Local
Advocates rally against Va. same-sex marriage ban
Clergy gathered outside Arlington County Courthouse to call for nuptials for gays and lesbians in the commonwealth
Jan Canterbury and Nadia Malley of Arlington apply for a marriage license outside Arlington County Courthouse on Feb. 14. (Washington Blade photo by Michael K. Lavers)
Clergy from across Northern Virginia gathered outside the Arlington County Courthouse on Thursday to protest the commonwealth’s same-sex marriage ban.
“We are here this morning to say it is long past time to change the law,” Rev. David Ensign of the Clarendon Presbyterian Church said.
Rev. Amber Nueroth of Hope United Church of Christ in Alexandria led a litany in support of marriage rights for same-sex couples. Rev. Carlton Elliot Smith of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Arlington noted the U.S. Supreme Court’s 1967 Loving v. Virginia decision that found state bans on interracial marriages unconstitutional as he spoke to the dozens of people who gathered outside the courthouse.
“Do we want Virginia to be on the back of the bus again when it comes to marriage equality,” he asked. “So let’s see if we can Virginia to the front of the bus this time.”
Rabbi Lia Bass of Congregation Etz Hayim in Arlington read a prayer. She further noted that Rabbi Leila Gal Berner of Congregation Kol Ami in Annandale also supports marriage rights for same-sex couples.
“Let us pray that soon the state of Virginia will understand love is love and that the right to marry should be afforded to every child of God,” she said
The Arlington rally is one of five gatherings against Virginia’s constitutional same-sex marriage ban that voters approved in 2006 that took place across the commonwealth. The others occurred in Charlottesville, Hampton, Richmond and Winchester.
A Virginia House of Delegates subcommittee last month killed a bill sponsored by state Del. Scott Surovell (D-Fairfax) that would have repealed the Marshall-Newman Amendment.
Jan Canterbury and Nadia Malley of Arlington were among the three same-sex couples who unsuccessfully applied for marriage licenses outside the courthouse.
“We’re hoping that the culture will change, even here in Virginia,” Canterbury, who has been with Malley for 14 years, told the Washington Blade after Arlington County Clerk Paul Ferguson rejected their application. “We want to take a stand on behalf of our love and for our equal rights.”
Tom Nichols and Dan Chaddurn of Falls Church also sought a Virginia marriage license. The couple tied the knot later in the day in D.C. on what would have been Chaddurn’s parents’ 60th wedding anniversary.
“We would love to get married in Virginia,” Nichols said. “It feels so ridiculously insane that we can go five miles across the river in either direction to Maryland or D.C. right now and have the right to get married and still not in Virginia.”
District of Columbia
Blade welcomes fall intern
Alexis McLean is student at University of North Florida
The Washington Blade this week welcomed Alexis McLean as its fall intern.
Alexis is studying political science at the University of North Florida in Jacksonville, Fla. She is interning with the Blade as part of a continued partnership with the Washington Center.
“I am looking forward to spending my time in the fall with the Washington Blade, as this is a new experience for me,” said Alexis. “I have not experienced any journalist jobs in the past so this would be my first time, and I am excited to better my writing and communications skills with this internship.”
Alexis’s internship with the Blade ends in early December.
Rehoboth Beach
SUNFESTIVAL takes center stage as Rehoboth Beach closes out summer
Labor Day Weekend bustling with events, including David Archuleta performance
Labor Day Weekend marks the unofficial end of summer in Rehoboth Beach, but there will be no shortage of LGBTQ events, with CAMP Rehoboth’s annual SUNFESTIVAL taking over town this weekend.
Thursday (9/3)
Get your Labor Day Weekend started early Thursday night with happy hour from 5-7 p.m. at Diego’s Bar & Nightclub, followed by Naughtee Bingo hosted by Magnolia Applebottom at 8:30 p.m.
After bingo, the party continues with Dancing at Diego’s from 9 p.m. to 1:30 a.m.
Aqua Bar & Grill will also kick off its Labor Day Weekend festivities Thursday with a DJ spinning from 9 p.m.-1 a.m.
Friday (9/4)
The weekend ramps up Friday night at Aqua, where DJ Matt Bailer will keep the dance floor moving from 9 p.m.-1 a.m.
Over at Diego’s, DJ Steve Sidewalk will then take over Diego’s for Freedom Friday from 9 p.m.-1:30 a.m.
Saturday (9/5)
The main event of the weekend arrives Saturday with the opening night of CAMP Rehoboth’s SUNFESTIVAL.
Billed as the ultimate party to close out the summer, SUNFESTIVAL has become one of Rehoboth’s signature Labor Day Weekend events. The annual celebration sells out each year, with proceeds benefiting CAMP Rehoboth.
Doors open at 6:30 p.m. with refreshments available at the cash bar while attendees are invited to socialize and find their seats.
Saturday night will feature local singer Ashley Williams as the opening performer, followed by headliner David Archuleta. The event will also feature a live auction.
Back across town Saturday, Aqua will continue its Labor Day Weekend DJ lineup from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m.
Diego’s will also have plenty happening, with ‘Splash Party’ hosted by Magnolia Applebottom at 5 p.m., followed by a Saturday Dance Party with Brett Oosterhaus from 9 p.m.- 1:30 a.m.
The Blue Moon hosts its popular Legends Show at 9 p.m. It’s an all-live singing show by the Blue Moon cast of celebrity impersonators.
Etienne Pilon has taken Rehoboth by storm this summer. Check out the talented singer/pianist at The Pines from 7-10 p.m.
Sunday (9/6)
Sunday’s SUNFESTIVAL event will shift the focus to the dance floor, with globally renowned DJs Robbie Leslie and James Anthony scheduled to perform. Doors open at 7 p.m., with dancing continuing until 1 a.m.
On Sunday, Aqua will throw its annual White Party, with DJs spinning from 9 p.m.-1 a.m. Guests are encouraged to dress in white for the holiday weekend celebration.
Diego’s will host its Sunday High T-Dance with Pamala Stanley at 5 p.m. Later that evening, DJ Tannr will be spinning at 9 p.m.
John Flynn is on the piano from 6-8 p.m. at the Blue Moon.
Monday (9/7)
The final day of Labor Day Weekend brings one last chance to hit the dance floor before summer officially winds down.
Aqua will close out its five-day Labor Day Weekend celebration with DJ Biff from 3-7 p.m.
Maryland
Anne Arundel schools now need parent permission to call trans students by preferred names
Conservative groups challenged system’s policy
By JESSICA CALEFATI | Anne Arundel County Public Schools staff cannot use transgender students’ preferred names if their parents oppose it, according to an internal document reviewed by the Banner, a change that comes after conservative groups challenged the school system’s approach to gender identity.
Teachers union president Kristina Korona told members in an Aug. 20 email that the new guidance undermines district policy on acceptance and inclusivity and “will begin harming affected students immediately.”
Previously, the district didn’t require parental permission to use a high school student’s chosen name and pronouns corresponding to their gender identity, the internal document says. Now it does. The change comes as parents challenge the suburban school system’s gender identity policy and regulation in court and the Trump-Vance administration threatens the district’s funding.
The rest of this article can be found on the Baltimore Banner’s website.
Blade welcomes fall intern
PHOTOS: Miss Gay Old Bay
SUNFESTIVAL takes center stage as Rehoboth Beach closes out summer
Anne Arundel schools now need parent permission to call trans students by preferred names
Shooting outside gay bar in Ariz. leaves three dead
San Francisco, long a queer safe haven, remains competitive for homebuyers
Calendar: August 28-September 3
‘Teenage Sex and Death’ has never been more entertaining
Actor Tim Curry dies at 80
