covering national politics.
District of Columbia
LGBTQ performers join Kennedy Center boycott following Trump takeover
Opposition grows after cancellation of Gay Men’s Chorus show
A growing number of LGBTQ musicians and performers such as choral singers and orchestra players have joined other performing artists in refusing to perform at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts since its takeover last month by President Donald Trump.
According to local gay musician Stephen Key, who for many years has worked as a contract oboe player at the Kennedy Center, as many as a dozen or more gay and lesbian musicians perform at the Kennedy Center. He said some have resigned their jobs or, like him, are refusing to perform as self-employed musicians at the Kennedy Center.
“I decided after the second cancellation to turn down work,” Key told the Washington Blade. “There are more famous musicians than me who have done the same,” he added. “But I just couldn’t do it anymore. It was after the Gay Men’s Chorus cancellation occurred.”
Key was referring to the decision by the National Symphony Orchestra, which is under the direction of the Kennedy Center, to “postpone” the performance of the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington, which was scheduled to perform with the orchestra on May 21.
In a statement released to the Blade in February, a National Symphony Orchestra spokesperson said the decision to postpone, which soon after became a cancellation, took place in January before President Trump’s sweeping leadership changes at the Kennedy Center.
The spokesperson, Jean Davidson, said the decision related to the Gay Men’s Chorus was due to “financial and scheduling factors.”
The ultimate cancellation of the Gay Men’s Chorus performance came shortly after Kennedy Center officials cancelled a planned WorldPride related performance of the San Francisco based International Pride Orchestra, and the highly acclaimed children’s musical “Finn.” The officials cited financial reasons for the Finn cancellation and did not publicly say why the international chorus was cancelled.
In a Feb. 14 article, Playbill magazine reported that the creators and composers of “Finn” released a statement denouncing the cancellation as an expression of bias against a theme of “love and acceptance” that could be “read as a metaphor for the LGBTQ+ experience.”
Key said LGBTQ and LGBTQ supportive musicians and others who have worked at the Kennedy Center question the claim that scheduling and financial issues were the actual reason for the postponement and cancellation of the Gay Men’s Chorus performance as well as for the performances of “Finn” and the International Pride Orchestra.
He said musicians and others familiar with the National Symphony fear the real reason is National Symphony officials were concerned that supporting an LGBTQ related performance would result in unfavorable consequences from the Trump administration and the Kennedy Center’s Trump appointed leaders, including the possible loss of their nonprofit tax status from the IRS.
Observers have also pointed out that a statement by Trump that drag performers would no longer be allowed to perform at the Kennedy Center could have played a role in the decision to cancel the Gay Men’s Chorus appearance because drag performers have participated in some of the Gay Men’s Chorus shows.
A bias by the Kennedy Center’s current leadership against LGBTQ performances may also be linked to the Trump administration’s ban on diversity, equity, and inclusion, or “DEI” programs and public displays, some observers have said.
Earlier in February President Trump appointed himself as chair of the board of the Kennedy Center after ousting longtime chair David M. Rubenstein. He then replaced most of the other board members with his supporters and named gay former diplomat and longtime Trump supporter Richard Grenell as the Kennedy Center’s interim executive director.
Among the organizations that have joined the Kennedy Center boycott by cancelling an appearance there is the hit Broadway play “Hamilton.” Also announcing their cancellation of Kennedy Center appearances were actress and comedian Issa Rae, rock band Low Cut Connie, and singer-musician Rhiannon Giddens.
Key said that while he has been an oboe player at the Kennedy Center with the National Symphony Orchestra and the Kennedy Center’s opera orchestra, he also has and continues to play with local orchestras and choral groups not affiliated with the Kennedy Center. He said he also serves as Adjunct Associate Professor of Oboe at Shenandoah Conservatory at Shenandoah University in Winchester, Va.
So, his decision to boycott the Kennedy Center as a musician, unlike other LGBTQ and allied musicians, will not end his career as a musician he points out.
“The sad part is that the National Symphony, the opera orchestra – these are groups that I’ve played with, and I have friends in all of these groups,” Key said. “They’re kind of innocent bystanders in a sense because they don’t have other jobs. I can walk away from my job there and I’ll be fine,” he said.
“There are plenty of queer people in both of those ensembles and while a lot of people are boycotting the orchestras, they are still having to show up to work every day because that’s their day job.” He added, “So, there’s kind of an awkward situation that’s been made as a result of all of this.”
In a related development, local drag artists and their supporters gathered for a march from Washington Circle to the Kennedy Center on Saturday to protest the Trump-Vance administration’s anti-transgender policies and the decisions made by the Trump-appointed Kennedy Center board of trustees. The March for Drag began with a rally at Washington Circle near George Washington University.
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