Local
Ayanbadejo ‘excited’ to speak at Supreme Court
Ravens linebacker became a public face of Maryland marriage campaign
Ravens linebacker Brendon Ayanbadejo is an ally and vocal LGBT advocate. (Photo by Thibous via Wikimedia Commons)
Baltimore Ravens linebacker Brendon Ayanbadejo on Monday said he is “excited” to speak in support of marriage rights for same-sex couples outside the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday.
“I’ve gone out to the polls and passed out fliers and done stuff like that, but I’ve never spoken in front of a courthouse or in any type of rally ever before,” he told the Washington Blade during an extended interview. “This is sort of uncharted territory for me. I’m kind of the most unlikely of people to do so where everyone else will be some sort of activist or is some way involved in politics. I’m just a concerned citizen.”
Ayanbadejo, who will speak alongside D.C. Congressional Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton and others outside the Supreme Court before the justices hear oral arguments in a case that challenges California’s Proposition 8, in 2009 became the first professional athlete to endorse marriage rights for same-sex couples. He also became one of the most public faces of last year’s campaign in support of the referendum on Maryland’s same-sex marriage law.
State Del. Emmett Burns (D-Baltimore County) told team owner Steve Bisciotti that Ayanbadejo “should concentrate on football and steer clear of dividing the fan base” last August after he donated two Ravens tickets as part of a Marylanders for Marriage Equality fundraiser.
The Ravens and Chris Kluwe of the Minnesota Vikings are among those who defended Ayanbadejo. A Maryland legislative committee last month concluded Burns violated the General Assembly’s ethics rules when he wrote to Bisciotti on official stationary.
“I’m pretty proud to pay taxes and be in Maryland and be in a state that’s paving the way that’s really trailblazing and changing people’s minds and opinions and attitudes toward LGBT equality,” Ayanbadejo said.
Ayanbadejo, whose father is Nigerian and mother is of Irish descent, added he feels highlighting the fact his parents and other interracial couples could not legally marry in some states before the Supreme Court in 1967 struck down such bans in its landmark Loving v. Virginia decision is an effective argument within the current debate.
“In Loving v. Virginia we were fighting for interracial marriage and now we’re fighting for LGBT marriage or same-sex marriage,” he said. “The overlying issue is government trying to dictate who we should love and the Constitution clearly that states everyone is created equal and has equal protections under the law, but clearly they don’t.”
Ayanbadejo conceded he has received some criticism over this comparison, but not from communities of color.
“This is a civil rights issue; this is a human rights issue,” he said. “There’s been much opposition to that, but I still firmly believe in my stance that it is an equal rights issue. People are entitled to their opinions, but it’s the fact of the matter that people are not treated equally and that’s something you can’t argue about. Equality is not somebody’s opinion. It’s your right as an American citizen.”
Ayanbadejo fights anti-LGBT stigma in sports
Ayanbadejo, who filed a brief in support of marriage rights for same-sex couples with the Supreme Court in the Prop 8 case with Kluwe, is working with Athlete Ally to fight homophobia and transphobia in sports.
He told the Blade most of his Ravens teammates either “flat out agree with me” on nuptials for gays and lesbians or claim the word marriage cannot be used to describe same-sex unions because of what the Bible says.
Ayanbadejo said these attitudes have begun to shift.
“We’re definitely changing the tide, even in the locker room,” he said. “We’re just a little bit behind.”
Ayanbadejo is friends with gay former professional football player Wade Davis. He said he is also trying to reach out to former San Francisco 49ers and Oakland Raiders offensive tackle Kwame Harris whose sexual orientation became known after he allegedly attacked his ex-boyfriend last August.
“If you’re in the locker room and can be yourself not only will you play better, but you’ll also be a better person and better in the community,” Ayanbadejo said as he discussed his work with Athlete Ally. “You’ll be able to flourish more so.”
He further described gay Olympian Greg Louganis, whom he watched on television when he was a child, as an additional role model.
“I’ll never forget Greg Louganis diving and getting excited and winning his gold medal and later coming out on ‘Oprah,’” Ayanbadejo said, noting the two men have become friends. “I didn’t know him when I was younger, but I knew his fight and everything that he had gone through. And now to be friends with him as an adult, he was definitely was a role model for me as a younger child.”
Ayanbadejo has tickets to go inside the Supreme Court, but his nearly 2-year-old son is having heart surgery in a couple of weeks so he is going to return home almost immediately after tomorrow’s rally.
He told the Blade he plans to remain involved in the LGBT rights movement once the justices issue their rulings in the two cases.
“Even though it’s advocacy work I just consider myself a concerned citizen and i’m going to uphold the Constitution and make sure America’s accountable to treat everybody equal,” Ayanbadejo said. “Eventually my work will subside in this area and everybody will vote toward acceptance and the laws change. It’s not like it’s going to happen overnight.”
He added he remains particularly proud of his work around marriage rights for same-sex couples in Maryland.
“My legacy will always be there,” Ayanbadejo said, reflecting once again on his broader advocacy on behalf of LGBT people. “It is something that I will always carry with me and I’ll always cherish the work I’ve done for the LGBT community. Right now we’re at a tipping point where we’re gaining the momentum, but we still have a long way to go.”
Brendon Ayanbadejo of the Baltimore Ravens with Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley outside Northwood Elementary School in Baltimore on Nov. 6. (Washington Blade photo by Michael K. Lavers)
Virginia
Two gay candidates running in ‘firehouse’ Va. House of Delegates primary in Alexandria
Kirk McPike, Gregory Darrall hope to succeed delegate vying for Ebbin’s seat
Gay Alexandria City Council member Kirk McPike and gay public school teacher Gregory Darrall, who serves as vice president of the Fairfax County Federation of Teachers, are among four candidates running in a Jan. 20 “firehouse” Democratic primary for a seat in the Virginia House of Delegates.
With less than a week’s notice, Democratic Party officials in Alexandria called the primary to select a Democratic nominee to run in a Feb. 10 special election to fill the 5th House District seat being vacated by state Del. Elizabeth Bennett-Parker (D-Alexandria).
Bennett-Parker won the Democratic nomination for the Virginia Senate seat being vacated by gay state Sen. Adam Ebbin (D-Alexandria), who is resigning from the seat to take a position in the administration of Democratic Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger, who took office on Jan. 17.
Bennett-Parker won the nomination for the state Senate seat in yet another firehouse primary on Jan. 13 in which she defeated three other candidates, including gay former state Del. Mark Levine.
The Jan. 20 primary in which McPike and Darrall are competing will take place from 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. in two polling places in Alexandria: the Charles E. Beatley Jr. Central Library at 5005 Duke St. and the Charles Houston Recreation Center at 901 Wythe St.
The other two candidates running are former Alexandria City School Board member Eileen Cassidy Rivera and criminal law defense attorney Chris Leibig.
McPike, who first won election to the Alexandria City Council in 2021, served for 13 years as chief of staff for gay U.S. Rep. Mark Takano (D-Calif.) prior to winning election to the Alexandria City Council.
“Now, Kirk is ready to bring his experience to Richmond to keep improving the lives of all Virginians as our delegate for House District 5,” his campaign website says. His website writeup says he and his husband, Cantor Jason Kaufman, have lived in Alexandria’s Seminary Hill neighborhood for 15 years.
“As delegate, we can count on Kirk to keep delivering for us — helping Virginia maintain our commitments to our schools, our first responders, and our efforts to address climate change, housing affordability, and infrastructure,” the website statement says.
McPike, a longtime LGBTQ rights supporter and advocate, has been endorsed by Ebbin and U.S. Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.). Beyer said in a statement that McPike “has a proven track record of delivering results for Alexandrians.” The LGBTQ+ Victory Fund, which raises money for LGBTQ candidates running for public office, has also endorsed McPike.
Darrall’s campaign website says he is a “proud progressive, lifelong educator, and labor leader running to put people first.” It says he is a political newcomer “with more than 20 years in the classroom” as a teacher who played a key role in the successful unionization of Fairfax Public Schools.
“He is a proud member and staunch supporter of the LGBTQIA+ community,” his website statement says. It says he met his husband Jose while living in Miami and the two operated a small business in South Florida for a decade before moving to Alexandria in 2015. It adds that Darrall is “fluent in Spanish, loves walking Alexandria’s neighborhoods, and is driven by a deep belief in fairness, equality, and strengthening our democracy from the ground up.”
The Alexandria Republican City Committee nominated local business executive Mason Butler as the Republican nominee for the House of Delegates seat in the Feb. 10 special election after he emerged as the only GOP candidate running for the seat, according to the Alexandria Brief publication. He will face the Democratic winner in the Jan. 20 firehouse primary.
The Washington Blade is seeking to determine GOP candidate Butler’s and Democratic candidates Leibig’s and Rivera’s positions on LGBTQ-related issues and will update this story if their positions on those issues can be determined.
Abigail Spanberger was sworn in as the 75th governor of Virginia at a ceremony on the grounds of the Virginia State Capitol on Saturday. Thousands of spectators watched the swearing-in ceremony and parade, despite the rain and temperatures in the low 40s.
Spanberger, a member of the Democratic Party and an LGBTQ ally, became the first woman to be Virginia’s governor.
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Newly-elected Attorney General Jay Jones, Lt. Gov. Ghazala Hashmi, and Spanberger were each administered the oath of office in the public ceremony.
Republican former Gov. Glenn Youngkin left the ceremony shortly after the oath of office was administered to Spanberger and before the inaugural address.
In her speech, the new governor made an appeal to bipartisanship and looking past division in our current moment.
“To my friends in the General Assembly — on both sides of the aisle — I look forward to working with you,” said Spanberger. “I know what it means to represent your constituents, to work hard for your district, and to pursue policies you believe in. We will not agree on everything, but I speak from personal experience when I say that we do not have to see eye-to-eye on every issue in order to stand shoulder-to-shoulder on others.”
Spanberger acknowledged Virginians’ frustrations with federal layoffs and governmental policy.
“I know many of you are worried about the recklessness coming out of Washington. You are worried about policies that are hurting our communities — cutting healthcare access, imperiling rural hospitals, and driving up costs,” said Spanberger. “You are worried about Washington policies that are closing off markets, hurting innovation and private industry, and attacking those who have devoted their lives to public service.”
Spanberger alluded to the Trump administration, though never mentioned President Donald Trump’s name in her remarks.
Spanberger said, “you are worried about an administration that is gilding buildings while schools crumble, breaking the social safety net, and sowing fear across our communities, betraying the values of who we are as Americans, the very values we celebrate here on these steps.”
The new governor then spoke of her priorities in office, pledging to tackle housing affordability by working to “cut red tape” and increase housing supply. Spanberger also spoke of forestalling an impending healthcare crisis by protecting access and cracking down on “middlemen who are driving up drug prices.”
Spanberger spoke of investments in education at every level, standing up for workers (including the large number of federal workers in Virginia), and taking action on gun violence.
Virginia married couple Mary Townley and Carol Schall witnessed the inauguration ceremony from the stands set up on the grounds of the Capitol. Schall and Townley are one of the plaintiff couples in the case that challenged the Virginia constitutional ban on same-sex marriage.
Same-sex marriage became legal in Virginia in 2014.
“We are delighted with the inauguration of Abigail Spanberger as governor of Virginia,” Schall told the Washington Blade. “The celebration of her inauguration was full of the beautiful diversity that is Virginia. The Virginia Pride contingent was included as a part of what makes Virginia a great place to live.”
“Such an honor to attend such a wonderful event in Virginia history,” Townley told the Blade. “The weather before the Inauguration was cold and rainy, but I believe it represented the end of a dreary time and it ushered in the dry and sunny weather by the end of the inaugural parade. Madam Governor brought us to the light!”
The inaugural parade following the governor’s remarks included a contingent from Diversity Richmond and Virginia Pride. Marchers in the LGBTQ contingent carried a giant Progress Pride flag and were met with loud cheers from the gathered spectators.
Spanberger after her inauguration signed 10 executive orders. One of them bans discrimination against state employees based on sexual orientation, gender identity, and other factors.
“By virtue of the authority vested in me as Governor under Article V of the Constitution of
Virginia, I hereby declare that it is the firm and unwavering policy of the Commonwealth of Virginia to ensure equal opportunity in all facets of state government,” reads the executive order. “The foundational tenet of this executive order is premised upon a steadfast commitment to foster a culture of inclusion, diversity, and mutual respect for all Virginians.”
Virginia
VIDEO: LGBTQ groups march in Va. inaugural parade
Abigail Spanberger took office on Saturday
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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Comings & Goings
