Local
Judge hears oral arguments in Va. marriage case
Olson tells court the state’s prohibition ‘cannot stand’
From left: Josh Duggar, Victoria Cobb of the Family Foundation of Virginia, Allison Howard of Concerned Women for America and EW Jackson take part in an anti-gay marriage rally outside the Norfolk ,Va., federal courthouse on Feb. 4. (Photo courtesy of the Family Foundation of Virginia)
A federal judge in Norfolk, Va., on Tuesday heard oral arguments in a lawsuit that challenges Virginia’s same-sex marriage ban.
Ted Olson and David Boies, who successfully argued against California’s Proposition 8 before the U.S. Supreme Court, told Judge Arenda L. Wright Allen of the U.S. District for the Eastern District of Virginia the commonwealth’s constitutional amendment that defines marriage as between a man and a woman violates the 14th Amendment. The two men represent Timothy Bostic and Tony London and Norfolk and Carol Schall and Mary Townley of Chesterfield who filed suit against the gay nuptials ban last year.
“As a proud Virginian, I am gratified to represent two loving couples in my home state who want nothing more than to have the state recognize their relationships,” said Olson. “Virginia’s prohibition on marriage for same-sex couples relegates gay and lesbian Virginians to second-class status. Laws excluding gay men and lesbians from marriage violate personal freedom, are an unnecessary government intrusion, and cause serious harm. That type of law cannot stand.”
Attorney General Mark Herring, who announced last month he would not defend the marriage amendment, is among those who attended the hearing.
“Today was a very significant day in the journey toward full equality under the law for all Virginians,” said Herring in a statement after he left the courthouse. “I am proud to say that the commonwealth of Virginia stood on the right side of the law and the right side of history today in opposing this discriminatory ban.”
Lawyers with the Alliance Defending Freedom who are representing Prince William County Circuit Court Clerk Michèle McQuigg defended the marriage amendment that Virginia voters approved by a 57-43 percent margin in 2006. Norfolk Circuit Court Clerk George Schaefer tapped attorneys with former Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell’s Virginia Beach law firm to represent him in the case.
The Family Foundation of Virginia and a group of professors from Regent University and other conservative academic institutions filed amicus briefs with the court in support of the marriage amendment.
“These citizens support marriage as defined by our constitution because they understand and recognize that our children deserve, whenever possible, to have both a mom and a dad,” said Victoria Cobb, president of the Family Foundation of Virginia. “They are also frustrated that they’ve been disenfranchised by an unconscionable and unprecedented decision by the attorney general of Virginia to take a position in court against the marriage amendment.”
Cobb joined former Virginia lieutenant gubernatorial candidate E.W. Jackson, Josh Duggar of the TLC series “19 Kids and Counting” who works for the Family Research Council, Allison Howard of Concerned Women for America and other same-sex marriage opponents who rallied outside the courthouse before the hearing. Roughly 60 LGBT rights advocates and other supporters of nuptials for gays and lesbians attended a candlelight vigil on Monday night.
“We want to be married for the happy times, but we need to be married for the sad times,” Schall told the Washington Blade on Monday during an interview with her and Townley and Bostic and London. “Virginia should not be in the business of standing in the way of people wanting to care for each other and take responsibility for each other.”
The hearing took place a day after the Republican-controlled Virginia House of Delegates overwhelmingly approved a bill that would allow any state lawmaker to defend a law if the governor and attorney general decline to do so.
The measure’s sponsors — state Dels. Bob Marshall (R-Prince William County) and Todd Gilbert (R-Shenandoah County) — are among the 30 lawmakers who asked Gov. Terry McAuliffe to appoint a special counsel to defend the marriage amendment.
The governor, who supports marriage rights for same-sex couples, last week declined to do so.
A federal judge in Harrisonburg on Jan. 31 certified a second lawsuit the American Civil Liberties Union, Lambda Legal and the ACLU of Virginia filed on behalf of two lesbian couples from the Shenandoah Valley who are seeking marriage rights in the commonwealth as a class action.
Allen said she would issue her ruling in the AFER case “soon.”
“We want to be married,” London told the Blade on Monday. “It’s important to us as Virginians that we get married in the state that we love.”
Virginia
Parades, community events held to mark Pride Month in Va.
Upwards of 30,000 people attended PrideFest in Norfolk on June 22
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.
“You 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,” Hampton Roads Pride President Jeff Ryder told the Washington Blade on Monday during a telephone interview.
“It was a great year,” 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.”
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.
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 Baltimore’s 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 “navigating survival mode” living.
“Through compassionate harm reduction and upward mobility services, advocacy support, and community engagement, we foster a respectful, non-judgmental environment that empowers individual agency,” the statement says. “Our programs encompass community outreach, a drop-in center providing HIV testing, harm reduction, PrEP, medical linkage, case management, and assistance in accessing housing services,” it says.
Among those participating in the street renaming ceremony were Baltimore City Council member Zeke Cohen, interim director of Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott’s 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.
“This is a significant achievement and historic moment for our city,” a statement by Maryland Safe Haven announcing the ceremony says. “Iya 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,” it says. “This honor is well-deserved, and we are thrilled to see her contributions recognized in such a meaningful way.”
Baltimore
Despite record crowds, Baltimore Pride’s LGBTQ critics say organizers dropped the ball
People on social media expressed concern about block party stampede
BY JOHN-JOHN WILLIAMS IV | This year’s Baltimore Pride Week attracted 150,000 people — 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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