National
Same-sex marriage supporters, opponents gather outside Supreme Court
Advocates on both sides of the issue held rallies in D.C.
(Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
Supporters and opponents of marriage rights for same-sex couples gathered outside the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday as the justices heard oral arguments in a case that challenges California’s Proposition 8.
Baltimore Ravens linebacker Brendon Ayanbadejo, OutServe-SLDN Executive Director Allyson Robinson, National Organization for Women President Terry O’Neill and gay retired New Hampshire Bishop V. Gene Robinson and his daughter Ella are among those who spoke at a rally in support of nuptials for gays and lesbians that drew a few thousand people.
Robinson also joined Rev. Dennis Wiley of Covenant Baptist Church of Christ in Southwest Washington, Rev. Abena McCray of Unity Fellowship Church in D.C., Sister Jeannine Gramick of New Ways Ministry in Mount Rainier, Md., Washington National Cathedral Dean Gary Hall and others at an interfaith service at the Lutheran Church of the Reformation near the Supreme Court earlier in the day.
Margaret Hoover (Washington Blade photo by Blake Bergen)
“We all know that something special is happening here today,” Republican strategist Margaret Hoover said. “That’s why we are here in love to demonstrate that all Americans have the constitutional right and the freedom to marry the person they love.”
D.C. Congressional Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton pointed out nine states and the nation’s capital allow same-sex couples to marry.
“There are no second class citizens in America,” Norton said. “There are no second class marriages in America.
Jo-Ann Shain and Mary Jo Kennedy of Brooklyn, N.Y., and their daughter Aliya Shain held a poster with a picture of Edie Windsor outside the Supreme Court, Windsor is the New York City widow who challenged the Defense of Marriage Act after she paid $363,000 in estate taxes in 2009 when her partner of more than 40 years passed away. The couple, who has been together for 31 years, in 2004 challenged the Empire State’s same-sex marriage ban.
New York State Supreme Court Justice Doris Ling-Cohan in 2005 ruled the law was unconstitutional.
“This is a watershed moment for our community,” Jo-Ann Shain told the Washington Blade before she, her wife whom she married in New York in 2011 after the state’s same-sex marriage law took effect and their daughter held up their signs to shield members of the Westboro Baptist Church who had gathered on the sidewalk. “This is history in the making and we wouldn’t miss it.”
Baltimore resident Lucas McCahill, who is an organizer with the American Humanist Association, said the claim the United States is “a free country” is “actually a blatant lie.” She told the Blade outside the Supreme Court the justices ruling in favor of marriage rights for same-sex couples would change that reality.
“It’s just a part of my basic values to uphold equality for everybody, no matter who you are, what you look like,” McCahill said.
David Pérez, president of the Latino GLBT History Project Board of Directors, agreed.
“We’re really excited to be out here to support marriage equality,” he said, noting his organization is among those that supported last year’s campaign in support of referenda on Maryland’s same-sex marriage law and DREAM Act that both passed. “We definitely want the justices to know the American people support marriage equality.”
Same-sex marriage opponents march to Supreme Court
As same-sex marriage supporters spoke outside the Supreme Court, an estimated 2,000 opponents of nuptials for gays and lesbians marched onto First Street, N.E. Some held a large banner that read “Let the people decide,” while others waved signs that said “Vote for holy matrimony” and “Children do better with a mom and a dad!” in Spanish.
Backers of nuptials for gays and lesbians gathered adjacent to the marchers and shouted slogans in support of the issue. Several of them held American, gay Pride and Human Rights Campaign flags as they squared off against the protesters.
“We’re here in order to defend civil society from one of the greatest assaults that it’s experienced in its history,” Father Johannes Smith of New York told the Blade outside the Supreme Court. “The whole idea of homosexual marriage is an assault on the foundations of a sound society.”
Christina Hughes, who traveled to D.C. from Miami to march against nuptials for gays and lesbians, said she feels marriage is “defined by God between a man and a woman.”
“Who are we to try and change that,” she said. “God is our creator and we should go by God’s laws.”
Roughly 1,000 same-sex marriage opponents attended a rally on the National Mall after they marched to the U.S. Supreme Court.
(Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
National Organization for Marriage President Brian Brown; Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops; Concerned Women for America President Penny Nance; Ruth Institute President Jennifer Roback Morse; American Values President Gary Bauer; New York State Sen. Ruben Diaz, Sr.; and Tami Fitzgerald, executive director of the North Carolina Values Coalition, are among those who spoke.
The Family Leader CEO Bob Vander Plaats noted Rev. Billy Graham and newly elected Pope Francis’ opposition to same-sex marriage. He also spoke about the 2010 recall of the three Iowa Supreme Court justices who ruled a year earlier the Hawkeye State’s ban on nuptials for gays and lesbians was unconstitutional.
“We saw what happened when a court usurps the obvious will of the people,” Vander Plaats said. “What happened there is the people of Iowa listened and they responded and they responded with the historic ouster of all the judges in the 2010 election.”
NOM President Brian Brown (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
Bishop Harry Jackson of Hope Christian Church of Beltsville, Md., claimed marriage between a man and woman reduces poverty and rates of youth incarceration, domestic violence and sexual abuse.
“When a man and a woman are in the house, there is health, there is healing, there is peace, there is joy, there’s security,” he said. “There is the rule and reign of God in the house. One man, one woman is God’s architectural plan so the desert places of urban America will bloom and blossom like a rose.”
An ABC News/Washington Post poll released last week shows 58 percent of Americans support marriage rights for same-sex couples. The survey further indicates 52 percent of Republican and GOP-leaning independents between 18-49 back nuptials for gays and lesbians.
Brown and other same-sex marriage opponents sought to discredit polls that continue to show a majority of Americans now support the issue.
(Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
NOM Cultural Director Thomas Peters highlighted to the Blade a recent poll he did not identify that he said showed 60 percent of Americans “believe in the proposition that” marriage is between one man and one woman.
“In free and fair votes of the people in 31 states, we’ve won by over 60 percent,” he said. “Even in states like Rhode Island we are arguing for a public vote. Proponents of gay marriage don’t want the people to vote on it. I don’t think that gay marriage advocates even believe their own polls because even in deep blue states they don’t want to take the issue to the people.”
Jo-Ann Shain said she feels public opinion is one of the factors the justices should consider as they weigh the issue.
“Although we’re married in our state, we’re not whole unless the feds recognize our marriages,” she said.
Texas
Pride In Dallas was a weekend of unabashed joy for Texas’s queer community
City came together to uplift its historic LGBTQ population
Pride arrived for a second time this year in Dallas with the local community coming together for a few more days to uplift their LGBTQ neighbors.
It was a weekend of fun inclusivity that this city is no stranger to; Dallas currently boasts the sixth-largest population of LGBTQ individuals in the U.S. While Texas at large has dealt with many discriminatory attacks, this city hasn’t faltered in showing off its unabashed pride. It isn’t without battle scars, of course, but this was a chance to remind not only residents, but the entire country: we are still here. Dallas’s LGBTQ population is currently louder and prouder than ever. And, as any of the many attendees will tell you, they plan to only get stronger — and so much more queer — every single day.
While the weekend was stacked with a myriad of activities, ranging from charity drag shows to mural unveilings, the true highlight of the weekend was Oak Lawn Live. Inspired by Market Days — an annual Chicago festival where a chunk of the city becomes a queer street fair— the Cedar Springs Merchant Association developed this event as a sprawling sign of support for the local LGBTQ population. Hosted in the “gayborhood” of Oak Lawn, it featured multiple streets of vendors, special deals from the area’s many eateries, and performances from pop stars like Daya. Even under the day’s intense heat, these streets were filled with attendees excited to flaunt their pride, with Volunteer Organizer Peter Pepper emphasizing, “This event brings the community together and reminds people: [Oak Lawn] is not just a bunch of bars. This gay neighborhood exists as a place where people can feel safe. And so, above anything else, this event is meant to remind people that we exist as a gayborhood, and that we are here for people. It’s entertainment, it’s safety, it’s community, and it’s diversity.”
It was a mission that showed in every moment of Oak Lawn Live, whether you were fighting the heat while dancing at its many stages or keeping cool with friends at one of the participating restaurants. It was those restaurants, in fact, that revealed one of the best parts of this Pride In Dallas: how amazing it was for the local economy. Because while other celebrations would have nearby establishments shut down for the day, all the ones around Oak Lawn joined in on the LGBTQ-themed festivities with fun deals and activations. This was by design, said Lee Daugherty, owner of the Oak Lawn bar ‘Alexandre’s’ and member of the Cedar Springs Merchant Association. He explained, “The merchant association is designed to encourage economic impact.”
“Not only to promote economic activity, but to make sure that businesses are promoted,” the man continued. “So they can reinvest in the community and stay here. Because a vacant storefront helps no one.” He detailed how queer residents have always shaped Dallas’s economy, one that the Association works to make inclusive and sustainable for all. It was a fact that made the entire celebration all the more meaningful, with folks understanding how the fun of this weekend would translate into better finances for queer people across the city.
All of this combined to make the Saturday of Pride In Dallas a bright day for the countless LGBTQ folks in attendance. It was so exuberant, in fact, that even out-of-towners could feel it, with one of those being the iconic podcast host herself, TS Madison. Pride In Dallas power partner Unleashed LGBTQ, run by Wesley Smoot, arranged this fun podcast taping.
The trans actress and “RuPaul’s Drag Race” judge stopped by the celebration for a live taping of her renowned podcast, “Outlaws,” where she interviewed many of Dallas’s drag royalty. Known for her cutting honesty, it didn’t take long for TS to call out the elephant in the room — namely, how Texas has seen numerous attacks against the LGBTQ community in recent months.
For non-locals, it may seem strange to have so many folks partying while there were active fights against their rights happening across the state. But Madison understood the importance of moments like these even amidst hardship, stressing, “There’s been so much going on, but we’re still here, celebrating pride … that means a lot to me, because what it lets me know is: our fight will never stop. We will never stop resisting. In the face of this political climate, in the face of turmoil, we will never, ever stop existing.”
With those words, she aptly characterized the joyous strength that came out in full force for Sunday’s Cedar Springs Pride Parade. While it only took up two streets — there was a larger parade hosted earlier this year — these blocks were packed with LGBTQ and allied locals alike. They all gathered behind the barricades, whooping in joy and stretching out their hands to the cavalcade of groups rolling by only a few feet away from them, with this parade perfectly encapsulating the communal joy of this city’s vibrant LGBTQ community.
Suffice it to say, this past Pride In Dallas was one of the city’s best LGBTQ celebrations yet. It was a weekend of fun, of laughter, and an important reminder of the strength that happens when we join together. Because Dallas knows that things aren’t easy right now. But as long as we take the time for moments like this and remind ourselves why we continue to fight, this city, and the historic queerness it holds, will always be here — standing Texas strong.
Special thanks to Virgin Hotel Dallas for the perfect stay. From check-in to check-out, it was true style!
National
Man charged in Mall of America shooting plot inspired by Pulse massacre: report
Suspect exchanged hundreds of messages, pledged loyalty to ISIS
The U.S. Department of Justice charged Sheikhdoon Abdullahi Mohamud, 18, of Richfield, Minn., on Oct. 7 with one count of knowingly receiving a firearm and ammunition in order to commit a federal crime of terrorism. Mohamud allegedly planned to carry out a mass-casualty attack in support of ISIS, inspired in part by the Pulse nightclub massacre that took place on June 12, 2016 when then-29-year-old Omar Mateen murdered 49 people and wounded 58 – one of the deadliest mass shootings in U.S. history, and the deadliest targeting the LGBTQ+ community.
According to a DOJ statement release, Mohamud was arrested on Oct. 6 by the FBI, which had arranged to sell him an AK-47 assault rifle, magazines, and ammunition through an undercover FBI employee. Mohamud was arrested shortly after paying $600 in cash and taking possession of those items; he reaffirmed his intention to shoot people at the Mall of America during the transaction.
“Mohamud allegedly sought to carry out a mass-casualty shooting at the Mall of America, expressing a desire to emulate some of the most horrific ISIS-inspired attacks in the United States, including the atrocities at Pulse Nightclub and 2025 New Year’s Day attack in New Orleans,” said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg in the statement by the DOJ. “The National Security Division will continue to work closely with the FBI and Joint Terrorism Task Force to track down and prosecute ISIS-inspired terrorists in the United States.”
According to the complaint, beginning on or about December 2024, Mohamud had exchanged hundreds of messages through multiple social media and messaging apps with a confidential source, and expressed a desire to travel to Somalia to join a designated foreign terrorist organization to fight on their behalf.
The defendant stated many times that if he was unable to travel overseas because of a lack of funds, he planned to carry out a mass-casualty event in Minnesota in support of ISIS.
According to the DOJ, “In July 2026, Mohamud sent messages discussing his intent to carry out a mass-casualty shooting attack at the Mall of America because he claimed it was owned by Jews. He wrote that [he] wanted to kill 30 to 60 people so no one would go there.”
“During the course of his communications, Mohamud stated that he wanted to commit an attack similar to those of the Pulse Nightclub mass-shooting in Orlando, the Bondi Beach mass-shooting in Australia, and the New Year’s Day vehicle-ramming attack in New Orleans.”
This case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney Ryan White of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Bejar for the District of Minnesota.
California
Calif. GOP gubernatorial candidate ad ‘disgusting attempt to exploit lesbian intimacy’
Activists, anti-LGBTQ religious leaders criticized Steve Hilton spot
Two women sit on a bed, a Pride flag hanging behind them. One is nervous; the other tells her to be calm and that she’ll do “all the work.” The music swells. The two hold hands and — fill out a ballot voting for Steve Hilton?
This is the new advertisement from the Hilton gubernatorial campaign that is drawing rebuke from both sides of the aisle, but for very different reasons.
Jorge Reyes Salinas, the communications director at Equality California, said the ad was an insult to the queer community.
“This ad is a disgusting attempt to exploit lesbian intimacy for political attention,” he said. The advertisement plays on media tropes that Salinas says “reduce lesbian and bisexual women … to sexual entertainment,” rather than showing them as well-rounded characters. “Any group of the LGBTQ+ community deserves the same dignity and respect as everyone else,” he said.
The ad is truly hyper-sexualized. It ends with one woman telling the other, “Now lick it.” The two pause and stare before she reveals an envelope to send the ballot, and large text pops up saying, “Just try it!”
Salinas characterized the ad as a desperate attempt to get attention from a candidate who is trailing far behind in the polls in heavily Democratic California. The Democratic candidate Xavier Becerra, who is endorsed by Equality California, holds a 25-point lead over Hilton according to recent polling by the UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies.
Conservatives have also criticized the ad.
Influential evangelical Pastor Jack Hibbs thought the ad was distasteful and said, “lesbianism among college girls and some high school girls that right now is an actual pandemic of social ill.” Republican attorney general candidate Michael Gates said it undermines “the sanctity of the relationship between parents and their children.” This criticism is rather confusing because although the ad features two relatively young women, they both appear to be adults, not minors.
“The comments from Pastor Jack Hibbs should be criticized because there is nothing wrong with two women being attracted to each other,” Salinas said. “We’re calling out the ad’s stereotypes, while also rejecting the homophobia in the response to it … by other Republicans.”
The backlash from Hilton’s own party and supporters shows that an advertisement full of queer innuendo was ill-considered, considering the national GOP’s attacks on LGBTQ people in recent years. Hilton himself has been campaigning against transgender girls and women competing in school sports and using locker rooms that correspond with their gender identity. This context might be why Hilton’s political base responded to the ad just as poorly as the liberal voters he was attempting to court.
Hilton says the ad is part of a new series rolling out before Election Day, showing stereotypical California liberal archetypes voting for Hilton. He claims these ads are authentically filmed with real actors, as opposed to being A.I. generated, like many of his previous ads. One other advertisement has been released so far by the campaign showing a man at a spiritual retreat also being swayed to vote for Hilton, although it is notably absent of sexual innuendo.
Caleb Kaufman is a California Local News Fellow placed with the Los Angeles Blade. The California Local News Fellowship is a state-funded initiative to support and strengthen local news reporting. Learn more about it at fellowships.journalism.berkeley.edu/cafellows.
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