GLAA Forum

From Kenya: courage is beautiful

On May 17, Kenyan LGBT activists marked the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia, and Biphobia (IDAHO) by marching for their rights. Before I head off to set up GLAA's table at DC Trans Pride, I wanted to share this inspiring video. Bravo to these brave people. The persecution of LGBT people in Kenya and other countries is a reminder that it was not homosexuality but homophobia that was spread by colonialism. And as long as American missionaries of hate use foreign aid to spread their malign influence abroad, those of us who are rightfully ashamed of such exploitation must not forget our brothers and sisters in the Global South.

All witnesses support birth certificate bill at D.C. Council hearing

About 20 witnesses testified at the May 16 hearing on Bill 20-0142, the "JaParker Deoni Jones Birth Certificate Equality Amendment Act of 2013," and all were in favor. It was a joint hearing by the Committee on Health and the Committee on Public Safety and Judiciary. Read GLAA's testimony, in which we endorsed the bill with the changes requested by the DC Trans Coalition.

With the recommended changes, this is going to be model legislation and help fulfill DC's promise of trans equality. Kudos to all, especially Andy Bowen, Lisa Mottet, Bob Summersgill, our Council allies, and Health and Judiciary committee staff. I am so proud of our coalition. And the three students from Cesar Chavez Public Charter School who testified were great.

BTW, one of the Cesar Chavez students was a friend of JaParker. And JaParker's parents testified. So the hearing took on the aspect of a memorial in addition to a legislative hearing. I thought it was rather remarkable that not one person showed up to oppose the bill. The haters are obviously out there; but they did not crawl out from under their rocks to attend the hearing.

The practical question is whether the changes can be made to the bill and a markup scheduled to allow for the two requisite readings of the bill is legislative sessions before the summer break. It's iffy. Then there's the much more complex surrogacy bill, which will almost certainly not be done and passed before the break. But the Judiciary staff are working apace.

Gohmert: Holder cast "aspersions on my asparagus"

Well, we can't have that.

Video: Gov. Mark Dayton signs Minnesota marriage equality bill

It is done. The law allowing same-sex couples to marry in Minnesota will take effect August 1. Below, the I-35W bridge is lit in rainbow colors in recognition of marriage equality in Minnesota.

Brazil clears way for marriage equality

AFP reports:

A top judicial panel cleared the way for same-sex marriage in Brazil on Tuesday, ruling that gay couples could not be denied marriage licenses.

The National Council of Justice, which oversees the Brazilian judicial system and is headed by the chief justice of the Supreme Court, said government offices that issue marriage licenses had no standing to reject gay couples.

The Supreme Court "affirmed that the expression of homosexuality and homosexual affection cannot serve as a basis for discriminatory treatment, which has no support in the Constitution," said Chief Justice Joaquim Barbosa on the council's website, referring to a 2011 ruling by the top court.

UN human rights office releases anti-homophobia message

"LGBT rights are human rights. Together we will build a world that is free and equal."

Still Creating the United States

Minnesota senate passes marriage equality, Gov. to sign Tuesday

(Photo by Jim Mone/Associated Press)

The Minnesota senate today passed the marriage equality bill by a vote of 37 to 30. The State House passed the bill last Thursday. The bill now heads to Gov. Mark Dayton, who will sign it on Tuesday. This brings us to 12 marriage equality states plus D.C. NYT reports. Congrats to all who made it happen.

Below, St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman renamed the Wabasha Bridge the "Freedom to Marry Bridge" for the day, and city workers on Monday morning raised rainbow flags along it.

Watch live: Minnesota Senate votes on marriage equality today

Watch live streaming video from uptakemnsenate at livestream.com

Live at 1 pm Eastern Time, noon Central Time, the Minnesota Senate will debate and vote on the marriage equality bill.

(Hat tip: Andy Towle)

Library of Congress to display Walt Whitman's haversack

WaPo reports.

Transgender Health Empowerment in financial crisis

The Blade reports. This is disturbing news. T.H.E. has been the key organization providing services to the trans community in D.C. Like several people quoted in the article, I had not heard about this crisis until this week. I would like to advise community members who want to support them on what to do; but we will have to wait for guidance.

Delaware becomes 11th marriage equality state

Delaware today became the eleventh state, plus D.C., to allow same-sex couples to marry. Governor Jack Markell has already signed it into law. It will take effect July 1. Congrats to all who made it happen. Chris Geidner reports.

Charles Ramsey tells how he rescued Amanda Berry and 2 others

This has to be one of the best breaking news interviews ever.

PS: No, Mister Ramsey doesn't look a thing like D.C.'s former police chief of the same name. But he is one upstanding citizen. As he was eating McDonald's takeout when the rescue incident started, he got the following tweet from the fast food giant:

Rhode Island becomes 10th marriage equality state

Rhode Island Governor Lincoln Chafee signed the Marriage Equality Act into law Thursday, making that state the tenth marriage equality state (in addition to the District of Columbia), and making New England the first entire region to enjoy marriage equality.

Congrats to all who made this victory possible. The march goes on. Meanwhile, Providence Bishop Thomas J. Tobin issued a pastoral letter warning his flock:

[B]ecause “same-sex marriages” are clearly contrary to God’s plan for the human family, and therefore objectively sinful, Catholics should examine their consciences very carefully before deciding whether or not to endorse same-sex relationships or attend same-sex ceremonies, realizing that to do so might harm their relationship with God and cause significant scandal to others.

Thank you, Excellency, for sharing your concern about scandal. May I humbly suggest that you clean your own house before bossing others.

(Photo by Jessica Rinaldi/Reuters)

Emeka Okafor, Brendon Ayanbadejo, and me

I am quoted in this Time Magazine article by Sean Gregory on why sports is important in combatting homophobia.

Sir Charles weighs in

My favorite NBA Hall-of-Famer talks about Jason Collins's coming out.

Maybe Barkley, Kobe Bryant, and other supportive players and former players should invite Collins to shower with them as a show of support. Message: "He's gay. Get over it!"

Jason Collins gets a call from POTUS

HuffPo reports:

President Barack Obama called Jason Collins on Monday to express his gratitude after the NBA player publicly announced that he is gay, two sources familiar with the call told The Huffington Post.

A White House official confirmed the call, saying that the president wanted to "express his support" and tell Collins that "he was impressed by his courage."

Jason Collins, ready for his moment

(Photo: Getty Images)

Look at him. In the game, on the court, confident, smiling, gleaming in sweat. This is 12-year NBA veteran Jason Collins. He is no rookie needing to prove himself. While not one of the big stars, he has been a solid contributor on six teams (most recently our own Wizards), and been in multiple playoffs. He is ready for his moment. Below, in a post-game interview from December (when he was with the Celtics), his poise comes through.

Wizards center Jason Collins: "I'm a 34-year-old NBA center. I'm black. And I'm gay."

Washington Wizards center Jason Collins breaks the historic news in the May 6, 2013, issue of Sports Illustrated:

I'm a 34-year-old NBA center. I'm black. And I'm gay.

I didn't set out to be the first openly gay athlete playing in a major American team sport. But since I am, I'm happy to start the conversation. I wish I wasn't the kid in the classroom raising his hand and saying, "I'm different." If I had my way, someone else would have already done this. Nobody has, which is why I'm raising my hand.

My journey of self-discovery and self-acknowledgement began in my hometown of Los Angeles and has taken me through two state high school championships, the NCAA Final Four and the Elite Eight, and nine playoffs in 12 NBA seasons.

I've played for six pro teams and have appeared in two NBA Finals. Ever heard of a parlor game called Three Degrees of Jason Collins? If you're in the league, and I haven't been your teammate, I surely have been one of your teammates' teammates. Or one of your teammates' teammates' teammates.

I was taking a break from reading Arnold Rampersad's biography of Jackie Robinson to check my Facebook feed. There in a dozen posts was the handsome, confident face of NBA center Jason Collins smiling out from the cover of Sports Illustrated, and tears ran down my face. We did it, we did it, we did it.

How many gay kids are looking at that SI cover and feeling an electric charge comparable to what so many kids felt in 1947 with Jackie? We're winning.

Then I think of the hatred and intolerance that have tried to monopolize public religion in this country and disfigured the Republican Party. I think of all the work we have ahead of us. But the haters are losing. The tide of history is against them. And Jason Collins and those who will soon follow have so many more people backing them up than Jackie and Rachel Robinson did. Oh happy day.

Chris Geidner at BuzzFeed writes on the inspiration Collins received from his old Stanford roommate who is now Rep. Joe Kennedy III.

(Photo by Kwaku Alston/SI)

New conservative lobbying push for gay marriage

WaPo reports.

Video: Nevada state senator comes out during marriage debate

This news came out a few days ago, but I had not seen the video. KLASTV reports:

Before voting on a resolution that would repeal Nevada's heterosexual definition of marriage, state Sen. Kelvin Atkinson came out to his fellow lawmakers, telling them, "I'm gay." The resolution, Senate Joint Resolution 13, passed 12-9 and now moves on to the state Assembly for a vote. Atkinson, a Democrat, represents North Las Vegas.

Congrats and thanks to Sen. Atkinson for stepping up.

(Hat tip: Rod 2.0)

NOM's bizarre, persistent claim that marriage equality supporters are 'abandoning marriage'

Brian Brown of National Organization for Marriage persists in the implausible assertion that those of us who have worked so hard for years for the right of loving gay and lesbian couples to marry are somehow abandoning marriage. Here are highlights from his latest update:

Dear Marriage Supporter,

The news this week is tough. I'm not going to sugar coat it.

In Rhode Island, all five Republican state senators joined the Democrats in the state senate to pass a same-sex marriage bill. It now goes back to the House which had previously passed a gay marriage bill and the governor has promised to sign it.

The Rhode Island bill does not create a new category of marriage for same-sex couples. Rather, it completely redefines marriage for all people in Rhode Island....

Same-sex marriage is not just an attempt to help ordinary gay people live their private lives as they choose—it is part of a push for an aggressive new public norm that affects us all....

For the politicians who refused to let the people of Rhode Island vote on marriage, this is not over!...

We intend to make sure that every Rhode Islander knows how their policymakers voted on this critical issue. We will hold the politicians accountable for their votes.

Republicans, especially, will have to answer for abandoning marriage—a core position of the GOP platform. In New York, when the dust cleared, 3 out of the 4 Republican state senators who betrayed their constituents and voted for gay marriage were no longer in office.

Brown and his allies are desperate to portray themselves as the true victims of intolerance. This can only emerge from a deeply held sense of entitlement to special status and special privileges from which some group of "others" must be excluded. But no matter how often and how brazenly they try to disguise the discrimination they demand, one couple's marriage is not in any way devalued by other couples being afforded the same status. Brown's crusade is not about mere disagreement. It is built on and sustained by lies.

One thing Brown says, though, is true: Given the increasing radicalization of the GOP, Republican primary voters can indeed often punish Republican office holders who vote for inclusion and equal protection for same-sex couples. Unfortunately for the GOP, this only puts their party more and more at odds with broader public opinion. The ongoing, aggressive self-marginalization of the Republican Party is like a slow, massive traffic accident.

Bonds holds onto Council seat

(Photo by Katherine Frey/The Washington Post)

WaPo reports:

Incumbent Anita Bonds held on to to her D.C. Council seat Tuesday after fending off five challengers in a special election that drew about 10 percent of eligible voters.

Bonds led fellow Democrat Elissa Silverman 32 percent to 28 percent in unofficial results late Tuesday. Republican Patrick Mara received 23 percent of the vote.

It is hard to draw many conclusions about "the will of the people" with a turnout of less than ten percent, other than widespread apathy and disaffection. In any case, congratulations to Councilmember Bonds. Her seat will be up for a full term in 2014, so enjoy several months of non-campaigning while you can. Elissa Silverman's strong showing sets her up for another run. Patrick Mara's latest loss, on the other hand, leaves him little hope of joining the Council unless independent Councilmember David Catania gives up his seat next year to run for Mayor or Attorney General. But even in that instance, other independents, probably fake ones, are likely to emerge. Mara's third-place showing after such an aggressive effort underscores the uphill climb faced by any Republican candidate in this heavily Democratic city.

As for Anita Bonds, criticisms aside, her agreement with GLAA on our issues is a reminder of how strongly positioned LGBT advocates are in the District after four decades of home rule.

Election night unofficial results are online at the Board of Elections and Ethics.

NOM opposes anti-gay violence

Brian Brown of the anti-gay National Organization for Marriage has finally condemned the violence in France over that country's enactment of marriage equality, though he falsely makes it sound as if the violence is on both sides:

It appears that France's socialist government is on the verge of succeeding in their ill-conceived quest to redefine marriage, despite massive grassroots opposition from the citizenry. We urge all French citizens to contact lawmakers to express their strong opposition to this policy. We also call on all citizens to conduct themselves honorably and peacefully. Even though the same-sex marriage policy being foisted on an unwilling public is profoundly unwise and anti-family, no citizen should ever express their disapproval through violent means. We condemn in the strongest possible terms violence by anyone on either side of this debate.

AP Twitter account hacked, stocks plunge briefly

CBS News reports:

Stocks tumbled briefly Tuesday after hackers hijacked the main Twitter feed of The Associated Press and sent out a false tweet about a terror attack at the White House.

The Dow Jones industrial average plunged more than 130 points, or roughly 1 percent, after the fake Twitter posting before quickly rebounding. As of 1:50 p.m, it was up 130 points, or 0.9 percent, to 14,698. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq also fell sharply, but recovered after AP confirmed that the tweets were false.

The tweet, which came shortly after 1 p.m. Eastern Time, claimed there had been two explosions at the White House and that President Barack Obama had been injured. The AP's mobile application also was compromised.

"The @AP twitter account has been hacked," the wire service said in a statement. "The tweet about an attack at the White House is false. We will advise more as soon as possible."

How embarrassing.

Delaware House passes marriage equality

Think Progress reports:

The Delaware House of Representatives has approved marriage equality (HB 75) by a vote of 23-18. It now proceeds to the Senate, where it must pass out of committee before the full chamber considers it. Advocates are optimistic about passage. Governor Jack Markell (D) has strongly backed the bill. Marriage equality has the support of Delaware’s entire Congressional delegation, DuPont chemicals (one of its largest employers), and 54 percent of voters. The state easily passed civil unions in 2011.

Who said incrementalism doesn't work? (Of course, it worked very well for us here in D.C.)

Vive la France!

France passes marriage equality; bigots react with violence. Think Progress reports:

The French National Assembly has finalized passage of the marriage equality bill with a vote of 331-225. Technically, New Zealand approved its bill before France, but together the two represent the 13th and 14th countries to legalize recognition of same-sex marriages. The National Assembly originally supported the bill 329-229 and the Senate passed it with a voice vote.

The advancement of same-sex marriage and adoption in France has been very contentious, with opponents promising retaliatory violence for the law’s passage. Indeed, violent hate crimes against gay French citizens have increased in recent weeks. Not only have anti-gay protesters repeatedly clashed with police, injuring journalists and destroying property as they march, but this past week, death threats were sent to lawmakers because of their intention to support marriage equality. In the lead up to today’s vote, the hashtag #IlFautTuerLesHomosexuels, or “Homosexuals must be killed,” has been trending on Twitter. Despite the National Organization for Marriage’s role in the French campaign, they have not acknowledged nor condemned this violence. Additional marches are planned to demand the withdrawal of the bill.

Boy Scouts proposes lifting ban on gay youth, keeping ban on gay adults

Metro Weekly reports that the Boy Scouts of America will vote next month on a resolution saying, "No youth may be denied membership in the Boy Scouts of America on the basis of sexual orientation or preference alone," but also saying, "the Boy Scouts of America will maintain the current membership policy for all adult leaders of the Boy Scouts of America."

This halfway measure will please nobody. The ban on gay adult leaders is based solely on the lie that gay men are pedophiles. The contradiction in their proposed new policy will stick like a fishbone in BSA's throat until they end their anti-gay discrimination consistently.

Discredited Regnerus study provokes lawsuit

Salon reports:

In a quest for more answers surrounding the swift publication of sociologist Mark Regnerus’ paper on the controversial “New Family Structures Study” in the sociology journal Social Science Research, independent journalist John Becker filed a lawsuit Monday, seeking access to public records from the University of Central Florida in Orlando, where the sociology journal is housed and where the journal’s editor, James Wright, serves on the faculty. The suit alleges that the state school has violated the state’s public records law by failing to produce documents related to the study’s publication.

Becker filed a request for records last month through Florida’s Public Records Act, asking the school to turn over communications between Wright and other scholars and reviewers regarding the publication of the study.

Last summer’s publication of Regnerus’ explosive study – which found negative outcomes for children raised in same-sex households compared to children raised by married heterosexual parents – culminated in a widespread consensus that Regnerus’ study was methodologically flawed. Questions were raised about the political motivations of Regnerus’ conservative funders, as well as the seemingly rushed rate of publication.

As The American Independent reported recently, many of these suspicions were justified.

Don't make him go Jersey on you people

(J. Scott Applewhite/AP Photo)

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has done a robocall for Republican D.C. Council candidate Patrick Mara, Mike DeBonis reports. Here is the transcript:

Hello, this is Governor Chris Christie of New Jersey. I am calling today in support of Patrick Mara, the only Republican candidate running in next Tuesday’s special election for DC Council.

As a reformer myself, I respect and applaud Patrick Mara’s focus on fiscal responsibility, improving education, and ethics reform. Our country needs to elect accountable, responsible leaders like Patrick Mara at all levels of local government.

But Patrick can’t do it alone—he needs your help. Bring balance and accountability to the DC Council by voting for Patrick Mara next Tuesday, April 23. Thank you.

Christie, you may recall, vetoed New Jersey's marriage equality bill. In March 2012, I wrote about Jonathan Capehart's confrontation with Christie on Morning Joe over his lies and bullying.

New Zealand set to enact marriage equality

Good news from Wellington.

Ireland to hold gay marriage referendum

The Guardian reports.

Meanwhile, the Church of England has ruled out blessings for same-sex couples. Because marriage is a sacred institution meant only for one man and one woman, said King Henry VIII whose desire to get out of his first marriage caused him to split from Rome and start his own church. Anglican, please.

Kabel is lone 'no' vote against RNC marriage resolution

The Blade reports. I appreciate D.C. gay Republican Bob Kabel's vote against the Republican National Committee's resolution Friday reaffirming its opposition to marriage equality. Kabel is a board member of Log Cabin and was a signatory on the amicus brief against Proposition 8 that was circulated by former RNC Chairman Ken Mehlman. But the GOP has gotten worse on gay issues, not better. This is hardly a surprise, given that the crazies have taken over the party. So what is the point of sticking around? I realize that in other respects people like Kabel agree with conservative values. But given the GOP's evident inability to learn any lessons from its 2012 losses, wouldn't it be better for people like Kabel and Mehlman to work with other non-extreme conservatives to build a new conservative party not in thrall to the social right? I am only an observer here, as I am not conservative. But liberals need conservative negotiating partners. Our country needs to address its problems. Unfortunately, party leaders like Mitch McConnell clearly believe that gridlock will work to their advantage. So they continue to harm the country in pursuit of partisan gain and minority control over the country. No cause for pride there.

Florida police sergeant fired for having Trayvon Martin shooting targets

CNN reports:

A Florida police sergeant was fired for possessing several so-called Trayvon Martin shooting targets, authorities said Saturday.

Sgt. Ron King of Port Canaveral Police Department was fired Friday after an internal review investigated how he offered the hoodie paper shooting targets to two fellow officers, said John Walsh, interim CEO of the Canaveral Port Authority.

The officers, who saw King with the targets in his police vehicle, declined the offer, Walsh said.

In the annals of sick bastards with guns, perhaps the most disturbing are those who also carry badges. At least this guy was fired, and he had colleagues who remembered they were human beings.

Concern grows over spread of bacterial meningitis

The death on Friday of a West Hollywood man from bacterial meningitis has raised concerns that the disease has spread from New York to the west coast. It is spread by saliva, not by sexual activity. Frontiers LA reports:

Bacterial meningitis is usually severe, according to the CDC, causing brain damage, hearing loss, disabilities and death. However people can recover if treated early so anyone who suspects they might have been exposed or are at risk of being exposed or are experiencing any symptoms should immediately see their healthcare provider. Symptoms are: a sudden fever, headache, stiff neck, nausea, vomiting, increased sensitivity to light, and mental confusion. These symptoms can appear quickly or up to seven days after exposure and should not be mistaken for the flu.

Meningococcal infection is contagious. You can catch it in larger groups gathered together, or through germs spread through secretions exchanged through kissing, sharing cups or utensils, coughing, sneezing, or being in close contact with someone who has meningitis. People with a compromised immune systems – such as HIV disease – are particularly susceptible. The CDC also says: “Fortunately, most of the bacteria that cause meningitis are not as contagious as diseases like the common cold or the flu. Also, the bacteria are not spread by casual contact or by simply breathing the air where a person with meningitis has been.”

One can also prevent catching the disease through practicing good hygiene such as washing your hands often with soap and water, covering your mouth and nose when you sneeze or cough, don’t share food or drinks and clean contaminated surfaces with soap and water or a disinfectant.

Metro Weekly reports.

Gumbleton to Pro-Marriage Equality Catholics: ‘Don’t Stop Going to Communion’

New Ways Ministry blogs:

Bishop Thomas Gumbleton, retired auxiliary bishop of Detroit, has told Catholics to ignore Archbishop Allen Vigneron’s recent statement discouraging pro-marriage equality Catholics from receiving communion.

Gumbleton explains:

“If you look at it from a pastoral point of view where you’re trying to reach out to people, trying to draw them in, then the last thing you want to do is impose a penalty or make them feel like they have to impose a penalty upon themselves.

Bravo, Bishop.

Ding dong, it's number one

75 years later, Billie Burke, Judy Garland, and the Munchkins are at the top of the charts in Britain. Okay, this is not the most tasteful response to the demise of Margaret Thatcher. But there it is, the top seller at the UK iTunes store. Well, it's not as if they dropped a house on someone, or bombed a retreating ship, or some bloody thing like that.

Rosendall introduces Rep. Keith Ellison at ACLU Bill of Rights Dinner

(ACLU-NCA Executive Director Benétta M. Standly, Rep. Keith Ellison, Rick Rosendall, ACLU-NCA President Deborah Carliner. Photo by Lisa Helfert)

On Thursday, April 11, I had the honor of introducing Congressman Keith Ellison as the keynote speaker at the annual Bill of Rights dinner of ACLU of the Nation's Capital, which was held at the Omni Shoreham Hotel. My prepared remarks are below (I added a few comments on the fly). It was a fine evening celebrating and recommitting to our coalition efforts to uphold civil liberties, with a special focus on marriage equality. The honorees were NAACP President Benjamin Todd Jealous, Pastor Delman Coates of Clinton, MD, and Albert Foer. I was pleased to serve on ACLU-NCA's dinner committee.

Good evening. Keith Ellison of Minnesota's Fifth District is a civil rights attorney and the first Muslim elected to the United States Congress. Now in his fourth term, he is, among other things, Co-Chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus and Vice-Chair of the LGBT Caucus. His roots as a community activist are reflected in his congressional priorities: "promoting peace, prosperity for working families, environmental sustainability, and civil and human rights."

Late in 2006, Congressman-elect Ellison said he would take his ceremonial oath of office using the holy book of his faith. Radio host Dennis Prager, apparently unfamiliar with the First Amendment, was outraged and demanded that it not be permitted. Ellison's response was sublime: he borrowed Thomas Jefferson's copy of the Qu'ran from the Library of Congress. What a powerful act of political symbolism.

D.C. shelter accused of rejecting trans women

Lou Chibbaro reports in the Blade:

A shelter for homeless women located three blocks from the U.S. Capitol is violating the D.C. Human Rights Act by refusing to admit transgender women unless they provide “documentation” of a legal name change or gender reassignment surgery, according to separate complaints against the facility by two transgender women.

In a lawsuit filed April 5 in D.C. Superior Court and a complaint filed with the D.C. Office of Human Rights on March 22, the two women charge that employees at the John L. Young Women’s Shelter at 119 D Street, N.W. said they could not be admitted because of their status as transgender women.

An attorney with the D.C. Trans Coalition filed the lawsuit on behalf of Lakiesha Washington against New Hope Ministries, Inc. of Woodbridge, Va., which owns and operates the John L. Young Women’s Shelter.

The lawsuit says Washington, who was homeless, attempted to gain admission to the shelter on April 3, when the lawsuit says the alleged discriminatory action took place.

Brava to Lakiesha and Andy for doing this. It is long past time for the city to obey its own laws.

Lee on Cheh: Doing to development what broke down booze

Blade business columnist Mark Lee lays into Ward 3 Councilmember Mary Cheh for her latest proposal to regulate business:

Jaws dropped on Tuesday when D.C. Council member Mary Cheh made clear she wants to do to private real estate development what was done to the city’s largest hometown industry.

Cheh is no longer merely pondering introduction of legislation adding layers of regulatory review for moderately large residential construction projects, as she had begun musing less than two weeks ago. This week she introduced a bill designed to mimic the city’s notoriously dysfunctional alcoholic beverage licensing process for bars and restaurants.

Someone might want to remind her how well that turned out....

News that this misguided maven of regulatory ridiculousness had dreamed up a new scheme to make doing business in the District even more difficult and capricious never arrives as a surprise. The stunner is that she doesn’t comprehend the city’s evolving zeitgeist or the lessons to be learned from a broke down and out-of-balance hospitality business licensing system that her colleagues grapple with how best to repair.