D.C. Marriage: A Political Achievement

As the first couples to enjoy legal marriage in the nation's capital celebrate their unions, some see a blueprint in the District's success

Published on March 9, 2010, 8:20pm

''My Rock, My Life, My Love''

Marriage equality arrives with a string of same-sex weddings, the first to be performed in and legally recognized by D.C.

Published on March 9, 2010, 5:06pm

Virginia Moves Against Gay Employees of Universities

Letter from Republican Attorney General Cuccinelli tells state university system to end non-discrimination policies for LGBT people UPDATED

Published on March 5, 2010, 5:04pm

ENDA May Still Be on Track

Rep. Frank says LGBT employment discrimination legislation will get a vote in the House this month

Published on March 5, 2010, 11:03am

All About the Timeline

Lieberman's DADT repeal bill introduced in Senate with no Republican sponsors, military brass continue push to keep repeal timeline in control of the Pentagon

Published on March 5, 2010, 11:02am

A Scent of Scandal

Freshman Democratic Rep. Eric Massa announces retirement for health reasons amid reports of sexual harassment, ''allegations of misconduct''

Published on March 4, 2010, 3:31am

Rep. Eric J.J. Massa (D-N.Y.) told reporters this afternoon that health problems – and not reports of sexual harassment allegations – were keeping him from a second term in Congress. Massa appears to face significant questions in coming days, however, as Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) released a statement Wednesday night saying that his staff had received ''allegations of misconduct'' that have since been relayed to the bipartisan House Ethics Committee. Massa spoke to reporters this afternoon without taking questions ...[more]

Denny's Bad Data

Local lesbian activist's call for change to discriminatory Wi-Fi restrictions prompts change in policy by Denny's restaurant chain

Published on March 4, 2010, 3:28am

Local lesbian activist's call for change to discriminatory Wi-Fi restrictions prompts change in policy by Denny's restaurant chain by Yusef Najafi Khadijah Tribble often escapes her daily routine by working at the Denny's near her Benning Road office. Khadija Tribble(Photo by Todd Franson)    ''There are times that I need to get out of my office to be able to think,'' says Tribble, executive director for Pediatric AIDS/HIV Care. Lately, Tribble has been thinking about marriage as she's developing a ...[more]

GLAA Announces Awardees

GLAA's 2010 awards will include special recognition for marriage-equality activists, including DC Clergy United for Marriage Equality

Published on March 4, 2010, 3:24am

''The achievement of civil marriage equality in the District of Columbia is the fruit of decades of public advocacy and organizing by gay citizens and our numerous allies.'' Mitch Wood, president of the Gay and Lesbian Activists Alliance (GLAA), made that statement one day prior to marriage equality going into effect in the District. Tuesday, April 20, GLAA will honor several of those who helped to forge that reality, among others, with the group's annual Distinguished Service Awards, presented during ...[more]

Redux in a Tux

Fourth annual Capital Queer Prom to benefit local transitional home for LGBT youth

Published on March 4, 2010, 3:19am

The fourth annual Capital Queer Prom is the first to have a theme, says creator Ebone Bell. ''I've managed to get away with not having a theme, but I figured I probably can't do that for too much longer,'' Bell says. So this year, the prom is running with ''Casino Royale.'' ''It's still has the look and feel of a prom, but we thought we could jazz it up a little bit and people could gamble for a good cause.'' ...[more]

Historic Day in D.C.

District's new marriage-equality law takes effect with dozens of applicants, a pledge from Norton to protect it, and fodder from Phelps

Published on March 3, 2010, 1:31pm

At 6 a.m. this morning, March 3, Angelisa Young and Sinjoyla Townsend arrived at the Carl Moultrie Courthouse where, nearly three hours later, they would exit the front doors as the first same-sex couple to register for a marriage license in the District of Columbia since the new law granting marriage equality took effect. By the time the processing began at 8:30 a.m., more than 60 couples had arrived on the fourth floor of the courthouse, where the applications for ...[more]

Roberts Rules

Chief Justice declines to issue stay, clearing the way for marriage equality to take effect in the District on March 3; opponents place hopes on ''due process'' lawsuit

Published on March 2, 2010, 5:58pm

In an opinion posted to the U.S. Supreme Court's web site after 5 p.m. Tuesday, March 2, Chief Justice John Roberts, acting alone, rejected the request of marriage equality opponents that he stall the effective date of the District's marriage equality bill. The action was taken in response to a request from Bishop Harry Jackson and others on March 1 and allows for the D.C. marriage equality bill to go into effect on March 3, absent any other action. Roberts ...[more]

Bashing Via Blog

D.C. gay couple falls from No. 1 spot of Crate and Barrel wedding contest after homophobic blog posts

Published on March 2, 2010, 4:01pm

As marriage equality takes greater hold in America, it's no surprise that gay couples are showing up in marriage-license lines or gazing over wedding bands at jewelry shops. Also not surprising, but still disappointing, is the homophobic pushback. Just ask Gregory Jones and Jonathan Howard, both 29, who are engaged. Competing against several other couples for Crate and Barrel and Daily Candy's collaborative ''Ultimate Wedding'' giveaway, the local couple made it to the No. 1 slot on Wednesday, Feb. 24, ...[more]

How We Won

Bringing marriage equality to Washington has been years in the making

Published on March 4, 2010, 3:12am

March 3 marked the start of same-sex couples being able to apply for marriage licenses in District of Columbia Superior Court. The seeds of this victory trace back to 1975, when Cade Ware, Frank Kameny and Craig Howell of the Gay Activists Alliance (as it was then called) gave the first testimony before the D.C. Council in favor of same-sex marriage. In 1978 -- responding to Anita Bryant's successful anti-gay campaign in Dade County, Fla., the previous year -- Jim ...[more]

Celebrating Victory

Marriage Equality in D.C. should be met with great joy, even as we work to protect it from opponents of equality

Published on March 3, 2010, 10:37am

It's in my nature to urge caution when it comes to celebrating our political successes. Long experience has taught us that defeat is sometimes snatched from the jaws of victory. It's often better, I think, to take a more measured approach that moderates joy to protect against the possibility of later disappointment. Not this time. This time, I'm as joyous as the gay and lesbian couples who, as I write this, are lined up outside a courthouse on a cold ...[more]

Conservatively Speaking

Even with GOProud's CPAC success, gay conservatives have a long way to go

Published on February 25, 2010, 6:39pm

I believe it's important to acknowledge when we're wrong about our assumptions or expectations, so I should point out that when GOProud initially announced its plans to sponsor this year's Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) — a confab generally recognized as being a forum for some of the more extreme elements of the right-wing, a place where Ann Coulter could say ''faggot'' from the stage to applause — I had my doubts about the wisdom of the effort. But the ...[more]

Shticks and Stones

Cheap and easy shots may make for entertaining political outbursts, but it's damaging the nation's discourse

Published on February 24, 2010, 11:38pm

There's the old Woody Allen joke about how being bisexual can double your chances of getting a date. It's not terribly funny, but it gets to the heart of the self-defined bisexuals: maximum opportunity, minimum commitment. For those of us who are simply gay, the term bisexual is a joke on its own. We may allow the ''B'' in our politically correct rainbow, but honestly, we think you're just faking it. Pulling back the curtain on one fraud, we may ...[more]

Making an Exception

Cheney's support for repealing ''Don't Ask, Don't Tell'' is a positive, but it's fair to ask what took him so long

Published on February 17, 2010, 11:59pm

I was once a big believer in American exceptionalism. I don't mean the quasi-mystical version of exceptionalism in which God laid down the foundations for his favored nation around the time he introduced Adam to the dinosaurs. What I do mean is the idea of a nation that believes in the rule of law and a system of government that requires the consent of the governed. That's not to say that we've always lived up to that belief — ideals, ...[more]