Local
O’Malley backs 2012 push for marriage equality
Bill becomes part of guv’s legislative package
Gov. Martin O'Malley (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Flanked by lawmakers and members of a broad coalition of Maryland LGBT leaders, Gov. Martin O’Malley today announced that a law legalizing same-sex marriage would be part of his 2012 legislative package.
After a disappointing 2011 session for marriage equality advocates in Maryland, ending with the death of a Senate-passed marriage bill in the lower house, the governor came out in favor of a bill that he said would address “religious freedom and protect marital equality rights equally under the law.”
O’Malley’s press conference today signals that he may take a more active role in leading on marriage equality legislation. He was criticized earlier this year for not taking a more visible role in support of the 2011 bill.
“I’m supportive of this bill in the upcoming session, and so supportive that I’ve decided to make it one of the handful of bills that will be an administrative priority.”
When asked by a reporter if his own views on marriage equality had changed, the governor said, “I have always believed in the dignity of every individual. I believe in our own responsibility to advance the greater good. And I also understand that there is a unity of the spirit and matter, and that what we do in our own lifetimes does matter.”
He continued, “As a free and and diverse people of many faiths, we choose to be governed under the law … governed by certain principles and beliefs. Among them, equal protection of the law for every individual and the free exercise of religion free of interference from government. Other states have found a way to protect both of these fundamental beliefs. Therefore in the 2012 legislative session I will sponsor legislation that protects religious freedom and protects marital equality rights equally under the law.”
“I was raised to understand that there are certain things that churches and religions dispense, and that the government should not interfere with defining those,” the governor said when asked about his own evolution on marriage, after previously favoring civil unions rather than full marriage equality. “That’s what we seek to protect, both of those freedoms, that is equality under the law in terms of rights conferred.”
While taking questions, O’Malley emphasized that while he supported civil unions in the past, he’s always believed in equal protection under the law.
“The difficulty that we face as a diverse people was how to enforce a consensus that will protect rights equally under the law,” he said, “the development of that consensus, the ability to come together around marital equality is something that I think is one of the faster moving issues of opinion that we’ve seen in our country for some time.”
He also brought up the victory for marriage equality in New York, and noted that process will influence strategy in Maryland as well.
“Each state learns from the other states,” the governor said. “I would like to think that in New York, they learned from our experience, and we will learn from their experience.”
He continued, “New York showed you could protect religious freedom and you can protect protect rights equally and that’s what we’re going to do with this bill.”
When asked about the influence the momentum from New York had on his decision to hold today’s press conference, O’Malley said the bill’s prospects are stronger because the coalition pushing the bill is much better developed.
“I think the broad nature of this coalition is something I’m very much encouraged by and by the success in New York. It is a fundamental truth that with every accomplishment, further accomplishments appear possible. When New York was able to bring people together—and do it by the way, in a bi-partisan way—and were able to bring into their coalition… a number of religious leaders.” He said, “We still have a lot to do, and this coalition is important, and this is the way to get it done, and certainly New York’s success in accomplishing the marital equality bill in New York was something encouraging to everyone, including myself.”
There had been some speculation within the Maryland LGBT community that a second chance for a 2011 success may surface in the state’s October special session for redistricting, but the governor was quick to dismiss that strategy.
“I think most of us are focused on the upcoming regular session, and I think that time will be well used to broaden this coaltion,” O’Malley said.
When asked what he thought about the possibility of opponents of marriage equality bringing a referendum to the ballot undoing any new law, O’Malley said, “It’s their right under the laws,” but added that he is focused on getting the law passed by a broad coalition of leaders from throughout the civil rights and religious communities so that such efforts would not gain traction.
“I’m very optimistic that if all of us work hard and all of us stay focused on the important principles at stake here, which are freedom of religion and also equal protection under the law,” he continued, “that we can pull together the necessary votes for passage.”
“We know that we have work to do, because it did not work the last time, and that’s why we’re here today. To commit ourselves to that work.”
During the press conference, several lawmakers took the podium to emphasize the size and scope of the new coalition to pass a bill legalizing same-sex marriage in the Free State.
“Many during the past session said this was not a civil rights issue,” said Sen. Robert J. Garagiola, (D-Montgomery Co). “I don’t see how you can’t look at it as a civil rights issue. You just look at our history—American history, Maryland history—we had laws on the books that discriminated between different races, and right now we have laws on the books that discriminate between two loving people. To me it’s the same exact thing.”
“We had a little bit of courage from one Republican in the Maryland Senate, Allan Kittleman,” the senator continued. “To me this is an issue where Democrats and Republicans should come together.”
“The governor is saying this is what’s right,” said Del. Benjamin Barnes (D-Anne Arundel & Prince George’s County). “We’re a nation founded on equality, and when you deny certain individuals their rights under marriage, you deny them certain fundamental equal rights. This governor is saying this is not just, and we’re going to have equality in the state of Maryland.”
Ezekiel Jackson of the Servicemembers Employee International Union local 1199 of Maryland and the District of Columbia was also on hand to announce the union’s involvement with the coalition taking the lead on passing marriage in 2012. Jackson claims SEIU’s membership on the coalition makes sense because families should not have to leave the state of Maryland in order to get married and take advantage of the benefits marriage affords.
“Anytime we look at a situation where residents are spending money outside of Maryland, we rush to find ways to keep that money in Maryland,” Jackson said. “Why can’t we do the same thing with families?”
Many members of the Maryland LGBT Caucus were on hand to praise the governor as well, including Sen. Richard S. Madaleno Jr. (D-Montgomery County), and Del. Maggie McIntosh.
Sen. Richard S. Madaleno Jr. (D-Montgomery County) (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
The only openly gay member of the Senate, Madaleno enthusiastically took the microphone to praise O’Malley for pledging to lead in passing marriage equality in Maryland.
“This is probably going to be the second most exciting moment that I have had in this room,” Sen. Madaleno said. “And it will only be surpassed by the moment within the next nine months that we will stand here, with [the governor], pen in hand, to sign into law the marriage equality bill.”
“Maryland, in history, is the seventh state in the union to have embraced the Constitution,” Madaleno pointed out. “And in the next nine months, we will be the seventh state in this country to embrace marriage equality.”
Del. McIntosh, Maryland’s first openly gay lawmaker, and former majority leader, has known O’Malley throughout his political career, beginning with his time on the Baltimore City Council. “All of us in the legislature who are openly gay members would like to thank you for your leadership, Gov. O’Malley,” she said at the press conference. “Your sponsorship and your willingness to continue toward marriage equality in Maryland means so much to so many families in Maryland. So we’re going to win!”
When asked how the LGBT Caucus is mapping out its strategy with the governor and who has taken the lead, McIntosh told the Blade that, while the members of the LGBT Caucus have yet to meet with the governor over this bill, officially, she and Madaleno have been working with the governor’s chief legislative officer, Joe Bryce.
“Obviously Sen. Mandeleno and I have had conversations with the governor, and many of our colleagues have had conversations with the governor urging him to take the lead,” McIntosh said. “We will work with Joe Bryce going forward, probably looking at the New York law, looking at ours—ours was only two or three votes short—so is there something we can tweak. We have to all be on the same wavelength about that. But we will introduce a bill, and I think we will absolutely work with his office hand-in-hand to get the legislation passed.”
“We were working closely with members of the LGBT Caucus and other supporters of marriage equality last session earlier this year,” Marty Rouse, national field director for the Human Rights Campaign, told the Blade. “And now we work very closely with the GLBT delegates, and working with Progressive Maryland and others. If there’s a difference between earlier this year and today, it’s a much broader and deeper coalition. And now with the support of the governor, clearly we have a much better chance of getting this passed next session.”
Marylanders for Marriage Equality, a new group, announced last week a major coalition to begin a statewide effort to press for passage of a marriage equality bill in 2012. The coalition includes Progressive Maryland, 1199 Service Employees International Union, Communications Workers of America, American Federation of State, County Municipal Employees (AFSCME), American Civil Liberties Union of Maryland, Equality Maryland, the Human Rights Campaign, Pride in Faith, Maryland Black Family Alliance and Catholics for Equality.
District of Columbia
Imperial Court of Washington drag group has ‘dissolved’
Board president cites declining support since pandemic
The Imperial Court of Washington, a D.C.-based organization of drag performers that has raised at least $250,000 or more for local LGBTQ and non-LGBTQ charitable groups since its founding in 2010, announced on Jan. 5 that it has ended its operations by dissolving its corporate status.
In a Jan. 5 statement posted on Facebook, Robert Amos, president of the group’s board of directors, said the board voted that day to formally dissolve the organization in accordance with its bylaws.
“This decision was made after careful consideration and was based on several factors, including ongoing challenges in adhering to the bylaws, maintaining compliance with 501(c)(3) requirements, continued lack of member interest and attendance, and a lack of community involvement and support as well,” Amos said in his statement.
He told the Washington Blade in a Jan. 6 telephone interview that the group was no longer in compliance with its bylaws, which require at least six board members, when the number of board members declined to just four. He noted that the lack of compliance with its bylaws also violated the requirements of its IRS status as a nonprofit, tax-exempt 501(c) (3) organization.
According to Amos, the inability to recruit additional board members came at a time when the organization was continuing to encounter a sharp drop in support from the community since the start of the COVID pandemic around 2020 and 2021.
Amos and longtime Imperial Court of Washington member and organizer Richard Legg, who uses the drag name Destiny B. Childs, said in the years since its founding, the group’s drag show fundraising events have often been attended by 150 or more people. They said the events have been held in LGBTQ bars, including Freddie’s Beach Bar in Arlington, as well as in other venues such as theaters and ballrooms.
Among the organizations receiving financial support from Imperial Court of Washington have been SMYAL, PFLAG, Whitman-Walker Health’s Walk to End HIV, Capital Pride Alliance, the DC LGBT Community Center, and the LGBTQ Fallen Heroes Fund. Other groups receiving support included Pets with Disabilities, the Epilepsy Foundation of Washington, and Grandma’s House.
The Imperial Court of Washington’s website, which was still online as of Jan. 6, says the D.C. group has been a proud member of the International Court System, which was founded in San Francisco in 1965 as a drag performance organization that evolved into a charitable fundraising operation with dozens of affiliated “Imperial Court” groups like the one in D.C.
Amos, who uses the drag name Veronica Blake, said he has heard that Imperial Court groups in other cities including Richmond and New York City, have experienced similar drops in support and attendance in the past year or two. He said the D.C. group’s events in the latter part of 2025 attracted 12 or fewer people, a development that has prevented it from sustaining its operations financially.
He said the membership, which helped support it financially through membership dues, has declined in recent years from close to 100 to its current membership of 21.
“There’s a lot of good we have done for the groups we supported, for the charities, and the gay community here,” Amos said. “It is just sad that we’ve had to do this, mainly because of the lack of interest and everything going on in the world and the national scene.”
Virginia
LGBTQ groups to join Spanberger inaugural parade
Virginia Pride among more than 25 orgs to march in Jan.17 event
Virginia Gov.-Elect Abigail Spanberger’s inaugural committee announced on Jan. 2 that at least two LGBTQ organizations will be among more than 25 state-based organizations, including marching bands, that will participate in her inaugural parade on Jan. 17.
A statement released by the inaugural committee says the parade will take place immediately after Spanberger is sworn in as Virginia’s 75th governor and delivers her inaugural address in Richmond.
The statement lists the LGBTQ groups Virginia Pride and Diversity Richmond as two groups participating in the parade, although the two groups merged in 2021, with Virginia Pride becoming a project of Diversity Richmond. Among other things, Virginia Pride organizes Richmond’s annual LGBTQ Pride events.
“A display of the impressive talent and beauty of every corner of Virginia, our inaugural parade will be a celebration of all that makes our Commonwealth strong,” Spanberger said in the Jan. 2 statement. “I’m excited for attendees in the stands on Capitol Square and families watching together at home to see this incredible showing of Virginia pride,” she said.
James Millner, who serves as director of Virginia Pride, told the Washington Blade about 75 people are expected to join the Virginia Pride-Diversity Richmond contingent in the parade. He said among them will be members of other Virginia LGBTQ organizations.
“We’re going to invite our staff, our board, our volunteers, and our community partners to join us,” Millner said.
“We are thrilled and honored to have been invited to participate in Abigail Spanberger’s inauguration festivities,” he added. “I think this represents a marked change from the previous administration and demonstrates what she campaigned on – which is she sees the diversity of the Commonwealth as a strength that needs to be celebrated,” he said. “And we are very happy that she has invited us to represent the diversity of the commonwealth.”
Millner appeared to reflect on the sentiment of the large majority of Virginia’s LGBTQ community in its support for Democrat Spanberger over Republican Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears in the November 2025 Virginia election and the end of incumbent GOP Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s term in office on Jan. 17.
“After what we’ve been through with the Younkin administration, especially in its treatment of LGBTQ folks, especially transgender and nonconforming folks, I think we are all breathing easy and excited about what opportunities will exist in working with Abigail Spanberger,” he told the Blade.
District of Columbia
Two pioneering gay journalists to speak at Thursday event
Blade’s Chibbaro, Falls Church News-Press’s Benton talk long careers
Two local gay journalists will speak on a panel this week about their long, pioneering careers.
A celebration of the Falls Church News-Press’s Nicholas Benton and the Washington Blade’s Lou Chibbaro Jr., two trailblazing LGBTQ journalists who have spent decades reporting on the front lines of social, cultural, legal, and political change in America, will be held this Thursday, Jan. 8, at the Women’s National Democratic Club of Washington. D.C., 1526 New Hampshire Avenue, N.W., at 6 p.m., according to a statement from organizers.
The program will explore their journeys, the evolution of LGBTQ journalism, and the ongoing fight for equality and justice. Benton and Chibbaro will also examine the various factors causing many news outlets to cease print publication and their energetic efforts to continue publishing their work both in print and online.
EVENT DETAILS:
- Remarks and Q&A, in-person and via Zoom.
- 6 p.m. complimentary hors d’oeuvres and cash bar; 6:30–7:30 p.m. program followed by book signing.
- Zoom only: $10. In-person: members: $20, nonmembers: $30 plus tax.
Benton’s latest book, “Please Don’t Eat Your Children, Cult Century, and Other Essays,” will be available for purchase at the event.
Benton is a longtime local journalist and LGBTQ rights activist whose work has had a lasting impact on both community journalism and social justice. Author of the first-ever editorial in the pioneering Gay Sunshine newspaper in 1970, he is best known as the founder, owner, and editor of the Falls Church News-Press, an independent weekly newspaper he launched in 1991 and is the paper of record for the City of Falls Church, Virginia.
Chibbaro is the senior news reporter for the Washington Blade and a pioneering journalist in LGBTQ news coverage. He has reported on the LGBTQ rights movement and community continuously since 1976, first as a freelance writer and later as a staff reporter, joining the Blade in 1984.
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