D.C. Council OKs Gay Marriage

by Maia Spotts · 2009-12-02 13:35:00 UTC
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I suppose if anyone would understand the plight of the gay American, it would be a D.C. citizen. No voting representation in the Senate, a delegate in the House given some, but not all, of the same powers, everyone working hard for the country without the benefits of full citizenship. Taxation without Representation is imprinted on their license plates. So it shouldn't come as a surprise that the D.C. Council asserted the limited power they have and voted yesterday to grant same-sex couples the right to marry. They feel our pain.

It is a bold step considering the decidedly unChristian threats being made by the Catholic Archdiocese of D.C. to stop all social services it provides in the capitol if gays are granted the right to marry. Susan Gibbs, a spokeswoman for the Archdiocese, is hopeful that a "religious freedom" loophole can be added to the bill, presumably to allay the fear that the Archdiocese would have to accept gays as anything other than an abomination.

Other religious leaders, like those behind Stand4MarriageDC, continue to push for a ballot measure to decide the issue, despite repeated initiative rejections from the D.C. Election Board. The Election Board asserts that using the ballot to strip a person of an already granted right would violate the D.C. Human Right's Act, an anti-discrimination measure passed in 1977. We could have used some of that logic last year in California...

Fortunately, it's not just the council in this corner and the crucifix in the other. A brave throng of religious leaders in support of same-sex marriage have formed the D.C. Clergy United for Marriage Equality. Running on the platform that "wherever love is present, God is also present" the group is steadily growing in numbers. You can read their declaration (and sign it if you're a religious leader in D.C.) here. It's shaping up to be a real Battle of the Bishops.

The good news is that, despite claims by those in objection to the proposition, D.C. hasn't burst into flames, the homeless are still being fed and society continues to be (relatively) stable. With another vote in two weeks, followed by Mayoral and Congressional review -- the bill is projected to pass without much government objection -- we won't start seeing gay marriages in D.C. for at least another two months. So stay tuned.

(Photo courtesy of kevindooley's photostream on Flickr)

Maia Spotts is one part of a two mom, two kid household and hopes to change the way in which this country defines the strong American family.
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