Conservatives join fight against D.C. gay marriage
May 21, 2009
Conservative members of Congress on Thursday joined the fight against gay marriage in D.C., introducing a bill that would block the city’s efforts to legalize same-sex unions in the District.
The D.C. Defense of Marriage Act states, “In the District of Columbia, for all legal purposes, ‘marriage’ means the union of one man and one woman.”
“The D.C. city council got it wrong, and that’s why we are here today,” said Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, a co-sponsor of the bill. Jordan is a member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, which has jurisdiction over the District.
The D.C. Council agreed earlier this month to recognize same-sex marriages legally performed in other jurisdictions, and is expected to move forward later this year with legislation legalizing same-sex marriage in the District.
The current legislation would pre-empt a marriage equality bill here and undo the decision to recognize out-of-state gay marriages.
But the bill, which had 30 co-sponsors when it was introduced, faces an uphill battle given the large Democratic majority in both houses.
Asked about the chances of the legislation passing, Jordan said, “You don’t know if you don’t try.”
D.C. Councilman Jack Evans, D-Ward 2, said the bill’s sponsors were wasting their time.
“Congress never fails to surprise with their ability to muddle in our affairs,” Evans said.
“These guys should immediately resign from Congress because they strike me as being absolutely inept.”
Opponents of gay marriage, however, welcomed the congressional intervention.
Bishop Harry Jackson, of Lanham’s Hope Christian Church, called the bill the latest development in the fight against an “out-of-control city council.”
Jackson, who has been at the forefront of opposition to marriage equality in the District, believes most D.C. residents are against same-sex marriage.
“Twelve people just decided this issue,” Jackson said outside the Capitol, adding, “The voice of the people of D.C. will be fairly and justly heard.”
He and other religious leaders are considering strategies to fight gay marriage at the grass-roots level, including petitioning the council for a citywide referendum.
