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 cityās current marriage law, civil marriages can only be performed by a judge or by a court-appointed āofficiantā 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.
āSo by opening it up to notaries itās giving people another option that requires neither any kind of religious association and you donāt have to go to a courthouse necessarily,ā said Melissa Millar, Chehās legislative counsel.
Carly Heitz, a spokesperson for the American Society of Notaries, said three other states allow notaries public to perform marriages ā Florida, South Carolina and Maine.
Council member Phil Mendelson (D-At-Large), chair of the Councilās 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.
Local
Kennedy Center cancels Gay Men’s Chorus concert
Move comes shortly after Trump takes over as chair and names Ric Grenell interim executive director

The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts has cancelled “A Peacock Among Pigeons: Celebrating 50 Years of Pride,” a May 21 concert that was to feature the Gay Menās Chorus of Washington, D.C.
They did not provide a reason for the decision, which comes just over a week after President Donald Trump installed himself as chair of the iconic institution and picked gay former diplomat Ric Grenell to serve as interim executive director.
The Chorus released a statement that said the group was ādeeply disappointedā to learn their concert with the National Symphony Orchestra was taken off the schedule. āWe believe in the power of music to educate and uplift, to foster love, understanding, and community, and we regret that this opportunity has been taken away,ā they said.
The organization pledged to ācontinue to seek spaces where our voices, our stories, and our music can be heard,ā adding, āWe will continue to advocate for artistic expression that reflects the depth and diversity of our community and country,ā and “we will continue to sing and raise our voices for equality.ā
The Chorus now plans to perform the show during theĀ WorldPride International Choral FestivalĀ instead. The center did not provide a reason for the cancellation.
Announcing his takeover of the organization on Truth Social, Trump pledged that “no more drag shows” would be hosted there, even though they only accounted for a fraction of its programming.
The president purged most of the center’s board of trustees earlier this month, while Grenell has begun to fire employees, according to The Wall Street Journal.
Virginia
Education Dept. probes pro-trans policies in Northern Virginia schools
Investigation targets schools in Arlington, Alexandria, Fairfax, Loudoun and Prince William County

The U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights is investigating five school districts in Northern Virginia for pro-trans policies that may violate provisions of Title IX and run afoul of President Donald Trump’s Jan. 29 executive order prohibiting federally funded educational institutions from promoting what his administration calls “gender ideology.”
The Hill reported news of the probe on Monday, citing a Feb. 12 letter from the agency to America First Legal, a conservative organization founded by White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, which indicated that an investigation had been opened into the Arlington, Alexandria, Fairfax, Loudoun and Prince William County school districts.
The letter comes in response to a complaint filed by America First Legal, which argued that “These school districts violate Title IX by maintaining policies that permit ‘gender
expansive and transgender students’ the ability to feel safe and comfortable by using
sex-segregated intimate facilities consistent with their ‘gender identity,’ while
denying similarly situated individuals, whose ‘gender identity’ is the same as their sex, the ability to feel safe and comfortable in the use of the sex-segregated common
restrooms and locker rooms of their sex.”
Per the Education Department’s letter, “the specific polices challenged by complainant are as follows: Alexandria City Public Schoolsā ‘Nondiscrimination in Education’ policy; Arlington County Public Schoolsā ‘Transgender Students in Schools’ policy; Fairfax County Public Schoolsā Regulation 2603.2; Loudoun County Public Schoolsā Policy 8040; Prince William Countyās Regulation 738-5.”
America First argues that the five policies constitute unlawful sex-based discrimination as defined under Title IX because the “only option” available to cisgender students in these school districts who “feel unsafe and uncomfortable” in these spaces is to use “a private restroom or an alternative that ‘minimize[s] the loss of instructional time.'”
The organization further argues that provisions in these policies that instruct educators and staff to use the names and pronouns chosen by their students violate a provision of Trump’s executive order prohibiting schools from helping to facilitate their “social” gender transitions.
District of Columbia
‘AG Schwab! Do your job!’ D.C. activists protest for trans youth healthcare
Action comes days after anti-trans executive order

About 100 activists protested outside of the offices of D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb on Thursday, Feb. 13. The assembled protesters held signs in support of access to gender-affirming care and support for trans youth.
The activists called upon the D.C. Attorney General to “issue public guidance affirming that denying care based on gender identity is unlawful under D.C.’s anti-discrimination laws as well as use the full authority vested in their office to ensure this care is reinstated,” according to a statement.
This action comes days after President Donald Trump signed an executive order banning gender-affirming care nationwide for minors. D.C. hospitals, including Children’s National Hospital, began to comply.
Speakers at the rally included Rebecca York, director of youth development and community engagement for the D.C.-area LGBTQ youth services organization, SMYAL.

“SMYAL has long been a partner of Childrenās National, a partnership we have been incredibly proud of, especially working with their Pride Clinic team,” York told the crowd. “Their dedication to providing gender-affirming care has been a lifeline for many young people and their families in our communities, offering relief, comfort and hope. But now those lifelines have been cut off. We are incredibly disappointed in and concerned by the hospitalās decision to suspend gender-affirming care to comply ā in advance ā with the administrationās executive order attempting to restrict healthcare for trans youth.”
“This decision was made out of fear: the fear of losing funding,” York continued. “And it has abandoned the very youth who need it most. This executive order, barely two weeks old has already had devastating impacts on the lives of trans and non-binary youth. These cruel policies are not abstract. They are real, they are dangerous and they are hurting our young people today.”
“Gender-affirming care saves lives for trans youth,” said York.
Also speaking at the event was Dr. Omar Taweh.
“In our youthful, vibrant, queer city, doctors provide compassionate care for trans people literally all the time.” Taweh told the assembled protesters. “And weāre just here to demand that our local government leaders, including AG Shwalb over here, join the rest of the states that are taking stances ā¦to defend trans and gender-affirming care.”
Protesters formed a picket line and began a series of chants, including, “AG Schwab! Do your job!”
The action was organized by the Democratic Socialists of America.
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