Last Tuesday, the nation’s capital came one step closer to achieving full civil rights and equality for its residents. Councilmember David Catania (I-At-Large) (SFS ‘90, LAW ‘94) introduced the “Religious Freedom and Civil Marriage Equality Amendment Act of 2009.” This act will allow same-sex couples to marry in D.C.—an accomplishment worthy of celebration among gay rights activists nationwide. (kiiky.com)
D.C. was already a trend-setting city on gay marriage in May, when the City Council passed a bill recognizing same-sex marriages performed in the four states that have legalized gay marriage. Soon thereafter, word began to spread about the possibility of Catania’s bill being presented later in the year.
With ten out of the thirteen members of the city council co-sponsoring the bill, its success was all but ensured. Mayor Adrian Fenty also gave his support before it was officially introduced.
Fenty, Catania, and the Council do not deserve all the credit for this landmark legislation, which makes Washington the first Southern city to legalize gay marriages. The D.C. Board of Elections and Ethics set the stage for Catania’s legislation in June, when it ruled that the Human Rights Act made holding a referendum on gay marriage impossible. This meant that gay marriage could be legalized in D.C. without holding a riskier city-wide vote.
The District also owes a debt to anti-gay marriage carpetbaggers like Bishop Harry Jackson, whose divisive, incompetent campaign for a referendum made those on the side of tolerance look even better.
Now that gay marriage is all but ensured, here’s hoping that Jackson and his lot will find another city to harass with their closemindedness. Or, even better, that they’ll recognize where history is headed and give up entirely.
Of course, this is still the District of Columbia, where no law is safe until Congress has its say. Catania’s legislation could theoretically be overturned by Congress, but with a Democratic-controlled House, Senate, and White House, this is unlikely to happen. Even gay marriage opponent Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-UT), told The Washington Post on Tuesday that “the minority is left somewhat impotent” by Democratic control.
Although the passage of Catania’s act will be a victory for Washington and its gay community, the act still does not grant the entirety of the rights granted to heterosexual couples.
Federal marital rights and benefits will continue to be denied until Congress passes a bill that allows for true equality among all couples. Still, Catania’s bill moves us closer to the promise of federally-recognized gay marriage and marks D.C. as a progressive city committed to equality for all of its citizens.
