Local
College Park’s gay mayor criticized for backing non-citizen voting measure
City charter provision requiring six-person majority leads to proposal failure


College Park Mayor Patrick Wojahn (Photo courtesy Wojahn)
College Park, Md., Mayor Patrick Wojahn and City Council member P.J. Brennan, both of whom are gay, were among the suburban city’s leaders who came under fire last week for backing a controversial proposal to allow non-citizen residents to vote in local elections.
Wojahn presided over a contentious City Council meeting on Sept. 12 in which several dozen residents spoke for or against the proposal, which called for adopting a city charter amendment to give non-citizens the right to vote.
Wojahn infuriated many of the residents who spoke out against the proposal by casting the deciding vote to kill a proposed resolution to place the issue before the voters in a referendum in November rather than let the City Council decide the matter.
The eight-member Council then voted 4 to 3 with one abstention to approve the non-citizen voting rights charter amendment, prompting Wojahn and the Council members backing the measure to declare it had passed.
But four days later, Wojahn and the Council issued a joint statement saying they had overlooked a recently approved city charter revision that required a six-person majority vote on the Council to approve charter amendments. Thus the noncitizen voting measure did not pass, Wojahn and the Council members said in their joint statement, which added, “It is with considerable embarrassment and regret that we acknowledge our oversight.”
P.J. Brennan, the gay Council member who joined Wojahn in voting against the voter referendum proposal and for the non-citizen voting rights measure, said he was troubled by the sometimes acrimonious rhetoric by people on both sides of the issue.
“No doubt, as gay men, Patrick and I have been the targets of some unfortunate statements attacking our sexuality and making us feel unsafe,” he told the Washington Blade. “These attacks have allowed a perfectly reasonable community debate to devolve into name calling and lies,” he said.
Brennan said he commended those on both sides of the debate, especially the opponents, who spoke out against personal attacks and “hateful rhetoric.”
Supporters of giving non-citizen residents the right to vote in College Park’s local municipal elections noted that other Maryland municipalities, including Hyattsville, Mount Rainier, and Takoma Park approved non-citizen voting rights measures in recent years and have not encountered any problems.
“Our residents who are non-citizens are taxpayers and receive city services,” Brennan told the Blade. “They should have a say in voting for the elected body, the mayor and Council, who spend our tax dollars and set the priorities for city services,” he said.
Opponents argued at the Sept. 12 Council meeting that voting should be limited to citizens, including immigrants who become naturalized citizens.

Milton, Del., will host its Pride Fest this Saturday with the theme “Small Town, Big Heart.” The town’s population of just over 3,000 is in its sixth year hosting Pride.
The event is hosted by Sussex Pride and Milton Theatre and will take place from 4-8 p.m. in the area surrounding the theater. Admission is pay-what-you-can and proceeds will support the Milton Theatre’s education wing campaign, an initiative dedicated to expanding arts education and creating spaces for the next generation of performers and artists.
The musical act schedule includes Goldstar at 4 p.m., Magnolia Applebottom and Friends at 5:30 p.m., and Mama’s Blacksheep at 6:45 p.m. There will be vendors, food trucks, and a Kids Fest with an inflatable obstacle course.
“In our little corner of the world, LOVE leads the way! Milton Pride 2025 is a celebration for EVERYONE — neighbors, families, allies, and friends — because acceptance, kindness, and community belong to us all,” Milton Theatre’s website reads. “Whether you’re here to cheer, learn, or simply feel the joy … you’re welcome exactly as you are. Let’s come together and celebrate Milton, a SMALL TOWN … with a BIG HEART!”
District of Columbia
Drive with Pride in D.C.
A new Pride-themed license plate is now available in the District, with proceeds directly benefiting local LGBTQ organizations.

Just in time for Pride month, the D.C. Department of Motor Vehicles has partnered with the Mayor’s Office of LGBTQ Affairs to create a special “Pride Lives Here” license plate.
The plate, which was initially unveiled in February, has a one-time $25 application fee and a $20 annual display fee. Both fees will go directly to the Office of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Questioning Affairs Fund.
The MOLGBTQA Fund provides $1,000,000 annually to 25,000 residents through its grant program, funding a slew of LGBTQ organizations in the DMV area — including Capital Pride Alliance, Whitman-Walker, the D.C. Center for the LGBTQ Community, and the Washington Blade Foundation.
The license plate features an inclusive rainbow flag wrapping around the license numbers, with silver stars in the background — a tribute to both D.C.’s robust queer community and the resilience the LGBTQ community has shown.
The “Pride Lives Here” plate is one of only 13 specialty plates offered in the District, and the only one whose fees go directly to the LGBTQ community.
To apply for a Pride plate, visit the DC DMV’s website at https://dmv.dc.gov/

The nation’s capital welcomed WorldPride this past weekend, a massive celebration that usually takes place in a different city every two years.
The Saturday parade attracted hundreds of thousands of people from around the world and the country. The state of Delaware, a few hours drive from D.C., saw participants in the parade, with CAMP Rehoboth, an LGBTQ community center in Rehoboth Beach, hosting a bus day trip.
Hope Vella sits on the board of directors and marched with CAMP Rehoboth. Vella said that although the parade took a long time to start and the temperature was hot, she was “on a cloud” from being there.
“It didn’t matter to me how long it took to start. With the current changes that are in place regarding diversity and inclusion, I wanted my face there,” Vella said. “My life is an intersection. I am a Black woman. I am a lesbian, and I have a disability. All of these things are trying to be erased … I didn’t care how long it took. I didn’t care how far it was going to be. I was going to finish that parade. I didn’t care how hot it was.”
The nearly two mile parade route didn’t feel as long because everyone was so happy interacting with the crowd, Vella said. The group gave out beads, buttons, and pins to parade watchers.
“The World Pride celebration gave me hope because so many people came out. And the joy and the love that was between us … That gave me hope,” Vella said.
Vella said that people with disabilities are often overlooked. More than one in four Americans have disabilities, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Vella said it was important for her “to be out there and to be seen in my wholeness as a Black woman, as a lesbian, as a woman with a disability and to not be hiding. I want our society to understand that we exist in LGBTQ+ spaces also.”
Retired Maj. Gen. Tammy Smith is involved with CAMP Rehoboth and marched with a coalition of LGBTQ military members. Smith said they were walking to give transgender military members visibility and to remind people why they are serving.
“When we are not visible, what is allowed to take our place is stereotypes,” Smith said. “And so without visibility, people think all veterans are conservative and perhaps not open to full equality. Without visibility, they might think a small state with a farming background may be a place that’s unwelcoming, but when you actually meet the people who are from those places, it sets aside those stereotypes and the real authenticity is allowed to come forward.”
During the parade, Smith said she saw trans military members in the parade make eye contact or fist bump with transgender people in the crowd.
“They were seen. Both sides were seen during that parade and I just felt privileged to be able to witness that,” Smith said.
Smith said Delaware is a state that is about freedom and equality and is the first state for a reason. The LGBTQ community is engrained as part of life in the Rehoboth and Lewes areas.
“What pride means to me is that we must always be doing what is necessary to maintain our dignity as a community,” Smith said. “We can’t let what people with negative messaging might be tossing our way impact us and the celebration of Pride. I don’t see it as being self-promoting. I see it as an act of dignity and strength.”
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