Local
Gray performs City Hall wedding for gay couple
Ceremony is first under new law allowing mayor, Council to perform marriages
D.C. residents Rob Robertson and Carlos Taylor were married Tuesday by Mayor Vincent Gray. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
Under the glare of TV news cameras, D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray on Tuesday performed a wedding ceremony for a gay male couple in a reception room outside his office at the John Wilson City Hall Building.
Gray told D.C. residents Rob Robertson and Carlos Taylor and close to 50 friends and relatives who turned out to see them tie the matrimonial knot that he was pleased that the couple approached him to perform his very first wedding ceremony under a newly passed D.C. law.
The Marriage Officiant Act of 2013, which the D.C. Council passed and Gray signed earlier this year, among other things, gives the mayor and the 13 City Council members the authority to perform marriages. The bill became law on Nov. 5 after clearing its required review by Congress.
“One of the reasons that this particular ceremony is such a great honor for me is that it represents the cause for which I have been a long-time advocate,” Gray told the gathering. “To me, marriage equality and equal rights are matters of basic fairness and justice,” he said.
Robertson and Taylor each were born and raised in Virginia and moved to D.C. in 1996 and 1997 respectively. The two said they met in 1997 through a mutual friend, began dating in the summer of 1999, and have been a couple since that time. Both also work as Information Technology professionals and live in Adams Morgan.
They said their friend, gay activist Peter Rosenstein, suggested they consider letting Mayor Gray perform their wedding at a time when Rosenstein told them the Marriage Officiant Act was about to become law.
“We wanted to get married and we were having a drink with Peter and he said I know the mayor and I can introduce you, and maybe he’ll be willing to marry you,” Robertson told the Blade. “We thought it was a fantastic idea.”
“Peter reached out to the mayor and the mayor responded by saying it would be awesome,” said Taylor as he and Robertson mingled with well-wishers after the ceremony. “And that’s how we got here, and he’s been very welcoming.”
Gray told reporters he was happy to accept Robertson and Taylor’s request for the wedding ceremony and was “very pleased” that a gay couple became the first couple he was able to marry.
“If people ask me I’ll be happy to do it,” he said when asked if he plans on performing marriage ceremonies on a regular basis. “It could be a heterosexual couple. It could be a same-sex couple. That would be fine with me.”
The mayor accompanied Robertson and Taylor and their guests in an adjoining room after the ceremony for a Champagne toast in honor of the two grooms and to share in consuming a large wedding cake donated by local pastry chef Padua Player of the D.C.-based Suga Chef Desserts.
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.
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