Local
Lesbian couple ejected from Ravens game
Told to ‘stop making a scene’ after kissing


Mary Kate Morris and Nicole Marchetto were removed from a Sept. 26 Ravens game and are considering legal action. (Photo courtesy of the couple)
With the Baltimore Ravens clinging to a 14-10 halftime lead against the Cleveland Browns on Sept. 26, Mary Kate Morris and Nicole Marchetto decided to hit the concession stand behind Section 538 of M&T Bank Stadium. Little did they know they would not get to see the second half of the game.
The Baltimore couple saw a long line at the restroom and decided to buy beer and fries until the line diminished. They spotted a plastic cup on the counter and used it to pour ketchup for the fries.
While waiting for their orders, the couple engaged in what Marchetto characterized as “casual kissing.” Almost immediately, she said, a security guard and a supervisor told the women to “stop making a scene.” They were warned three times but continued because, according to Marchetto, “the kissing was heartfelt and decent in the real sense and was not any different from what numerous law-abiding straight couples were doing all around us.”
Soon afterwards, the security guard demanded to see their driver’s licenses, and then the women were told to leave the stadium immediately. When they asked why they had to leave, the guard accused them of first stealing the cup from the concession stand and then accused them of stealing the beer. A Baltimore police officer intervened and told the guards the couple did not steal the beer. The couple has receipts for all the purchases.
Nonetheless, they were forced out of the stadium by three police officers. As they left, Marchetto said she told the officer, “I am a paying customer and a law-abiding citizen.”
Morris and Marchetto contend their ejection resulted from the kissing and nothing else.
“Straight couples were kissing all around us,” said Morris, who added that no one complained about their displays of affection. “As a matter of fact, some fans were not only approving but cheered us,” she said.
After checking with security personnel, Jan Hardesty, a media spokesperson for the Maryland Stadium Authority, said the ejection was a result of “unauthorized removal of inventory,” referring to the plastic cup. According to Hardesty, an employee of Aramark, the company that operates the concession stands, witnessed the removal of the cup to pour ketchup. Each item must be accounted for, Hardesty said.
Patrick Gleason, public relations manager for the Baltimore Ravens, said he raised the incident with the Ravens’ senior vice president of public and community relations, Kevin Byrne, and vice president of stadium operations Roy Sommerhof.
The official response from Byrne: “We’re aware of the incident, and we’re satisfied with the action taken by the concessionaire, security and police.”
Gleason added, “Many of our game day concession stands are run by volunteer groups to raise money for their charities. Accounting for drinks sold is computed by the number of cups used. If cups are taken or missing once the game ends, then the respective volunteer group is responsible for reimbursement.”
But Morris and Marchetto insist the motive for their eviction was their public display of affection. The couple is considering legal action.
World Pride 2025
Episcopal bishop to speak at WorldPride human rights conference
Trump demanded apology from Mariann Edgar Budde over post-Inauguration sermon

The Right Rev. Mariann Edgar Budde is among those who are scheduled to speak at the WorldPride 2025 Human Rights Conference that will take place from June 4-6.
Budde, who is the bishop of the Diocese of Washington, in January urged President Donald Trump “to have mercy” on LGBTQ people, immigrants, and others “who are scared right now” during a post-Inauguration service that he and Vice President JD Vance attended at the Washington National Cathedral. Trump criticized Budde’s comments and demanded an apology.
The Right Rev. Mariann Edgar Budde speaks at the Washington National Cathedral on Jan. 21, 2025. (PBS NewsHour clip)
A press release the Washington Blade received notes Icelandic Industries Minister Hanna Katrín Friðriksson, UK Black Pride founder Phyll Opoku-Gyimah, and Bob the Drag Queen are among those who are also expected to participate in the conference.
The conference will take place at the JW Marriott (1331 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W.) and registration is open here.
World Pride 2025
Pabllo Vittar to perform at WorldPride
Brazilian drag queen, singer, joined Madonna on stage in 2024 Rio concert

A Brazilian drag queen and singer who performed with Madonna at her 2024 concert on Rio de Janeiro’s Copacabana Beach will perform at WorldPride.
The Capital Pride Alliance on Thursday announced Pabllo Vittar will perform on the Main Stage of the main party that will take place on June 7 at DCBX (1235 W St., N.E.) in Northeast D.C.
Vittar and Anitta, a Brazilian pop star who is bisexual, on May 4, 2024, joined Madonna on stage at her free concert, which was the last one of her Celebration Tour. Authorities estimated 1.6 million people attended.
District of Columbia
$3.7 billion RFK stadium proposal draws support from Team DC
Washington Commanders ‘proud’ to champion LGBTQ community

Miguel Ayala, president of the D.C. LGBTQ sports organization Team D.C., has expressed support for the $3.7 billion deal reached between Mayor Muriel Bowser and the Washington Commanders football team to bring the team back to D.C. in a redeveloped site on the grounds of the city’s long shuttered RFK stadium.
With the deal calling for the city to provide $1 billion in taxpayer funds for infrastructure related costs for the massive redevelopment project — and with the Commanders to provide the remaining $2.7 billion — as of this week the deal did not have majority support on the D.C. Council, which must vote to approve it.
Ayala’s support for the project on behalf of Team D.C. raises the question of whether members of the city’s influential LGBTQ community might play some role in urging the D.C. Council to approve the project.
The proposal comes at a time when the Washington Commanders team includes a message of support for the LGBTQ community on its website. The message follows its hosting last October of its 4th annual LGBTQ Pride Night Out at the Commanders game against the Cleveland Browns.
“The Washington Commanders are proud to champion the LGBTQ+ community and its allies,” the team states on its website. “Through the unifying power of sports, we aim to create a culture where all feel welcome and celebrated.”
In a statement released to the Washington Blade, Ayala points out that the Commanders are among every D.C.-based professional sports team that hosts a Pride Night Out event, which Team DC helps to organize.
“Each year, our events have grown stronger, with vibrant tailgates, on-field celebrations, and powerful moments that shine a spotlight on our community,” Ayala said. “We can’t wait to kick off our first Night Out at the Commanders Stadium in 2030.”
He was referring to plans by the Commanders organization and the D.C. mayor’s office to have the stadium deal approved by the D.C. Council in July, with construction of the new stadium to begin then, and with a planned completion in time for the 2030 professional football season.
Ayala also points out that the RFK stadium grounds currently serve as home to LGBTQ-related sports activity, including the D.C. Gay Flag Football League and the D.C. Front Runners group. He added that the RFK grounds will serve as the playing fields for this year’s WorldPride Capital Cup sports competition, where LGBTQ rugby and soccer teams from around the world will compete.
“This new stadium will be more than just a field – it will be a powerful new addition to the vibrant, diverse, and proud communities we champion every day,” he said in his statement.
At an April 28 news conference, Bowser, Washington Commanders owner Josh Harris and other city officials provided details of the stadium project, noting that it includes a massive development of the new stadium and the surrounding 180 acres of land.
In addition to the 65,000-seat domed stadium, officials said the project would include 5,000 to 6,000 residential housing units, with 30 percent designated as “affordable” for low- and moderate-income residents. They said the project would also include parks and recreation areas, hotels, restaurants, retail, and neighborhood amenities.
“As we focus on the growth of our economy, we’re not only bringing our team home, but we’re also bringing new jobs and new revenue to our city and to Ward 7,” Bowser said in a statement
Opponents of the project, including D.C. Council Chair Phil Mendelson (D-At-Large), have said they don’t believe the city should use its own funds for a stadium and the related development.
So far, just four Council members have expressed support for the project. Mendelson and two other Council members have expressed opposition, and the remaining five have not yet said whether they would vote for or against it. The project needs seven of the current 12-member Council for it to be approved.
Council member Zachary Parker (D-Ward 5), the Council’s only gay member, who initially had not taken a position on the proposal, this week said he was looking at the project more favorably, according to news media reports.
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