Some people just never learn. Like the outspoken Bishop Harry Jackson -- who, according to Bruce DePuyt, stands "poised to fight" Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley in 2012 over same sex marriage. more ›

On Friday, Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley delivered an address in which he announced he would sponsor a bill to allow same sex marriage in the state. more ›

A poll released this morning shows that a slight majority of Americans now say they support the legalization of gay marriage -- that's a first. But Maryland's efforts to legalize such marriages fell surprisingly flat last week. What's next for the effort? Getting supporters back on the same page would be a good start. more ›

In yet another update to one of our Morning Roundup notes, the Maryland House of Delegates just voted to send the bill allowing same-sex marriage back to the Judiciary Committee. The Post notes that this is "an acknowledgment by supporters that it did not have sufficient votes to pass on the floor" and it likely kills the bill for another year. more ›

Good news out of Annapolis for proponents of same-sex marriage: the Maryland House of Delegates Judiciary Committee voted to approve legislation which would legalize gay marriage in the state by a 12-10 vote. more ›

During yesterday's legislative meeting, D.C. Councilmember Mary Cheh introduced a piece of legislation which would allow notary publics to conduct marriage ceremonies in the District. The bill, which Cheh, along with Jack Evans (D-Ward 2) and David Catania (Ind.-At-Large), previously introduced last year, seems like a pretty common sense thing for the city to do. But not everyone on the Council is on board. more ›

Another hurdle in the effort to legalize same-sex marriage in Maryland will likely be cleared today: the Associated Press reports that the state's Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee is ready to vote on proposed legislation to legalize gay marriage. The bill is expected to pass the committee, clearing the way for a full Senate vote. The Committee recently held a hearing on the Senate bill during which young people delivered some moving testimony. Currently, the measure has the support of 23 state Senators; 24 votes would be needed for the legislation to pass Maryland's historically more socially conservative Senate. A similar bill is expected to pass the House with far less fuss. more ›

Yes, representatives from the National Organization for Marriage were present, and other anti-same-sex marriage viewpoints were aired during yesterday's public hearing on the Maryland Senate's same-sex marriage legislation. But it was young people whose voices rang the loudest. more ›

The United States Supreme Court is preparing to rule on a petition brought by indefatigable same-sex marriage opponent Bishop Harry Jackson which argues that the citizens of the District should vote on whether or not such marriages should be legal. The Washington Blade reports that the country's highest judicial body could render a decision on the case as soon as next Tuesday. Justices are scheduled to conference regarding the case on Friday. more ›

Barring some unforeseen development, the last legal hurdle that might have prevented the District's same-sex marriage law from going into effect was removed last week. D.C. Council member David Catania's gay marriage countdown clock reads "2 Days!" as of this morning, and both the city government and the D.C. Superior Court have now released helpful instructions for couples looking to waste no time in getting their applications in. Here's how it'll work: more ›

Already some big news out of the D.C. Council's busy legislative session. In a unanimous preliminary vote, the Council voted today to explicitly recognize same-sex marriages granted by other states, the Post reports. While the District has long recognized domestic partnerships between gay couples, it had not formally recognized such marriages granted in states such as Connecticut or Massachusetts, where same-sex marriage has been legalized. This bill, introduced by At-large Council member Phil Mendelson (D), stops short of legalizing same-sex marriage in the District, but another At-large member, David Catania (I), has long promised that he plans to introduce such a measure before the Council this year. more ›

D.C. Council member David Catania previously told us that he would introduce a marriage equality act before the D.C. Council in January, but it's since been delayed (see the Blade's excellent coverage for the whole story). Via Feministe, here's a video (that DCist admits made us tear up) about the potential fate of California's married gay folks. Really makes the gay marriage issue seem simple by comparison. more ›

D.C. Council member David Catania (I-At-large) reassured local gay and lesbian business owners over the weekend that despite the success of initiatives like Prop 8 in California and other states, he's confident that a bill legalizing same-sex marriage in the District of Columbia will pass the D.C. Council next year. more ›

The Religious Freedom & Civil Marriage Protection Act will be introduced by two state senators today. Senators Jamie Raskin and Rich Madaleno, both Democrats from Montgomery County, will be named as the bill's lead Senate sponsors. They will fill the sponsorship void left by Senator Gwendolyn Britt, who passed away a couple of weeks ago. more ›

Harry Jaffe: In writing something of a goodbye column to RFK Stadium, Jaffe recounts the many struggles the District overcame to attract a baseball team. And though plenty of people played important roles, he feels that one deserves extra attention -- former Mayor Anthony Williams. "The hero of the piece has to be Williams, an unpopular mayor who — despite his wandering attention span — kept swinging away at an unpopular crusade to use public... more ›

Ever since January, when Baltimore Circuit Court Judge M. Brooke Murdock ruled that Maryland's law banning same-sex marriage is discriminatory and unconstitutional, the state has been a major battle ground for same-sex marriage advocates around the country. Today, Maryland's Court of Appeals put an effective end to this chapter of the struggle's future in the state, ruling that the ban does not violate Maryland's state constitution. The Associated Press via WTOP has more on the... more ›

Even though the U.S. Senate is known as the best retirement home in America -- great healthcare, plenty of daily activities, and people continue to pay attention to you for some reason -- Virginia Sen. John Warner announced today that come next year, he's out. And while his announcement is big news, even bigger is the fight that's about to come to replace him. Consider the circumstances. The commonwealth is a political toss-up these days.... more ›

In their coverage of the Capital Pride Festival, which kicked off yesterday and will culminate in a parade and street festival this weekend, the Post gives an account of a town hall meeting on GLBT issues last night at Studio Theatre where Council member Jim Graham (D-Ward 1) said he plans to introduce a bill legalizing gay marriage in the District within the next two years. Graham appeared on the panel with several other openly... more ›

All across the Ist-A-Verse (or at least the American parts thereof), writers and editors are in the midst of enjoying their three-day weekend. But after the week we've all had, we feel like the break is not only needed, but deserved. Just look at everything we've been doing! Gothamist headed into the Memorial Day weekend with a number of tasks accomplished. They worried about Long Islanders giving New Yorkers a bad name. They tried... more ›

Given the District's status as something of a federal colony, members of Congress often find themselves expressing opinions about local matters or, worse yet, micro-managing the city. They hate our gun laws, propose using the District as a laboratory for a flat tax, threaten us over gay marriage and won't let us have medical marijuana. And now one is speaking out about the city's smoking ban. The Hill reports today that Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-Col.),... more ›

Sunday. Usually, a quiet, contemplative day in the Blogosphere. But not here in the Ist-a-Verse. Nonono! Just look below and see all of the wild and crazy stuff our staffs are up to. In Austin, bands are beginning to confirm for SXSW and the rumor mill is up and running. Good thing, too, because we all know how much Austinites love live performances. Austin also found itself in the national spotlight, with Longhorn Legend... more ›

So you survived the coldest night of the season. Now enjoy a healthy serving of wacky traffic. Water somehow made its way onto several area streets and is gumming up the works in fine fashion. Waking up with temps in the teens makes today's high of 39 sound positively toasty! more ›

Written by DCist contributor Christopher Durocher Opponents to Virginia's proposed constitutional amendment banning same sex marriage, including Virginia Delegate Adam Ebbin and D.C. Council-member David Catania (I-At Large), will host a benefit tonight at the Human Rights Campaign's D.C. headquarters. The event is designed to bring together both members of the Virginia community who oppose the marriage ban, as well as District and Maryland residents who support their efforts. The benefit will raise money for... more ›

The polling on the prohibition of gay marriage and the support for incumbent senator George Allen proves what we've always known -- Northern Virginia is becoming less and less like the rest of the state. But what to do about the polarization? Easy. Secession. D.C. Metblogs head honcho Tom Bridge, himself a Virginian, today proposed giving the District back the Virginia lands (and then some) that originally formed part of the city but were retroceded... more ›

Morning, Washington. Hypochondriacs of the city, grab some Valium, because the area seems to be teeming with illness lately. The good news, we think, is that the Maryland Department of Health has determined that three of the reported E. coli cases were not related to contaminated spinach, though it's not clear where they picked up the bacteria. The Department is still investigating four cases, including the death of one woman, but with any luck, we'll... more ›

Well, the swim may have been cancelled due to the nastiness in the Potomac River, but otherwise the inaugural Nation's Triathlon went off without a hitch. Well, spare the road closures that snared Saturday morning traffic by the National Mall, that is. And what they say is true -- Adrian Fenty really does run triathlons, and he's good. Gandhi to Keep Job: Phew! Natwar Gandhi, the District's Chief Financial Officer, must be breathing a... more ›

We're barely getting over the September 12 Democratic primary and already we're hearing whispers of the 2010 election. Jonathan Rees, the Ward 3 candidate known for his, let's say, "creative" use of online resources to run his campaign, may be smarting from his trouncing on Tuesday (he mustered 29 votes for the council seat, or 0.21 percent of the total votes cast), but he's not out. Not at all. more ›

Written by DCist contributor Abby Lavin. Last year’s rioting in response to Danish drawings of the prophet Muhammad showed that, in some cases, cartoons are no laughing matter. They don’t just lampoon the political landscape; they have the power to shape it as well. Provisions Library’s current exhibit, Drawing Back: Cartoon Critiques of America, examines the power of cartoons as a means of social protest. Culled from twenty-five different countries, the 80 editorial cartoons are... more ›

We at DCist get a lot of crazy stuff in our in-boxes. Today's addition to that list might prove to be a new highlight, if only because it was written by someone running for elected office. Experienced District political types will guess the author quickly enough, but we figured we may as well give everyone else a shot. As you read, just know this -- the author is serious. And without further delay, after the jump we present to you an economic argument of why D.C. should ban gay marriage. more ›