Local
NAACP president: Md. same-sex marriage law guarantees religious freedom
Benjamin Jealous spoke at Baltimore press conference on same day Julian Bond ad debuted on D.C. television stations
![NAACP, Benjamin Jealous, gay news, Washington Blade](https://www.washingtonblade.com/content/files/2012/05/Ben_Jealous_thumb_c_Washington_Blade-Michael_Lavers.jpg)
The head of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People stressed on Monday that Marylandās same-sex marriage law guarantees religious freedom.
āWeāre pleased that Question 6 is very clear: This is about civil marriage,ā said Benjamin Jealous during a press conference at his organizationās Baltimore headquarters. āQuestion 6 goes on to be very clear that every church, every house of worship, every synagogue in the state can have faith that everything will be respected and protected not only by the U.S. Constitution but by Question 6 itself.ā
Jealous, whose parents traveled from Baltimore to D.C. to get married in 1966 because Maryland did not allow interracial marriages, reaffirmed his support of Question 6 on the same day a Marylanders for Marriage Equality television ad that features NAACP Chair Emeritus Julian Bond began airing in the D.C. media market.
āI know a little something about fighting for what is right and just. Marylandās gay and lesbian families share the same values and they should share in the right to marry,ā says Bond. āI believe people of faith understand this isnāt about any one religious belief. Itās about protecting the civil right to make a lifelong commitment to the person you love. Join me in supporting Question 6. Itās the right thing to do.ā
Reverend Dr. Todd Yeary of Douglass Memorial Community Church in Baltimore echoed Bond.
āI affirm the NAACPās position that civil marriage is indeed a civil right,ā he said. āThis really is not a religious issue. The wording of Question 6 is very specific in accepting religious protections. All persons can honor their own personal convictions without imposing them on anyone else.ā
A Gonzales Research poll last month indicates 44 percent of black Marylanders back marriage rights for same-sex couples, compared to 52 percent who oppose nuptials for gays and lesbians. A Hart Research Associates survey conducted in late July found that 44 percent of black Marylanders would support Question 6, compared to 45 percent who would vote against it. A Public Policy Polling poll in May found 55 percent of the stateās black voters support marriage rights for same-sex couples.
The NAACP Board of Directors in May passed a resolution in support of nuptials for gays and lesbians after President Obama publicly backed the issue for the first time during an interview with ABC Newsā Robin Roberts. Bishop Harry Jackson of Hope Christian Church in Beltsville remains one of the most prominent opponents to Marylandās same-sex marriage law, but the first Marylanders for Marriage Equality television ads in support of Question 6 that began airing last week on WBAL in Baltimore feature Rev. Delman Coates of Mount Ennon Baptist Church in Clinton in Prince Georgeās County and Rev. DontĆ© Hickman of Southern Baptist Church in Baltimore.
Jealous acknowledged that the NAACP is concerned that same-sex marriage opponents are ādupingā black Marylanders to vote against Question 6. He further cited previously confidential National Organization for Marriage documents that indicate the group sought to use the issue to divide black and LGBT voters.
āThe NAACP has fought for civil rights for over 103 years and we recognize civil marriage as a civil right,ā said NAACP Maryland State Conference President Gerald Stansbury during todayās press conference. āWhen we speak of civil marriages, we speak of it in a context of a civil issue and not a religious one. We understand the difference between a civil marriage and a religious marriage.ā
Maryland NAACP Youth and College President Chizoba Ukairo agreed.
āWe are clear that equal access to legal marriage for same-sex couples is a basic issue of fairness and equality,ā she said.
Virginia
Parades, community events held to mark Pride Month in Va.
Upwards of 30,000 people attended PrideFest in Norfolk on June 22
![](https://www.washingtonblade.com/content/files/2024/06/20240629_Shi-Queeta_Lee_at_Arlington_Pride_insert_c_Washington_Blade_by_Michael_Key.jpg)
Activists across Virginia last month held a series of events to mark Pride Month.
Hampton Roads Pride, a volunteer-run organization founded in 1997, held 37 different Pride events throughout the region in June.
Their biggest event, PrideFest, which is part of their larger three day event, Pride Weekend, celebrated its 36th anniversary on June 22. Pride Weekend took place from June 21-23 and began with a block party at NorVa in Norfolk.
PrideFest took place at Town Point Park, and an estimated 30,000 people attended. More than 70 venders participated, while Todrick Hall and Mariah Counts are among those who performed.
Another PrideFest event with a DJ in the afternoon and live music at night took place in Virginia Beach on June 23. Congressman Bobby Scott and U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) are among those who attended Pride events in Suffolk on June 30.
Norfolk Mayor Kenneth Alexander, along with members of the Norfolk and Virginia Beach City Councils, also attended the Pride events in their respective cities. Jamar Walker, the first openly gay federal judge in Virginia, also took part.
āYou know people all throughout Pride Month, at all of our various events, tell me all kinds of stories about their own experiences and the past of this community … and some of our older folks especially, remember when we couldn’t have this,ā Hampton Roads Pride President Jeff Ryder told the Washington Blade on Monday during a telephone interview.
āIt was a great year,ā he added. “It was a big achievement for us to have unique celebrations in each of our seven communities. Each of these cities is so different from one another, but to be able to create a Pride celebration that’s unique in each of those places was really great, and I think really well received by folks who may not have felt represented previously. We’re always trying to do better, to embrace every aspect of our community, and take a big step forward there this year.ā
State Dels. Adele McClure (D-Arlington County) and Alfonso Lopez (D-Arlington County) are among those who spoke at Arlington Pride that took place at Long Bridge Park on June 29. The Fredericksburg Pride march and festival took place the same day at Riverfront Park in Fredericksburg.
Republican Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin on June 10 hosted a Pride Month reception in Richmond.
Youngkin in previous years has hosted Pride Month receptions, even though Equality Virginia and other advocacy groups have criticized him for supporting anti-LGBTQ bills.
The Republican governor in March signed a bill that codified marriage equality in Virginia. Youngkin last month vetoed a measure that would have expanded the definition of bullying in the state.
Baltimore
Baltimore street named in honor of trans activist
Iya Dammons is founder of support groups Safe Haven in Baltimore, D.C.
![](https://www.washingtonblade.com/content/files/2024/07/20240629_Iya_Dammons_at_street_naming_ceremony_in_Baltimore_insert_courtesy_Iya_Dammons.jpg)
Baltimore city officials and LGBTQ activists participated in a ceremony on June 29 officially dedicating the renaming of a street in honor of transgender woman Iya Dammons, who founded and serves as executive director of the LGBTQ services organization Maryland Safe Haven.
A section of Baltimoreās 21st Street at the intersection of North Charles Street, where the Maryland Safe Haven offices are located, has been renamed Iya Dammons Way.
The ceremony took place six years after Dammons founded Maryland Safe Haven in 2018 and one year after she launched a Safe Haven operation in D.C.in 2023 located at 331 H St., N.E.
A statement on its website says Safe Haven provides a wide range of supportive services for LGBTQ people in need, with a special outreach to Black trans women ānavigating survival modeā living.
āThrough compassionate harm reduction and upward mobility services, advocacy support, and community engagement, we foster a respectful, non-judgmental environment that empowers individual agency,ā the statement says. āOur programs encompass community outreach, a drop-in center providing HIV testing, harm reduction, PrEP, medical linkage, case management, and assistance in accessing housing services,ā it says.
Among those participating in the street renaming ceremony were Baltimore City Council member Zeke Cohen, interim director of Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scottās Office of LGBTQ Affairs Alexis Blackmon, and Dominique Morgan, an official with the national foundation Borealis Philanthropy, which provides financial support for transgender supportive nonprofit organizations, including Safe Haven.
āThis is a significant achievement and historic moment for our city,ā a statement by Maryland Safe Haven announcing the ceremony says. āIya Dammons has been a tireless advocate for transgender rights and has worked tirelessly to provide safe spaces and resources for transgender individuals in our city,ā it says. āThis honor is well-deserved, and we are thrilled to see her contributions recognized in such a meaningful way.ā
Baltimore
Despite record crowds, Baltimore Prideās LGBTQ critics say organizers dropped the ball
People on social media expressed concern about block party stampede
![](https://www.washingtonblade.com/content/files/2024/06/Screenshot-2024-06-29-at-18.01.33.png)
BY JOHN-JOHN WILLIAMS IV | This yearās Baltimore Pride Week attracted 150,000 people ā record attendance that far exceeded initial projections of 100,000.
But some see room for improvement and want organizers to address safety issues and make changes so the annual event that celebrates the LGBTQ population is better run.
The rest of this article can be found on the Baltimore Banner’s website.
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