Local

Evans performs same-sex wedding

First time officiating for Council member

Published

12 years ago

December 18, 2013

D.C. Council member and mayoral candidate Jack Evans (D-Ward 2) performed his first same-sex marriage on Dec. 14. (Photo courtesy of Jack Evans)

D.C. Council member and mayoral candidate Jack Evans (D-Ward 2) performed his first same-sex marriage on Dec. 14 when he joined Logan Circle residents John Lazar and J. Edward Jarvis at a ceremony at the couple’s home.

Evans performed the ceremony under authority given to him by the D.C. Marriage Officiant Act of 2013, which, among other things, empowers the mayor and all 13 City Council members to perform marriages in the District of Columbia.

“We are honored to have Jack officiate at our marriage, and it’s so appropriate since he has been politically supportive of our community for 22 years,” Lazar said in a statement.

Lazar told the Blade that he and Jarvis met and began a relationship in 1993 in New York City where the two lived at the time and have been a couple ever since. Lazar currently serves as senior vice president of the American Cancer Society’s Mid-Atlantic Region. Jarvis is an executive compensation consultant and principal at Mercer & Company, a D.C. area consulting firm.

“Ed and I are just thrilled to see this opportunity arise within our own lifetimes,” Lazar said. “Ten years ago we really didn’t think we would see marriage equality and we’re just delighted.”

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Virginia

VIDEO: LGBTQ groups march in Va. inaugural parade

Abigail Spanberger took office on Saturday

Published

51 minutes ago

January 17, 2026

Michael Key

Diversity Richmond and the Virginia Pride project of Diversity Richmond march in the 2026 Inauguration Parade on the grounds of the state capitol in Richmond, Va. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

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.

View on Threads

*The LGBTQ contingent in the inaugural parade in Richmond, Va. pass by the review stand on Jan. 17, 2026. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)*

Virginia

Va. Senate approves referendum to repeal marriage amendment

Outgoing state Sen. Adam Ebbin introduced SJ3

Published

9 hours ago

January 17, 2026

Staff reports

(Bigstock photo)

The Virginia Senate on Friday by a 26-13 vote margin approved a resolution that seeks to repeal a state constitutional amendment that defines marriage as between a man and a woman.

Outgoing state Sen. Adam Ebbin (D-Alexandria) introduced SJ3. The Senate Privileges and Elections Committee on Wednesday approved it by a 10-4 vote margin.

Same-sex couples have been able to legally marry in Virginia since 2014. Outgoing Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin in 2024 signed a bill that codified marriage equality in state law.

A resolution that seeks to repeal the Marshall-Newman Amendment passed in the General Assembly in 2021. The resolution passed again in 2025.

Two successive legislatures must approve the resolution before it can go to the ballot. Democrats in the Virginia House of Delegates have said the resolution’s passage is among their 2026 legislative priorities.

“It’s time for Virginia’s Constitution to reflect the law of the land and the values of today,” said Ebbin after Friday’s vote. “This amendment, if approved by voters, would affirm the dignity of all committed couples and protects marriage equality for future generations.”

Maryland

Layoffs and confusion at Pride Center of Maryland after federal grants cut, reinstated

Trump administration move panicked addiction and mental health programs

Published

1 day ago

January 16, 2026

Baltimore Banner

Merrick Moses, a violence prevention coordinator, works at the Pride Center of Maryland in Baltimore. (Photo by Ulysses Muñoz for the Baltimore Banner)

By ALISSA ZHU | After learning it had abruptly lost $2 million in federal funding, the Pride Center of Maryland moved to lay off a dozen employees, or about a third of its workforce, the Baltimore nonprofit’s leader said Thursday.

The group is one of thousands nationwide that reportedly received letters late Tuesday from the Trump administration. Their mental health and addiction grants had been terminated, effective immediately, the letters said.

By Wednesday night, federal officials moved to reverse the funding cuts by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, estimated to total $2 billion, according to national media reports. But the Pride Center of Maryland’s CEO Cleo Manago said as of Thursday morning he had not heard anything from the federal government confirming those reports.

The rest of this article can be read on the Baltimore Banner’s website.