Local
Clergy rally for Md. same-sex marriage bill
Extol religious protections in the measure
As fellow clerics look on, Catholic nun Sister Jeannine Gramick celebrates the Md. civil marriage bill. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
In a show of support for the Civil Marriage Protection Act being considered by the Maryland Judicial Proceedings Committee at 1 p.m. Tuesday, Marylanders for Marriage Equality gathered a group of sympathetic clergy at the Maryland Inn in Annapolis at 9:30 a.m. to push the legislature to pass the bill.
Roughly two dozen clergy gathered with several of the bill’s supporters, lawmakers and same-sex couples that would be affected by the bill prior to a lobbying effort at the capitol.
During the final prayer of a morning breakfast, Baptist minister Rev. David Gilmore told the group, “Yes I am a traditional black baptist minister — I don’t always think like a baptist,” he continued, however.
The minister hoped that his views would spread to his fellow Baptists. “God will open the minds of the rest of the baptist community,” he said.
After a breakfast punctuated by prayers for the success of the bill, Rev. MacArthur Flournoy, faith director of Marylanders for Marriage Equality, introduced a select group of the clerics who spoke passionately in favor of the bill.
“I have colleagues in this state that are concerned about religious exemptions in the marriage equality legislation before the state assembly,” said Rabbi Daniel Berg of Baltimore, the first of the clergy to speak. “I am here to tell you that I am also a man of faith. I am also a servant of God, and my belief is that God doesn’t want any of us to live a life of shame, inequality or fear.”
“God does not wish for us to condemn a portion of humanity to secrecy or celibacy or worse,” Berg said, referencing the book of Genesis. “It is not good for man to be alone.”
Rev. Starlene Joyner Burns of SJB Ministries emphasized that there is no difference in love between same-sex and opposite-sex couples. “The only thing that’s missing here in Maryland is that they cannot legally get married and provide the kind of protection that marriage and a certificate can bring,” Rev. Burns said. “That piece of paper that’s meaningless to some has a whole lot of meaning to those who can’t get it.”
Rev. Burns discussed the discrimination faced by same-sex couples in accessing survivor’s benefits. “We need change and we need it now.” “Religious freedom and marriage equality can and do go hand in hand.”
Episcopal priest Angela Shepherd asserted that support of marriage equality is a matter of civic good. “Many of us maintain our love for humanity by agreeing to disagree and therefore causing no harm,” Rev. Shepherd told the gathering. “However there is a wider venue that encompasses family and faith communities and that is the civic arena.”
Shepherd spoke about the pressure lawmakers were feeling from religious leaders opposed to the bill.
“Unfortunately some supportive elected officials have been threatened by a few religious leaders who are opposed to this bill,” Shepherd said. “Our separation of church and state is being compromised.”
“Same-gender couples have built lives that are grounded in love,” Shepherd concluded. “At heart of this matter is that four-letter word: love.”
Sister Jeannine Gramick, a Catholic nun who has worked for LGBT inclusion in the Roman Catholic Church since the 1970s, and Dr. Jeffery McCune who also spoke, discussed the changing definition of families throughout history, and the importance of religious leaders welcoming all.
(Blade photo by Michael Key)
“Marriage is sacred, and that is exactly the reason why I as a rabbi and as a religious person support marriage equality,” Rabbi. Berg said. “The bill before the General Assembly will in no way force you to bless same-sex unions, but yours is not the only authentic religious perspective.”
At 1 p.m. today both supporters and opponents of the bill will be given time to testify before the Senate committee on behalf of their constituencies. Each side will be given two hours to offer their arguments. Supporters of the bill expected to testify include some of the clergy that attended this morning’s rally, same-sex couples, children of gay parents and progressive leaders including representatives of the ACLU Maryland and the 1199 SEIU local.
Maryland
Federal officials launch Title IX probe into Md. schools over trans athletes
Montgomery, Prince George’s, and Frederick Counties named in probe
On June 23, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights announced it is launching a Title IX investigation into three Maryland school districts and the Maryland State Department of Education for failing to enforce sex-based protections guaranteed by federal law.
The districts include Montgomery County Public Schools, Prince George’s County Public Schools, and Frederick County Public Schools.
According to the department, these districts require schools to allow boys to compete in girls’ athletics, to use girls-only locker rooms, restrooms, and overnight accommodations alongside female athletes.
According to Bethesda Today, Montgomery County Public Schools spokesperson Liliana Lopez said “MCPS remains committed to providing safe, welcoming and inclusive learning environments for all students and to complying with applicable federal and Maryland laws and regulations. As the matter is now under review by the Office for Civil Rights, we have no further comment at this time.”
Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Kimberly Richey states that allowing students access to sex-separated programs and facilities based on gender identity is “deeply troubling.”
“54 years after Title IX was signed into law, the Trump administration remains steadfast to enforce its promise to protect women and girls. We will fully investigate these allegations and take appropriate action to ensure compliance with federal law,” Richey said in a statement.
According to the press release from the Department of Education, the violation falls under a Trump-Vance administration rewrite of Title IX, which aligned the sex-based protections “with biological reality, not ideological fantasy.”
This comes after the NCAA released a statement in February stating that people assigned male at birth cannot participate in women’s sports teams. The NCAA stated, “The policy is clear that there are no waivers available, and students assigned male at birth may not compete on a women’s team with amended birth certificates or other forms of ID.”
The U.S. Supreme Court is also currently deliberating on a case regarding transgender athletes in youth sports and their ability to play on teams that align with their gender identity, with the decision expected in the coming days.
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Congratulations to Paul Marengo who has been appointed the new executive director of the Equality Chamber of Commerce.
The Equality Chamber of Commerce is dedicated to advancing economic opportunities, business growth, and advocacy for LGBTQ+ entrepreneurs, professionals, and allies. Through networking, education, and community engagement, the Chamber works to create a thriving and inclusive business environment for all.
On behalf of the Chamber, Edmund Morris said, “We are thrilled to welcome Paul Marengo as executive director. His passion, vision, and dedication to fostering inclusive business environments make him the ideal leader to guide the Chamber into its next phase of growth and success.”
Marengo has been a nonprofit fundraising executive for more than 30 years. He is the founder and CEO of Promethean Fundraising, a grassroots consulting firm that provides assistance, tools, and empowers emerging nonprofits to become competitive fundraisers. His clients have included The Chamber, Ragtag Film Society, and The Cherry Fund. He has served as a grant reviewer for the Maryland State Arts Commission, Virginia Commission for the Arts, DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, and the National Endowment for the Arts.
District of Columbia
Nearly 6,000 turn out for Pride Night Out at the Nationals
Gay Men’s Chorus sings National Anthem
“Just shy of” 6,000 people purchased tickets for the Wednesday, June 24, 21st annual Pride Night Out at the Washington Nationals baseball stadium, which the Nationals said is the longest running LGBTQ Pride event in Major League Baseball, according to a Nationals spokesperson.
The event was organized with the Nationals by Team D.C., the local LGBTQ sports group that organizes similar Pride Nights for other professional D.C. area sports teams.
“It was a good time had by all as the Nationals celebrated the LGBTQ+ community during the Nationals 21st Pride Night Out, presented by Team D.C.” the Nationals said in a statement.
Nationals spokesperson Erica George said the overall game attendance was 27,200.
Similar to recent past years, the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington sung the National Anthem at the start of the game, drawing loud cheers from people throughout the stadium.
The Nationals lost the game to the Philadelphia Phillies by a score of 5-4. Although most of the LGBTQ attendees of the event, held in the right-field mezzanine section of the stadium, were cheering for the Nationals, a sizeable number also cheered for the Phillies.
Miguel Ayala, one of Team D.C.’s lead organizers, said he noticed fans displaying Pride flags and recognized LGBTQ people in all parts of the stadium, indicating significantly more LGBTQ people and their supporters attended the game beyond the close to 6,000 or more who purchased the specific Pride Night Out tickets.
“It was a great excitement last night,” he told the Washington Blade on the day following the event. “I saw a lot of big crowds of our people, I saw everybody I can think of in the community. And it was really great to see the turnout.”
Also, like in previous years, Team D.C. along with the Nationals helped to organize a pre-game show on the large concourse platform area next to the stadium seating area involving a drag show led by local drag performer Shi-Queeta Lee.
“During pregame ceremonies, the Nationals Pride employee resource group was recognized on the field,” the statement released by the Nationals says. “Dr. Demetre Daskalakis, a physician and public health leader who has had a profound impact on the LGBTQ+ community and those living with or vulnerable to HIV, threw out the ceremonial first pitch as the guest of Team D.C.,” the statement says.
It adds that Team D.C.’s scholarship recipient Spencer Doll made the ceremonial call to “Play Ball.”
As if all that were not enough, a Nationals employee who entertains during the Nationals pre-game shows on the field dressed as a giant eagle named “Screech” wearing an eagle’s head mask appeared in the seating area where the Pride Night Out crowd was seated and mingled with the LGBTQ fans, many of whom posed for photos with Screech.
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