Local
Same-sex marriage bill edging closer to reality for D.C. Council
October 22, 2008
The D.C. Council is a few months away from considering a same-sex marriage bill, District leaders said Tuesday, provided the political pieces converge that would allow such a contentious measure to survive a grueling legislative process.
“November 4 is going to tell much of the tale,” said Ward 1 Councilman Jim Graham, one of two openly gay council members. “We’re just steps away from marriage equality.”
The council on Tuesday made its latest move to strengthen the rights of same-sex couples. Council members unanimously agreed that the domestic partners of retired police officers and firefighters should be included, like any spouse, in retirement benefits.
Since 2005, the District has enacted at least eight measures that guarantee D.C.’s domestic partners the same rights, benefits and responsibilities as those afforded to married couples.
The biggest step could come as soon as “the first of the year” with the introduction of a same-sex marriage bill, Graham said. But much depends on whether Democrat Barack Obama wins the White House, and how many seats the Democrats add to their majority in Congress. Pulling the trigger at the right moment, proponents said, is critical.
Congress has veto authority on D.C. legislation. If Capitol Hill is “friendlier” to the issue come 2009 then a marriage bill is sure to follow, said at-large Councilman Phil Mendelson. Mayor Adrian Fenty has said he would sign such a bill.
“The council will support a same-sex marriage bill,” Mendelson said, “but there’s no point in doing that if we don’t know beforehand how Congress will react.”
Responding to a 2008 candidate questionnaire from the Gay and Lesbian Activists Alliance, Ward 8 Councilman Marion Barry was the only member to outright reject same-sex marriage: “No,” Barry said, “I support civil unions and domestic partnerships.”
But Barry’s spokesman said Tuesday the council member will support a gay marriage bill despite his personal feelings on the issue.
“It has been sort of out of the question until now,” said Rick Rosendall, vice president of political affairs with GLAA. “But there is a sense we want to take the next step as soon as it is politically viable to do so.”
Another factor in D.C.’s deliberations will be the outcome of California’s Proposition 8, a ballot measure to ban same-sex marriage in the nation’s most populous state. Its success or failure, observers say, could either blunt or exacerbate reaction to a D.C. bill.
The District should forge ahead if the Democrats are in control, said gay activist Peter Rosenstein, “but we should do it so that it does not become the first thing that Congress and the president have to deal with.”
“November 4 is going to tell much of the tale,” said Ward 1 Councilman Jim Graham, one of two openly gay council members. “We’re just steps away from marriage equality.”
The council on Tuesday made its latest move to strengthen the rights of same-sex couples. Council members unanimously agreed that the domestic partners of retired police officers and firefighters should be included, like any spouse, in retirement benefits.
Since 2005, the District has enacted at least eight measures that guarantee D.C.’s domestic partners the same rights, benefits and responsibilities as those afforded to married couples.
The biggest step could come as soon as “the first of the year” with the introduction of a same-sex marriage bill, Graham said. But much depends on whether Democrat Barack Obama wins the White House, and how many seats the Democrats add to their majority in Congress. Pulling the trigger at the right moment, proponents said, is critical.
Congress has veto authority on D.C. legislation. If Capitol Hill is “friendlier” to the issue come 2009 then a marriage bill is sure to follow, said at-large Councilman Phil Mendelson. Mayor Adrian Fenty has said he would sign such a bill.
“The council will support a same-sex marriage bill,” Mendelson said, “but there’s no point in doing that if we don’t know beforehand how Congress will react.”
Responding to a 2008 candidate questionnaire from the Gay and Lesbian Activists Alliance, Ward 8 Councilman Marion Barry was the only member to outright reject same-sex marriage: “No,” Barry said, “I support civil unions and domestic partnerships.”
But Barry’s spokesman said Tuesday the council member will support a gay marriage bill despite his personal feelings on the issue.
“It has been sort of out of the question until now,” said Rick Rosendall, vice president of political affairs with GLAA. “But there is a sense we want to take the next step as soon as it is politically viable to do so.”
Another factor in D.C.’s deliberations will be the outcome of California’s Proposition 8, a ballot measure to ban same-sex marriage in the nation’s most populous state. Its success or failure, observers say, could either blunt or exacerbate reaction to a D.C. bill.
The District should forge ahead if the Democrats are in control, said gay activist Peter Rosenstein, “but we should do it so that it does not become the first thing that Congress and the president have to deal with.”
