News
Gay U.S. ambassador to Australia marries partner
Australian LGBT group says union shows need for marriage equality
U.S. Ambassador to Australia John Berry (left) married his partner Curtis Yee (Photo courtesy Australian Marriage Equality).
The openly gay and newly confirmed U.S. ambassador to Australia married his partner in D.C. on Saturday in a ceremony that an Australian LGBT group is drawing attention to in its push to legalize marriage equality in that country.
John Berry, whom the Senate confirmed by voice vote last month to his post, married his partner of 17 years Curtis Yee at St. Margaret’s Episcopal Church in D.C.
According to a statement from the couple, attendees included Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell Music as well as family and close friends. Music was provided by Theodore Guerrant and soloist, Christian Hoff.
Prior to being U.S. ambassador to Australia, Berry was director of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management and considered the highest-ranking openly gay person in the Obama administration. He’s now the first openly gay person to serve as a U.S. ambassador to a G-20 nation.
Rodney Croome, national convener for Australian Marriage Equality, congratulated the newly-weds, but said the failure to recognize their union in Australia, where same-sex marriage isn’t legal, will be a source of embarrassment for the country.
“Sadly, they join hundreds of other same-sex couples whose overseas same-sex marriages aren’t recognised under Australian law,” Croome said. “It will be a source of deep embarrassment for many Australians that our law fails to respect the marriage of the chief representative of our closest friend and ally, the United States.”
During a debate earlier this month, Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd pledged to introduce a marriage equality bill within the first 100 days of the new government if its elected on Sept. 7.
“Within the first 100 days of a re-elected government, a bill would come from forth … to legalize marriage equality,” Rudd said. “We would, of course, on our side of politics, allow a conscience vote.”
In that same debate, Tony Abbott leader of the opposition party in Australia wouldn’t commit to a conscience vote, saying parliament had already determined the issue “decisively.
Croome commended Rudd for his commitment and said his opposition should make the same promise.
“Kevin Rudd’s commitment is a reminder not just that marriage equality is important, but that it is urgent,” Croome said. “This increases pressure on Tony Abbott to commit to a conscience vote so marriage equality can finally be passed.”
National
Madonna turns Times Square into massive dance floor
Pop icon celebrates Pride month with surprise performance
Pop icon Madonna celebrated Pride month with a pop-up performance in New York City’s Times Square on Thursday to the delight of 50,000 fans.
She performed for about 15 minutes high above street level, including several songs from her new album “Confessions II” due on July 3, along with a trio of songs from the first “Confessions on a Dance Floor.”
In addition to the brand new “Love Sensation,” she performed “I Feel So Free” and “Bring Your Love,” plus “Hung Up,” “Get Together” and “I Love New York.” She wished the crowd a happy Pride season; the event was shared with audiences through Grindr’s first-ever livestream.
The Washington Blade this week welcomed Emma LaPointe as its summer intern.
Emma is studying journalism, political science, and German studies at the University of Arizona. She is from Tucson, Ariz., and is interning with the Blade as part of a continued partnership with the Washington Center.
“I am super excited to spend my summer with the Washington Blade and to learn more about D.C.,” said Emma. “I have loved reporting on the LGBTQ+ community back in Tucson, and I am excited to continue the work here.”
Emma’s internship will end on July 31.
Hungary
Charges against Budapest mayor for organizing Pride march dropped
Country’s new government took office last month
Hungarian authorities on Thursday dropped charges against Budapest Mayor Gergely Karácsony over his role in organizing the city’s 2025 Pride march.
Karácsony spoke at the event, even though then-Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s government banned it.
More than 100,000 people defied the ban and participated in the march that took place on June 28, 2025. The Associated Press notes the Budapest Chief Prosecutor’s Office in January charged Karácsony with “organizing the unlawful assembly despite a prohibition order.”
Karácsony, who has been Budapest’s mayor since 2019, described himself as a “proud defendant” after his indictment.
“It seems that in this country, this is the price you pay if you stand up for your own freedom and the freedom of others,” he said in a statement, according to the AP. “If anyone thinks they can ban me, deter me, or prevent me and my city from doing so, they are gravely mistaken.”
Budapest is Hungary’s capital and largest city.
Prime Minister Péter Magyar took office last month after his center-right Tisza party ousted Orbán’s Fidesz-KDNP coalition in elections that took place on April 12.
Hungarian police on May 29 announced they will allow the Budapest Pride march to take place this year.
The European Union’s top court, the EU Court of Justice, days after Orbán’s ouster struck down Hungary’s anti-LGBTQ propaganda law that MPs approved in 2021. The BBC notes Hungarian authorities cited the decision in their decision to drop the charges against Karácsony.
Authorities in Pécs, a city near Hungary’s border with Croatia, have also dropped charges against Géza Buzás-Hábel, who organized a 2025 Pride event.
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