National
Santa Fe mayor says ‘time has come’ for N.M. marriage equality
Coss expects court action, but ultimately a decision to allow same-sex couples to marry


Santa Fe Mayor David Coss is arguing same-sex marriage is already legal in New Mexico (Photo public domain)
Santa Fe Mayor David Coss has a simple reply when asked why he decided to declare same-sex marriage is already legal in New Mexico: “I think the time has come.”
Speaking with the Washington Blade on Tuesday, Coss said he and other city officials issued an opinion and a proposed resolution saying marriage equality is legal in New Mexico because the state legislature adjourned on Saturday without addressing the issue.
“We think it’s legal in New Mexico,” Coss said. “If you look at the constitution, and you look at the statutes, there’s no prohibition. I think just as a matter of equal rights under the law, we ought to move.”
Along with City Council member Patti Bushee, Coss unveiled the proposed resolution on Tuesday saying same-sex marriage is legal in New Mexico and county clerks should begin granting marriage licenses to gay couples. On the same day, City Attorney Geno Zamora issued an opinion affirming those views — observing no law in the state explicitly bans same-sex marriage and gay couples have equal protections under the state constitution.
Coss, who has a gay daughter, said he expects same-sex couples will soon be able to marry in New Mexico.
“The resolution that we have introduced to [the] city council and the legal opinion that our attorney’s office did also provides what’s the legal steps if the clerks won’t issue the licenses, but we’ve been waiting for the legislature to address this for 25 years,” Coss said.
This action from city officials comes more than two years after an opinion from state Attorney General Gary King stating same-sex marriage is legal in New Mexico. However, his opinion does not have the force of law.
Coss said he expects the resolution and opinion will mostly go before district court, then to the New Mexico Supreme Court for a final resolution.
“If the Supreme Court agrees with us, then that’ll take us to New Mexico being the 10th state to recognize same-sex marriage,” Coss said.
It wouldn’t be the first time county clerks in New Mexico began issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples.
On Feb. 20, 2004, Sandoval County Clerk Victoria Dunlap began issuing marriage licenses to gay couples — awarding more than 60 licenses to them — until the state attorney general issued an opinion saying the marriages were invalid on the same day.
Asked if there’s any danger gay couples who marry in New Mexico could suffer harm if they discover their unions are later invalid, Coss acknowledged a danger but said harm is being done to couples “who don’t have their rights builds every day.”
“We just think we’re in a good position,” Coss said. “I think the legal opinion is sound. I think the attorney general’s opinion saying that we should recognize same-sex marriages from other states in New Mexico just begs the question: So why not for New Mexicans?”
Coss said while he plans to introduce the resolution to the City Council on March 27, action won’t happen until April 24. Therefore, he doesn’t think it’ll have an impact on U.S. Supreme Court oral arguments next week on California’s Proposition 8 and the Defense of Marriage Act.
Before making the announcement, Coss said he spoke with numerous LGBT rights group in New Mexico about the decision, including Progress New New Mexico, the main group coordinating the initiative, as well as Equality New Mexico and the Human Rights Alliance in Santa Fe. But Coss said he hasn’t spoken to national groups, including the Human Rights Campaign, about the decision.
According to Coss, no group or person has said to him personally that issuing the decision at this time is a bad idea, however, he said he’s heard that sentiment expressed elsewhere.
Further, Coss was unabashed about the what the move would mean for New Mexico if it were to join nine states and D.C. in marriage equality.
“I would be very proud for New Mexico to be the 10th state,” Coss said. “I’m very proud of the city of Santa Fe. We’ve been a leader in labor rights, immigrants and rights for gay and lesbian people. So, I think we’re making the right statement and the right opinion, and I feel pretty confident that before too much longer, same-sex couples in New Mexico will have equal rights with the rest of New Mexicans.”
Federal Government
UPenn erases Lia Thomas’s records as part of settlement with White House
University agreed to ban trans women from women’s sports teams

In a settlement with the Trump-Vance administration announced on Tuesday, the University of Pennsylvania will ban transgender athletes from competing and erase swimming records set by transgender former student Lia Thomas.
The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights found the university in violation of Title IX, the federal rights law barring sex based discrimination in educational institutions, by “permitting males to compete in women’s intercollegiate athletics and to occupy women-only intimate facilities.”
The statement issued by University of Pennsylvania President J. Larry Jameson highlighted how the law’s interpretation was changed substantially under President Donald Trump’s second term.
“The Department of Education OCR investigated the participation of one transgender athlete on the women’s swimming team three years ago, during the 2021-2022 swim season,” he wrote. “At that time, Penn was in compliance with NCAA eligibility rules and Title IX as then interpreted.”
Jameson continued, “Penn has always followed — and continues to follow — Title IX and the applicable policy of the NCAA regarding transgender athletes. NCAA eligibility rules changed in February 2025 with Executive Orders 14168 and 14201 and Penn will continue to adhere to these new rules.”
Writing that “we acknowledge that some student-athletes were disadvantaged by these rules” in place while Thomas was allowed to compete, the university president added, “We recognize this and will apologize to those who experienced a competitive disadvantage or experienced anxiety because of the policies in effect at the time.”
“Today’s resolution agreement with UPenn is yet another example of the Trump effect in action,” Education Secretary Linda McMahon said in a statement. “Thanks to the leadership of President Trump, UPenn has agreed both to apologize for its past Title IX violations and to ensure that women’s sports are protected at the university for future generations of female athletes.”
Under former President Joe Biden, the department’s Office of Civil Rights sought to protect against anti-LGBTQ discrimination in education, bringing investigations and enforcement actions in cases where school officials might, for example, require trans students to use restrooms and facilities consistent with their birth sex or fail to respond to peer harassment over their gender identity.
Much of the legal reasoning behind the Biden-Harris administration’s positions extended from the 2020 U.S. Supreme Court case Bostock v. Clayton County, which found that sex-based discrimination includes that which is based on sexual orientation or gender identity under Title VII rules covering employment practices.
The Trump-Vance administration last week put the state of California on notice that its trans athlete policies were, or once were, in violation of Title IX, which comes amid the ongoing battle with Maine over the same issue.
New York
Two teens shot steps from Stonewall Inn after NYC Pride parade
One of the victims remains in critical condition

On Sunday night, following the annual NYC Pride March, two girls were shot in Sheridan Square, feet away from the historic Stonewall Inn.
According to an NYPD report, the two girls, aged 16 and 17, were shot around 10:15 p.m. as Pride festivities began to wind down. The 16-year-old was struck in the head and, according to police sources, is said to be in critical condition, while the 17-year-old was said to be in stable condition.
The Washington Blade confirmed with the NYPD the details from the police reports and learned no arrests had been made as of noon Monday.
The shooting took place in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of Manhattan, mere feet away from the most famous gay bar in the city — if not the world — the Stonewall Inn. Earlier that day, hundreds of thousands of people marched down Christopher Street to celebrate 55 years of LGBTQ people standing up for their rights.
In June 1969, after police raided the Stonewall Inn, members of the LGBTQ community pushed back, sparking what became known as the Stonewall riots. Over the course of two days, LGBTQ New Yorkers protested the discriminatory policing of queer spaces across the city and mobilized to speak out — and throw bottles if need be — at officers attempting to suppress their existence.
The following year, LGBTQ people returned to the Stonewall Inn and marched through the same streets where queer New Yorkers had been arrested, marking the first “Gay Pride March” in history and declaring that LGBTQ people were not going anywhere.
New York State Assemblywoman Deborah Glick, whose district includes Greenwich Village, took to social media to comment on the shooting.
“After decades of peaceful Pride celebrations — this year gun fire and two people shot near the Stonewall Inn is a reminder that gun violence is everywhere,” the lesbian lawmaker said on X. “Guns are a problem despite the NRA BS.”
New York
Zohran Mamdani participates in NYC Pride parade
Mayoral candidate has detailed LGBTQ rights platform

Zohran Mamdani, the candidate for mayor of New York City who pulled a surprise victory in the primary contest last week, walked in the city’s Pride parade on Sunday.
The Democratic Socialist and New York State Assembly member published photos on social media with New York Attorney General Letitia James, telling followers it was “a joy to march in NYC Pride with the people’s champ” and to “see so many friends on this gorgeous day.”
“Happy Pride NYC,” he wrote, adding a rainbow emoji.
Mamdani’s platform includes a detailed plan for LGBTQ people who “across the United States are facing an increasingly hostile political environment.”
His campaign website explains: “New York City must be a refuge for LGBTQIA+ people, but private institutions in our own city have already started capitulating to Trump’s assault on trans rights.
“Meanwhile, the cost of living crisis confronting working class people across the city hits the LGBTQIA+ community particularly hard, with higher rates of unemployment and homelessness than the rest of the city.”
“The Mamdani administration will protect LGBTQIA+ New Yorkers by expanding and protecting gender-affirming care citywide, making NYC an LGBTQIA+ sanctuary city, and creating the Office of LGBTQIA+ Affairs.”