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DC, USA: Turnout Disappointing for Worldwide LGBT March

Monday, April 23rd, 2012

Turnout Disappointing for Worldwide LGBT March in Washington, DC

Photo by Michael Key, Washington Blade

Saying they were unwavering in their commitment to LGBT equality, a contingent of 14 LGBT activists and their straight supporters held a rally across the street from the U.S. Capitol early Saturday afternoon as part of a series of Worldwide LGBT Civil Rights marches in the U.S. and abroad.

The event was promoted mostly on Facebook without the involvement of established local and national LGBT organizations. It was the brainchild of Oklahoma City gay activist Joe Knudson, who called for a series of simultaneous LGBT marches and rallies in cities throughout the world on April 21.

With less than 20 participants present at the conclusion of the rally, organizers chose to forego the march. “These marches are occurring in over thirty cities around the globe,” said Curtis Sledge, a Richmond, Va., gay activist who organized the D.C. event and was among three speakers at the rally held at Upper Senate Park.

Full Story from The Washington Blade

Click here for gay wedding resources in Washington, DC.

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Tags: disappointing, march, rally, washington dc, worldwide

DC, USA: Methodist Church Leads the Way to Allowing Gay Weddings in Churches

Saturday, April 7th, 2012

A Washington church hopes a campaign using video testimonials from gay and lesbian Methodists will help push through a resolution sanctioning marriage equality in the church later this month, reversing more than 30 years of anti-gay sentiment in the nation’s third largest denomination.

DoorsToEquality.org, described as a national, laity-led campaign for marriage equality, uses personalized stories and grassroots advocacy to encourage church leadership to revise what some are calling discriminatory language included in the Book of Discipline, according to organizers at Foundry United Methodist Church.

The book, which lays out the tenets of the faith, prohibits United Methodist ministers from performing same-sex marriages and churches from hosting them. Foundry leaders and campaign supporters say they don’t want a sweeping change to the tenets, rather, a compromise.

Full Story from The Washington Blade

Click here for gay wedding resources in Washington, DC.

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Tags: Gay Marriage, gay weddings, marriage equality, methodist church, washington dc

DC: City Council Passes Gay Divorce Bill

Wednesday, March 7th, 2012

City council members in the nation’s capital have given final approval to a bill to make easier for gay and lesbian couples who marry in Washington to get divorced if they so choose.

The bill approved Tuesday would allow gay couples who wed in the District of Columbia to get divorced even if they aren’t living in the city – provided they live somewhere that would not recognize their divorce. Under current law, one member of the divorcing couple has to live in the city for six months before opening divorce proceedings.

Full Story from Edge Boston

Click here for gay wedding resources in Washington, DC.

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Tags: city council, gay divorce, washington dc

DC: Lesbian Couple Marries at Occupy Encampment

Wednesday, March 7th, 2012

Marina Brown and Laura Potter, two long-time members of the Occupy DC encampment, tied the knot under a statue of General James McPherson in front of a crowd of about 30 fellow occupiers and attendees on Saturday.

The couple, who has been together 15 years, was “the first couple (and, inherently, the first same-sex couple) to be married at Occupy DC.”

Full Story from Think Progress

Click here for gay wedding resources in Washington, DC.

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Tags: lesbian couple, marriage equality, occupy dc, washington dc

DC: Local Methodist Church Works to Change Policy on Gay Weddings

Wednesday, February 22nd, 2012

Foundry United Methodist Church has joined a growing grassroots movement within the United Methodist church to change the Book of Discipline, our denominational book of policies, that includes a statement prohibiting churches and clergy from performing marriage ceremonies for same-sex couples.

As a church dedicated to full inclusion and equality of all people, Foundry is very excited to announce its “Opening Doors to Equality” campaign, which seeks to update the Book of Discipline by connecting United Methodists across the country with personal and moving stories of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) United Methodists and their allies.

Although the “Opening Doors to Equality” campaign launched just recently, the movement for full LGBT inclusion and equality within the United Methodist Church (UMC) has been building for decades. Because of the dedicated efforts of our fellow United Methodists, like the Reconciling Ministries Network (RMN) and the Methodist Federation for Social Action (MFSA), today over 1,100 clergy in 19 states and the District of Columbia have vowed to marry gay and lesbian couples and, last year, United Methodists in the Baltimore-Washington Conference voted to support same-sex unions.

Full Story from the Washington Post

Click here for gay wedding resources in Washington DC.

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Tags: district of columbia, washington dc

DC: 10 Members of Congress Pose for NOH8

Wednesday, February 22nd, 2012

On Feb. 15 Adam Bouska, Jeff Parshley, and I were in Washington, D.C. for “NOH8 on the Hill,” the exclusive NOH8 photo session we set up especially for members of Congress. We thought we might be able to persuade a couple of Congressmen to take part. This is an election year, after all. What actually happened exceeded our wildest expectations.

By the end of the day, 10 members of Congress had posed for NOH8 portraits. Ten! You can see their pictures in the slideshow below and read the statements of support they gave to us to issue with their photos. With anti-equality politicians currently talking out loud about constitutional marriage amendments, reinstating DADT, and the like, I cannot overemphasize how important and refreshing it is to see 10 of our elected officials stand up and visibly demonstrate their support for equality. The statements they’ve issued for us to publish with their photos are powerful. I’m not ashamed to say they bring a lump to my throat.

Importantly, these 10 members of Congress represent not only districts on the East and West Coasts but the states in between, as well: California, Oregon, Colorado, Ohio, Massachusetts and Washington, D.C. Four are men, six are women, and only one identifies as LGBT.

Full Story from the Huffington Post

Click here for gay wedding resources in Washington DC.

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Tags: congress, marriage equality, noh8, washington dc

DC: City Council Candidate Flips on Marriage Equality; Activists Skeptical

Friday, January 20th, 2012

Gay activists in Ward 5 have expressed skepticism over a candidate for the ward’s Council seat who says he no longer opposes the city’s same-sex marriage law.

Council candidate Delano Hunter, a Democrat, told the Blade last week that he no longer believes the marriage equality law should be subjected to a voter referendum, reversing his position from 2010 when he unsuccessfully ran for the Ward 5 seat against incumbent Harry Thomas (D).

The D.C. Board of Elections and Ethics officially declared the Ward 5 seat vacant on Tuesday, nearly two weeks after Thomas resigned shortly before pleading guilty to embezzling more than $300,000 in city funds. The board scheduled a special election on May 15 to fill the seat.

Full Story from The Washington Blade

Click here for gay wedding resources in Washington, DC.

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Tags: candidate, city council, delano hunter, marriage equality, washington dc

DC: City Council Candidate Drops Opposition to Marriage Equality

Wednesday, January 11th, 2012

An outspoken advocate for placing D.C.’s same-sex marriage law on the ballot in a voter referendum in 2010 says he no longer holds that view and will express “respect” for the law as a candidate for the City Council in a special election this spring.

Civic activist Delano Hunter has announced plans to run for the Ward 5 Council seat that became vacant last week when incumbent Harry Thomas, a Democrat, resigned after pleading guilty to federal theft and tax evasion charges.

“I do not seek to overturn the Marriage Equality Act when elected,” Hunter told the Blade in a statement released on Tuesday.

Full Story from The Washington Blade

Click here for gay wedding resources in Washington, DC.

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Tags: candidate, city council, marriage equality, washington dc

DC: City Council Debates Divorce Equality

Wednesday, December 21st, 2011

Washington DC passed marriage equality in 2009, but now what about divorce equality? Well, a new bill before the City Council would allow same-sex couples married in DC to dissolve their unions without having to establish residency in the city. The bill was introduced by Councilmember Phil Mendelson and sponsored by eight other councilmembers.

The bill allows for same-sex couples living in other states to dissolve their marriages so long as they are legally married in DC, but they will not have to move there.

This is a way to circumvent the Defense of Marriage Act which allows the majority of states to ignore marriage licenses granted to same-sex couples, and thus, prevent them from getting a legal separation. Many states as well as DC have residency requirements with regards to divorces.

Full Story from Lez Get Real

Click here for gay wedding resources in Washington, DC.

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Tags: city council, divorce equality, washington dc

DC: Methodist Church Raises $42K in Marriage Equality Effort

Friday, June 10th, 2011

An initiative started by Foundry United Methodist Church, a Washington parish on 16th Street near Dupont Circle, to allow the denomination’s clergy to officiate same-sex weddings in jurisdictions where it’s legal raised $42,000 at an event held Sunday at the Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams furniture store.

Foundry had previously voted to allow its clergy to perform same-sex weddings in violation of the denomination’s Book of Discipline. The “Open Doors Fund” hopes to raise $200,000 to lay the groundwork to have a resolution passed at the denomination’s next global conference to be held in Florida in April. A similar resolution passed at a regional conference last month.

Foundry members say they feel called to take the lead on this issue.

Full Story from Washington Blade

Click here for gay marriage resources in Washington, DC.

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Tags: foundry united methodist church, Gay Marriage, washington dc