Before Mayor Patrick Wojahn headed College Park, MD, he was a key figure in the movement for what activists described as “marriage equality” both through an activist group and through his own relationship.
As one of the nine plaintiff couples in the Deane vs. Conaway lawsuit filed in 2004, Kolesar and his partner, Patrick Wojahn, saw two years of legal entanglements finally pay off with the judge’s support of same-sex marriage.
Judge Brooke M. Murdock ruled a 1973 state law which prohibited same-sex marriage was discriminatory and caused by bias, bringing an end to the first stage of the lawsuit, which was filed by the American Civil Liberties Union, Equality Maryland and nine gay couples chosen to be the “face of the gay community,” Kolesar said.
Wojahn was not just a test case, he was an activist.
Until the new legislative term resumes, advocates are trying to drum up public support for same-sex marriage in the state. “We’re working on rebuilding support in those areas and looking at how we’re going to proceed,” says Patrick Wojahn, chair of the Equality Maryland Foundation. “We’re trying to get [legislators who defected] back on board or get other people on board.”
Wojahn even made it sound like he was mentored by Pete Buttigieg.
During his Council elections and his first run as a mayoral candidate, Wojahn knew he had no choice but to run as an openly gay man because of his media prominence with the marriage equality lawsuit.
But being elected as an out gay mayor landed him a fortuitous mentor.
“I actually met Mayor Pete Buttigieg shortly after I was elected mayor in 2015,” Wojahn said. “I went to the U.S. Conference of Mayors’ Winter Meeting in D.C. in January and he was assigned to be my buddy.”
The two continued to talk over the phone and Buttigieg explained the conference to him and what would take place at the meeting. Later, they would both attend a White House reception during the Obama administration where Dave and Chasten (Buttigieg) would meet as well.
Buttigieg continued to mentor Wojahn, advising him on how to get the most out of his participation in the conference.
“I now serve in a leadership role as vice chair of city livability and bicycling in part due to his mentorship.”
They also talked about the challenges of being an openly gay mayor with Buttigieg sharing with his mentee the story of his coming out while serving in office.
The Buttigieg campaign hailed Wojahn’s endorsement of him during the Democrat primaries.
The media has carefully avoided talking about this when Mayor Patrick Wojahn was first arrested or now when he pled guilty.
The former mayor of a Maryland college town pleaded guilty Wednesday to more than 100 counts connected to the possession and distribution of child sexual abuse material.
Prince George’s County State’s Attorney Aisha Braveboy’s office said the plea deal calls for Wojahn to serve a 30-year prison sentence.
An attorney listed in online court records did not immediately return an email seeking comment Wednesday evening. When Wojahn stepped down, he said in his resignation letter he planned to “deal with my own mental health.”
Maybe Buttigieg could mentor him some more.