And the Winner is...

Wonder Woman
Wins DC Mayoral Race!

New Organizing Institute announced the election results by e-mail:

"The race was down to the wire, but we are prepared to announce that Wonder Woman will be the next Superhero Mayor of DC!

This has been an amazing race. The campaign teams of eight superhero candidates built interactive websites and dynamic graphics, wrote engaging emails that turned out a huge supporter base, created entertaining videos, and wrote successful field plans from scratch in five hours. Our 53 BootCampers, from across the country, have met and surpassed our expectations.

We are thrilled to announce that over 6,000 people voted for their favorite Superhero. The BootCampers picked up blog coverage from NPR, Daily Kos, Huffington Post, Roll Call and nearly 30 other blogs, and garnered endorsements from a wide support base across the country."

Out Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin Takes LGBT Issues to the Hill

(From GayPolitics.com) Capitol Hill - Wednesday, July 8

"Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin testified in support of her Domestic Partnership Benefits and Obligations Act, which would extend health insurance and other benefits to the same-sex partners of Federal employees. Also on Tuesday the House Subcommittees on Early Childhood, Elementary and Secondary Education and Healthy Families and Communities heard testimony on “Strengthening School Safety through Prevention of Bullying,” which featured testimony from parents and families of children who have been affected by bullying in schools.

The hearing on Baldwin’s bill included testimony from OPM Director John Berry, Former U.S. Ambassador Michael Guest, Carolyn E. Wright, a vice president at American Airlines, and others. “It is time for the federal government to follow the lead of many private sector employers who value all their workers and provide employee benefits that cover all families” said Baldwin, testifying in front of the U.S. House Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee."

DC Gay Marriage Law Takes Effect Today

At 12:01 a.m. the District of Columbia began recognizing same-sex marriages performed in other jurisdictions. The controversial law was passed in May and faced opposition from the city's religious leaders and accused stalker, DC City Council member Marion Barry.

Tuesday's Washington Post features a Q & A to help DC's LGBT community sort it all out.

In a related story, Maryland's governor, Martin O'Malley said on radio station WTOP's "Ask The Governor" that he is open to following the district's example.

"I think that it's very difficult to deny equal rights to people when it comes to rights that are disbursed by a government rather than a faith or a church. If the person has these rights under another state, I think we're sort of pressed to deny those rights. So, yes, we probably should respect those rights."

Anti-gay Marion Barry Charged with Stalking

The Associated Press reports that anti-gay DC City Councilman and former mayor-for-life Marion Barry has been arrested and charged with stalking:

"WASHINGTON (AP) — Police say former Washington Mayor Marion Barry has been arrested and charged with stalking a woman.

The United States Park Police said Barry, a current D.C. Council member, was arrested Saturday in Washington after a woman flagged down an officer and complained that Barry was stalking her.

Barry was charged with misdemeanor stalking and released.

A message left seeking comment from a spokeswoman for Barry wasn't immediately returned early Sunday.

Barry served four terms as mayor. In his third, he was videotaped in 1990 in a hotel room smoking crack cocaine in an FBI sting. He served six months in prison and in 1994 regained the mayor's office."

Congress Won't Block DC Marriage Recognition

"Congressional Quarterly" is reporting that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Ca., has stated that there are no plans for congress to block passage of a measure in the District of Columbia that would recognize same-sex marriages performed in other parts of the country. The DC city council voted on May, 5th to adopt the measure that mayor Adrian M. Fenty has said he will sign.

Under the District of Columbia charter, congress has 30 days block any measure from being enacted. House Republicans are urging congress to block the measure, but have little support from the Democrat-led House and Senate.

Marriage-equality opponent, Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, is working with leaders in the Republican party to block DC from implementing the new policy by tying it to the DC Voting Rights Bill, which would give the District a vote in congress.

DC Delegate Eleanor Holms-Norton, who has long pushed for full congressional representation for the District, said she would fight any Republican attempt to add language on same-sex marriage to her legislation, just as she’s fighting GOP efforts to use the bill to rewrite the city’s gun laws.

“Republicans have done enough harm to the D.C. voting rights bill as it is. I mean to make sure they do no more harm”, Norton said.

Speaker Pelosi also said yesterday that she will not be urging congress to take action to repeal 1996 The Defense of Marriage Act. The California congresswoman reaffirmed her support for the LGBT community saying the congress will instead be focusing on the eventual repeal of the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy which bans gays and lesbians on serving openly.

“Members will make a priority of issues like gays in the military. And where we have prospects of success, we always want to expand to a place of more opportunity and more freedom . . . for all Americans,” she said. “But right now, our agenda is jobs, jobs, jobs, jobs, jobs. And as we move on that front, concurrently, we have to make some decisions about what is possible and our values-based initiatives as well.”