D.C. Councilman David Catania said he will introduce legislation Tuesday that would legalize same-sex marriages in the nation’s capital.
Catania, At-Large, one of the council’s two openly gay members, said Thursday that marriage “offers recognition and protection to families and children … [Jurisdictions] are better served by promoting and enhancing marriage between committed partners regardless of gender.”
In May, the council agreed to recognize same-sex marriages legally performed in other jurisdictions, spurring chaos outside the council chambers and a warning from a councilman of impending “civil war” if the District moves ahead with gay marriage legislation.
Ward 8 Councilman Marion Barry was the lone dissenting vote on May 5. He called his decision “agonizing and difficult,” given his 40-year friendship with the gay community. But the vast majority of his constituents, the former mayor said, oppose gay marriage.
After the vote, a ruckus ensued outside the chambers as gay marriage supporters celebrated and opponents shrilled in anger. What will happen, Barry was asked, when the council takes up gay marriage in D.C., as it is likely to do this year?
“All hell’s gonna break loose,” he said. “We’re gonna have a civil war. The black community is so adamant against this.”
