Local
Maryland Senate passes marriage bill, 25-22
Heads to desk of Gov. O’Malley, who promises to sign
Sen. Jamie Raskin (D-Montgomery County) is among the bill's supporters. (Washington Blade file photo by Michael Key)
Maryland senators met in Annapolis Thursday to debate the Civil Marriage Protection Act, which would extend marriage rights to same-sex couples in the Free State. The bill passed 25-22 and now goes on to Gov. Martin O’Malley for his signature, which he has pledged.
Earlier in the day, the Maryland Senate resumed debate on amendments to the bill.
In a Thursday morning session, the Senate voted down six hostile amendments aimed at weakening or killing the marriage bill.
The six amendments were introduced by three senators, each of whom opposes the bill.
“It’s time for us to move on with this bill,” said Sen. Jamie Raskin (D-Montgomery County), one of the bill’s lead sponsors who served as floor leader on behalf of the measure.
Raskin said the amendments were unnecessary and called on his Senate colleagues to vote against them. Each lost by a lopsided vote.
Opponents now have until the end of May to gather 55,736 valid signatures to force the issue onto the November ballot. The law is slated to take effect in January 2013 to allow the referendum process to play out. Supporters, meanwhile, are already looking toward the referendum fight.
“We’re fortunate to be riding a huge wave of momentum as we enter the referendum process,” said Sultan Shakir, campaign manager for Marylanders for Marriage Equality, in a statement. “There is still a lot of work to do over the coming months, but we think voters will ultimately agree that all children, no matter who their parents are, should be protected under the law. Marriage equality is about building strong, stable families.”
Here’s how Maryland’s senators voted:
Voting Yea
Brochin, James (D) Baltimore Co.
Conway, Joan Carter (D) Baltimore
Ferguson, William C., IV (D) Baltimore
Forehand, Jennie M. (D) Montgomery
Frosh, Brian E. (D) Montgomery
Garagiola, Robert J. (D) Montgomery
Gladden, Lisa A. (D) Baltimore
Jones-Rodwell, Verna L. (D) Baltimore
Kasemeyer, Edward J. (D) Howard
Kelley, Delores G. (D) Baltimore Co.
King, Nancy J. (D) Montgomery
Kittleman, Allan H. (R) Howard
Klausmeier, Katherine A. (D) Baltimore Co.
Madaleno, Richard S., Jr. (D) Montgomery
Manno, Roger (D) Montgomery
McFadden, Nathaniel J. (D) Baltimore
Montgomery, Karen S. (D) Montgomery
Pinsky, Paul G. (D) Prince George’s
Pugh, Catherine E. (D) Baltimore
Ramirez, Victor R. (D) Prince George’s
Raskin, Jamie B. (D) Montgomery
Robey, James N. (D) Howard
Rosapepe, James C. (D) Prince George’s
Young, Ronald N. (D) Frederick
Zirkin, Robert A. (D) Baltimore Co.
Voting Nay
Astle, John C. (D) Anne Arundel
Benson, Joanne C. (D) Prince George’s
Brinkley, David R. (R) Frederick
Colburn, Richard F. (R) Dorchester
Currie, Ulysses (D), Prince George’s
DeGrange, James E., Sr. (D) Anne Arundel
Dyson, Roy P. (D) St. Mary’s
Edwards, George C. (R) Garrett
Getty, Joseph M. (R), Carroll
Glassman, Barry (R) Harford
Jacobs, Nancy (R) Harford
Jennings, J. B. (R) Harford
Mathias, James N., Jr. (D) Worcester
Middleton, Thomas M. (D) Charles
Miller, Thomas V. Mike (D) Calvert
Muse, C. Anthony (D) Prince George’s
Peters, Douglas J. J. (D) Prince George’s
Pipkin, E. J. (R) Cecil
Reilly, Edward R. (R) Anne Arundel
Shank, Christopher B. (R) Washington
Simonaire, Bryan W. (R) Anne Arundel
Stone, Norman R., Jr. (D) Baltimore Co.
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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