Local

Bill would create ‘temporary’ marriage officiants

Wells and five other members want to allow couples to choose any adult to perform wedding

Published

13 years ago

February 13, 2013

Lou Chibbaro Jr.

D.C. Council member Tommy Wells (D-Ward 6) (Washington Blade file photo by Michael Key)

D.C. Council member Tommy Wells (D-Ward 6) has scheduled a public hearing on March 14 for a bill that would allow couples engaged to be married in the city to choose any adult to perform their wedding ceremony.

The Marriage Officiant Amendment Act of 2013 would authorize same-sex or opposite-sex couples applying for a marriage license to designate a friend, parent, sibling or any other adult as a one-time, “temporary officiant” empowered to perform the marriage.

“‘Temporary Officiant’ means an individual authorized to solemnize only the marriage registered with the Clerk of the said Court, and shall receive proof of that authority,” the bill states. “The individual’s authority to solemnize that marriage shall expire upon completion of such solemnization,” the bill says.

Under the city’s marriage law, couples must identify the person they plan to perform their marriage ceremony on the application for their marriage license, which is obtained at the marriage bureau of the D.C. Superior Court. The current law limits the selection of the person who can perform a marriage ceremony to licensed clergy members, judges and court personnel designated as officiants.

Five Council members co-introduced the bill with Wells – Jack Evans (D-Ward 2), David Catania (I-At-Large), Marion Barry (D-Ward 8), Jim Graham (D-Ward 1), and David Grosso (I-At-Large).

A separate bill introduced three years ago that would have allowed licensed notary publics to perform marriages died in committee.

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Virginia

VIDEO: LGBTQ groups march in Va. inaugural parade

Abigail Spanberger took office on Saturday

Published

7 hours ago

January 17, 2026

Michael Key

Diversity Richmond and the Virginia Pride project of Diversity Richmond march in the 2026 Inauguration Parade on the grounds of the state capitol in Richmond, Va. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

The inaugural ceremonies for Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger were held in Richmond, Va. on Saturday. Among the groups marching in the parade were Diversity Richmond and the Virginia Pride project of Diversity Richmond.

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*The LGBTQ contingent in the inaugural parade in Richmond, Va. pass by the review stand on Jan. 17, 2026. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)*

Virginia

Va. Senate approves referendum to repeal marriage amendment

Outgoing state Sen. Adam Ebbin introduced SJ3

Published

15 hours ago

January 17, 2026

Staff reports

(Bigstock photo)

The Virginia Senate on Friday by a 26-13 vote margin approved a resolution that seeks to repeal a state constitutional amendment that defines marriage as between a man and a woman.

Outgoing state Sen. Adam Ebbin (D-Alexandria) introduced SJ3. The Senate Privileges and Elections Committee on Wednesday approved it by a 10-4 vote margin.

Same-sex couples have been able to legally marry in Virginia since 2014. Outgoing Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin in 2024 signed a bill that codified marriage equality in state law.

A resolution that seeks to repeal the Marshall-Newman Amendment passed in the General Assembly in 2021. The resolution passed again in 2025.

Two successive legislatures must approve the resolution before it can go to the ballot. Democrats in the Virginia House of Delegates have said the resolution’s passage is among their 2026 legislative priorities.

“It’s time for Virginia’s Constitution to reflect the law of the land and the values of today,” said Ebbin after Friday’s vote. “This amendment, if approved by voters, would affirm the dignity of all committed couples and protects marriage equality for future generations.”

Maryland

Layoffs and confusion at Pride Center of Maryland after federal grants cut, reinstated

Trump administration move panicked addiction and mental health programs

Published

2 days ago

January 16, 2026

Baltimore Banner

Merrick Moses, a violence prevention coordinator, works at the Pride Center of Maryland in Baltimore. (Photo by Ulysses Muñoz for the Baltimore Banner)

By ALISSA ZHU | After learning it had abruptly lost $2 million in federal funding, the Pride Center of Maryland moved to lay off a dozen employees, or about a third of its workforce, the Baltimore nonprofit’s leader said Thursday.

The group is one of thousands nationwide that reportedly received letters late Tuesday from the Trump administration. Their mental health and addiction grants had been terminated, effective immediately, the letters said.

By Wednesday night, federal officials moved to reverse the funding cuts by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, estimated to total $2 billion, according to national media reports. But the Pride Center of Maryland’s CEO Cleo Manago said as of Thursday morning he had not heard anything from the federal government confirming those reports.

The rest of this article can be read on the Baltimore Banner’s website.