Local
Bill would allow notaries to perform marriages
Council member Phil Mendelson (D-At-Large), chair of the Council's Committee on Public Safety and the Judiciary, will preside over the Oct. 14 hearing on the D.C. notary marriage bill. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
D.C. City Council is scheduled to hold a public hearing Oct. 14 on a bill that would authorize notaries to perform marriages in the city.
In a little-noticed development, Council members Mary Cheh (D-Ward 3), Jack Evans (D-Ward 2) and David Catania (I-At-Large) introduced the Marriage Officiant Amendment Act of 2010 on June 1. Council members Jim Graham (D-Ward 1) and Tommy Wells (D-Ward 6) signed on as co-sponsors.
Introduction of the notary public marriage bill comes a little more than six months after same-sex marriage became legal in the District of Columbia.
A spokesperson for Cheh, who is the lead introducer, said the bill is intended to give all couples another option for obtaining a civil marriage. Under the city’s current marriage law, civil marriages can only be performed by a judge or by a court-appointed “officiant” that almost always performs marriages at the D.C. Superior Court.
The current law allows clergy members to perform religious marriage ceremonies at places of worship or other locations.
“So by opening it up to notaries it’s giving people another option that requires neither any kind of religious association and you don’t have to go to a courthouse necessarily,” said Melissa Millar, Cheh’s legislative counsel.
Carly Heitz, a spokesperson for the American Society of Notaries, said three other states allow notaries public to perform marriages — Florida, South Carolina and Maine.
Council member Phil Mendelson (D-At-Large), chair of the Council’s Committee on Public Safety and the Judiciary, will preside over the Oct. 14 hearing on the D.C. notary marriage bill. Those interested in testifying should contact the committee at 202-724-7808.
Bob Summersgill, a local gay activist who was among those coordinating efforts to pass the same-sex marriage bill, said he plans to testify in favor of the bill.
Photos
PHOTOS: Helen Hayes Awards
Gay Men’s Chorus, local drag artists have featured performance at ceremony
The 41st Helen Hayes Awards were held at The Anthem on Monday, May 19. Felicia Curry and Mike Millan served as the hosts.
A performance featuring members of the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington and local drag artists was held at the end of the first act of the program to celebrate WorldPride 2025.
The annual awards ceremony honors achievement in D.C.-area theater productions and is produced by Theatre Washington.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
District of Columbia
Laverne Cox, Reneé Rapp, Deacon Maccubbin named WorldPride grand marshals
Three LGBTQ icons to lead parade
WorldPride organizers announced Thursday that actress and trans activist Laverne Cox, powerhouse performer Reneé Rapp, and LGBTQ trailblazer Deacon Maccubbin will serve as grand marshals for this year’s WorldPride parade.
The Capital Pride Alliance, which is organizing WorldPride 2025 in Washington, D.C., revealed the honorees in a press release, noting that each has made a unique contribution to the fabric of the LGBTQ community.
Cox made history in 2014 as the first openly transgender person nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award in an acting category for her role in Netflix’s “Orange Is the New Black.” She went on to win a Daytime Emmy in 2015 for her documentary “Laverne Cox Presents: The T Word,” which followed seven young trans people as they navigated coming out.
Rapp, a singer and actress who identifies as a lesbian, rose to prominence as Regina George in the Broadway musical “Mean Girls.” She reprised the role in the 2024 film adaptation and also stars in Max’s “The Sex Lives of College Girls,” portraying a character coming to terms with her sexuality. Rapp has released an EP, “Everything to Everyone,” and an album, “Snow Angel.” She announced her sophomore album, “Bite Me,” on May 21 and is slated to perform at the WorldPride Music Festival at the RFK Festival Grounds.
Deacon Maccubbin, widely regarded as a cornerstone of Washington’s LGBTQ+ history, helped organize D.C.’s first Gay Pride Party in 1975. The event took place outside Lambda Rising, one of the first LGBTQ bookstores in the nation, which Maccubbin founded. For his decades of advocacy and activism, he is often referred to as “the patriarch of D.C. Pride.”
“I am so honored to serve as one of the grand marshals for WorldPride this year. This has been one of the most difficult times in recent history for queer and trans people globally,” Cox said. “But in the face of all the rhetorical, legislative and physical attacks, we continue to have the courage to embrace who we truly are, to celebrate our beauty, resilience and bravery as a community. We refuse to allow fear to keep us from ourselves and each other. We remain out loud and proud.”
“Pride is everything. It is protection, it is visibility, it is intersectional. But most importantly, it is a celebration of existence and protest,” Rapp said.
The three will march down 14th Street for the WorldPride Parade in Washington on June 7.
2025 D.C. Trans Pride was held at Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Library on Saturday, May 17. The day was filled with panel discussions, art, social events, speakers, a resource fair and the Engendered Spirit Awards. Awardees included Lyra McMillan, Pip Baitinger, Steph Niaupari and Hayden Gise. The keynote address was delivered by athlete and advocate Schuyler Bailar.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
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