Local
Sibley Hospital disputes lesbians’ allegation of discrimination
Allegedly had to “prove the legitimacy of their relationship” to obtain newborn’s birth certificate
A spokesperson for D.C.’s Sibley Memorial Hospital disputed a claim by three members of the D.C. City Council that the hospital appears to have discriminated against a married lesbian couple last month by making it more difficult for them to obtain a birth certificate for their newborn child.
In a July 28 letter to Sibley Hospital President Robert Sloan, Council members Phil Mendelson (D-At-large), David Catania (I-At-Large), and Muriel Bowser (D-Ward 4) said they were contacted by a lesbian mother who had given birth at Sibley. The Council members said the mother told them the hospital had a policy of requiring married same-sex couples to “prove the legitimacy of their relationship, a burden not placed on opposite-sex couples, before they can obtain their newborn’s birth certificate.”
According to the letter, the hospital informed the lesbian couple that same-sex couples were required to provide a marriage certificate to verify their marriage while opposite-sex couples were “presumed married” and were not required to provide additional information to document their marriage.
“This requirement, whether isolated to this incident or an aspect of hospital policy, is wrong, discriminatory, and antithetical to the District’s laws providing equal rights and equal dignity to all residents,” the three Council members said in their letter.
Sheilah Roy, Sibley’s director of public relations and marketing, told the Blade on Monday that the hospital was following a directive it received from the D.C. Office of Vital Records. Roy said the directive came in an e-mail dated Jan. 22, 2010, and calls on all city hospitals to verify the marriage of same-sex couples before providing those couples with a birth certificate of a child bearing the names of both members of the couple.
“The parents must provide a copy of the certified marriage license or domestic partnership registration,” Roy quoted the directive as saying. “Attention must be paid to the relationship between the partners,” she quoted the directive as saying. “Close relatives registered as domestic partners may not have the second partner added [to the birth certificate] when the partner is related by blood.”
The last sentence Roy quoted pertains to a provision in the D.C. domestic partnership law that allows blood relatives, such as a parent and an adult child or siblings, to become domestic partners.
“In other words, it says that we are required to ask for a marriage license or domestic partner registration,” Roy said. “So we were following what we were told to do by the D.C. government.”
American University law professor Nancy Polikoff, a recognized expert on family law pertaining to same-sex couples, said the city’s domestic partnership law and a separate parental rights law require that same-sex couples be treated the same as opposite-sex couples in all areas, including the issuance of birth certificates by hospitals. She said the directive issued by the city’s Office of Vital Records, if correctly described by the Sibley spokesperson, appears to be an incorrect interpretation existing D.C. law.
Mahlori Isaacs, a spokesperson for the D.C. Department of Health, of which the Office of Vital Records is a part, said she would make inquires to confirm the accuracy of the directive that the Office of Vital Records sent to Sibley and other city hospitals.
Virginia
Va. LG opposed marriage equality affirmation bill in handwritten note
Winsome Earle-Sears constitutionally required to sign HB 174 as Senate president
Virginia Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears last year in a handwritten note indicated her opposition to marriage rights for same-sex couples when she signed a bill that affirmed marriage equality in the state.
Brandon Jarvis of Virginia Scope on May 1 published Earle-Sears’s note on House Bill 174, which state Del. Rozia Henson, a Prince William County Democrat who is gay, introduced.
The Virginia Senate passed HB 174 by a 22-17 vote margin, and the state constitution required Earle-Sears to sign it as the chamber’s president. Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin signed the measure into law after it received bipartisan support.
“As the lieutenant governor, I recognize and respect my constitutional obligation to adhere to procedures set out in the constitution of Virginia,” wrote Earle-Sears in her note. “However, I remain morally opposed to the content of HB 174 as passed by the General Assembly.”
Earle-Sears, a former U.S. Marine who served in the Virginia House of Delegates from 2002-2004, in 2021 became the first woman elected Virginia’s lieutenant governor. Activists have criticized her for her opposition to LGBTQ rights in Virginia.
She sparked controversy last year when she misgendered state Sen. Danica Roem (D-Manassas), who is transgender, on the Senate floor. Earle-Sears has also spoken at the Conservative Political Action Conference.
Earle-Sears is running to succeed Youngkin as governor once his term ends in January 2026. She will likely face former U.S. Rep. Abigail Spanberger, a Democrat who previously represented Virginia’s 7th Congressional District.
John Reid, a conservative talk show host who is openly gay, last month secured the Republican nomination to succeed Earle-Sears as lieutenant governor. Youngkin has called for Reid to end his campaign amid reports that he posted “pornographic content” on social media.
Reid has strongly denied the reports.
World Pride 2025
D.C. liquor board extends drinking hours for WorldPride
Gay bars, other liquor-serving establishments can stay open 24 hours
D.C.’s Alcoholic Beverage and Cannabis Board, which regulates liquor sales for the city’s bars, restaurants, nightclubs, and other establishments licensed to serve alcoholic beverages, has approved extended hours for alcohol service and sales during the days when most WorldPride events will be held in the nation’s capital.
In a May 2 announcement, the Alcoholic Beverage and Cannabis Administration, which works with the board, said the extended liquor serving and sales hours for WorldPride will take place beginning Friday, May 30, through 4 a.m. Monday, June 9.
Although the official schedule for WorldPride events shows the events will take place May 17-June 8, most of the large events, including a two-day Pride street festival, parade, and concert, were expected to take place between May 30 and June 8.
According to the ABCA announcement and an ABCA spokesperson, liquor servicing establishments with the appropriate license can stay open for 24 hours and serve alcoholic beverages from 6 a.m. through the day and evening until 4 a.m., with no liquor sales allowed from 4 a.m. to 6 a.m. during the May 30-June 9 period.
The ABCA announcement says liquor serving establishments must apply for the extended hours option and pay a $100 registration fee by a deadline on May 27.
Sources familiar with the liquor board have said the board has for many years approved the extension of liquor serving and sales hours for important events and for certain holidays such as New Year’s Eve.
At the time it approved the extended hours for WorldPride the liquor board also approved extended hours during the time when games for a World Cup soccer tournament will be held in the city on June 18, June 22, and June 26.
It couldn’t immediately be determined how many of D.C.’s 22 LGBTQ bars plan to apply for the extended drinking hours. David Perruzza, owner of the Adams Morgan gay bar Pitchers and its adjoining lesbian bar A League of Her Own, said he will apply for the 4 a.m. extended hours option but he does not intend to keep the two bars open for the full 23 hours.
Under the city’s current alcoholic beverage regulations, licensed liquor serving establishments may serve alcoholic beverages until 2 a.m. on weekdays and 3 a.m. on weekends.
World Pride 2025
Episcopal bishop to speak at WorldPride human rights conference
Trump demanded apology from Mariann Edgar Budde over post-Inauguration sermon
The Right Rev. Mariann Edgar Budde is among those who are scheduled to speak at the WorldPride 2025 Human Rights Conference that will take place from June 4-6.
Budde, who is the bishop of the Diocese of Washington, in January urged President Donald Trump “to have mercy” on LGBTQ people, immigrants, and others “who are scared right now” during a post-Inauguration service that he and Vice President JD Vance attended at the Washington National Cathedral. Trump criticized Budde’s comments and demanded an apology.
The Right Rev. Mariann Edgar Budde speaks at the Washington National Cathedral on Jan. 21, 2025. (PBS NewsHour clip)
A press release the Washington Blade received notes Icelandic Industries Minister Hanna Katrín Friðriksson, UK Black Pride founder Phyll Opoku-Gyimah, and Bob the Drag Queen are among those who are also expected to participate in the conference.
The conference will take place at the JW Marriott (1331 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W.) and registration is open here.
HRC memo details threats to LGBTQ community in Trump budget
Supreme Court allows Trump admin to enforce trans military ban
Trump admin cancels more than $800 million in LGBTQ health grants
Brazilian crossdresser opens studio to help fellow crossdressers
ILGA World reinstates Israeli LGBTQ rights group
Supreme Court allows Trump admin to enforce trans military ban
Episcopal bishop to speak at WorldPride human rights conference
D.C. liquor board extends drinking hours for WorldPride
Executive director of LGBTQ Catholic group to travel to Rome for conclave
Cozy Night In Ideas And Inspiration
-
U.S. Supreme Court10 hours agoSupreme Court allows Trump admin to enforce trans military ban
-
World Pride 20255 days agoEpiscopal bishop to speak at WorldPride human rights conference
-
World Pride 20254 days agoD.C. liquor board extends drinking hours for WorldPride
-
The Vatican5 days agoExecutive director of LGBTQ Catholic group to travel to Rome for conclave