Local
Md. marriage referendum supporters submit 40,000 new signatures
Gov. O’Malley, Baltimore mayor raising money to preserve law
Governor Martin O'Malley signed Maryland's same-sex marriage law in March (Blade photo by Pete Exis)
Opponents of Maryland’s same-sex marriage law on Monday submitted additional signatures needed to prompt a November referendum on the issue.
The Maryland Marriage Alliance submitted 39,743 signatures to the Secretary of State’s office in Annapolis—these are on top of the 113,000 signatures in support of the referendum that the organization submitted late last month. Opponents of the law that Gov. Martin O’Malley signed in March needed to collect 55,736 signatures by Saturday to prompt the vote.
An unofficial count posted to the Maryland State Board of Elections’ website on Friday showed that officials have validated 109,313 of the 113,000 signatures.
“As we expected, our opponents met the legal signature threshold and the Civil Marriage Protection Act will be on the ballot this fall,” conceded Josh Levin, campaign director for Marylanders for Marriage Equality, in a press release shortly after the Maryland Marriage Alliance submitted the additional signatures. “Since all Maryland families deserve the dignity and respect that marriage brings, we’re focused on building a smart, strategic campaign to amplify and mobilize the 57 percent of Maryland voters who support the new same-sex marriage law. Committed, loving gay and lesbian couples should be treated fairly under the law.”
The Maryland Marriage Alliance pointed out in a statement to the Blade that it has submitted a total of 162,241 signatures in support of the referendum.
“In spite of what our opponents will say, these incredible numbers clearly show that Marylanders strongly reject the idea of redefining marriage,” said the organization. “The Maryland Marriage Alliance and our diverse coalition of partners are confident that this momentum will continue. In November this issue will be settled in our state and the definition of marriage will remain a union between one man and one woman.”
O’Malley spokesperson Raquel Guillory stressed to the Blade that these additional signatures are “not unexpected.”
“The majority of Marylanders support marriage equality,” she said, referring to the same poll that Public Policy Polling released last month to which Levin pointed. The PPP poll also found that 55 percent of black Marylanders support marriage rights for same-sex couples. “There is still more work to do as we head towards November and we are not taking anything for granted.”
President Obama and Benjamin Jealous, president of the Baltimore-based National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, are among those who have urged Marylanders to support nuptials for gays and lesbians in the expected November referendum.
The additional signatures come a day before O’Malley and House Speaker Michael Busch (D-Anne Arundel County) will co-host a Marylanders for Marriage Equality fundraiser in Ocean City. Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake attended a marriage equality fundraiser on Sunday at a private home in Baltimore that raised about $20,000 for Marylanders for Marriage Equality.
“We have been planning for a long time for a referendum and are well along in our efforts to secure a victory for fairness and equality at the polls in November,” gay state Sen. Rich Madaleno (D-Montgomery County) told the Blade. “However, this should be another wake up call for our community and allies to come forward to support the campaign with time and money. We will win this effort only with the active support of the gay community.”
Freedom to Marry President Evan Wolfson agreed.
“With the freedom to marry on the November ballot, it’s very important that people all across the state join with Marylanders for Marriage Equality to engage in conversations, raise money for the campaign, and turn out voters to defend the law and secure for loving and committed couples the chance to share in the joys and security marriage brings to families and the community,” he said.
The Comings & Goings column is about sharing the professional successes of our community. We want to recognize those landing new jobs, new clients for their business, joining boards of organizations and other achievements. Please share your successes with us at [email protected].
The Comings & Goings column also invites LGBTQ college students to share their successes with us. If you have been elected to a student government position, gotten an exciting internship, or are graduating and beginning your career with a great job, let us know so we can share your success.
Congratulations to Yadiel Meléndez, on their new role as Community Associate, with the Wanda Alston Foundation. Meléndez is piloting a new role as a Community Associate at the Wanda Alston Foundation, where they support queer and trans young people in finding their footing, building independence, and experiencing a housing community where they are seen, valued, and affirmed. They are coming into this role with more than a decade of experience as a community organizer and operations specialist, supporting diverse communities through service, advocacy, and program coordination.
Previously they worked for Right Proper Brewing Shaw as a server and bartender and at Sephora, Washington, DC, and at FreshFarm, DC, in bilingual food access. They also worked freelance to build foundational structures for local queer BIPOC performance art coalitions, producing variety shows to curate space for marginalized performance artists in the community. They were a production manager for Haus of Hart Productions, a BIPOC centric performance art production. They also worked as field staff with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention in Stafford, Va.
Meléndez is bilingual, Spanish and English. Their work is guided by a commitment to dignity, safety, and trauma-informed engagement, particularly within LGBTQ and BIPOC communities.
Congratulations also to Ben Rosen LICSW, on his new role as program director, with the Wanda Alston Foundation. Rosen previously worked with Fountain House’s OnRamps program, helping to build a new, innovative outreach program for individuals considered chronically homeless, and living with serious mental illness, in the Times Square area of New York. Rosen is a Psychotherapist, having worked with SG Psychotherapy, and as the psychotherapist with the Nest Community Health Center (URAM).
Rosen has a B.F.A. in Theatre Arts: Musical Theatre, Minor in Psychology (Cum Laude) from Malloy University Conservatory; and his M.S.W. in Clinical Practice with Individuals, Families, and Groups, from The Silberman School of Social Work, Hunter College, N.Y. He is independently licensed in New York and Washington, D.C.
Rehoboth Beach
BLUF leather social set for April 10 in Rehoboth
Attendees encouraged to wear appropriate gear
Diego’s in Rehoboth Beach hosts a monthly leather happy hour. April’s edition is scheduled for Friday, April 10, 5-7 p.m. Attendees are encouraged to wear appropriate gear. The event is billed as an official event of BLUF, the free community group for men interested in leather. After happy hour, the attendees are encouraged to reconvene at Local Bootlegging Company for dinner, which allows cigar smoking. There’s no cover charge for either event.
District of Columbia
Celebrations of life planned for Sean Bartel
Two memorial events scheduled in D.C.
Two celebrations of life are planned for Sean Christopher Bartel, 48, who was found deceased on a hiking trail in Argentina on or around March 15. Bartel began his career as a television news reporter and news anchor at stations in Louisville, Ky., and Evansville, Ind., before serving as Senior Video Producer for the D.C.-based International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers union from 2013 to 2024.
A memorial gathering is planned for Friday, April 10, 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. at the IBEW International Office (900 7th St., N.W.), according to a statement by the DC Gay Flag Football League, where Bartel was a longtime member. A celebration of life is planned that same evening, 6-8 p.m. at Trade (1410 14th St., N.W.).
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Comings & Goings
An effort to increase the number of psychiatrists of color
Calendar: April 10-16
BLUF leather social set for April 10 in Rehoboth
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