DC Council Votes 11-2 To Enact Marriage Equality

The long march towards full equality continues. The City Council of the District of Columbia voted 11-2 on Tuesday to enact marriage equality legislation. The United States Congress now has 30 legislative days to overturn the decision. It is unlikely to do so.

From The Washington Post:

If the bill survives a required congressional review period, the District will join New Hampshire, Connecticut, Iowa, Vermont and Massachusetts in allowing same-sex marriage.

Council member David A. Catania (I-At Large), one of two openly gay members of the council, said before the vote he thought it was a day that "would never come."

"It really speaks to the long and rich tradition of tolerance and acceptance that does make up the sense of place in the District of Columbia," said Catania, the chief sponsor of the bill.

Council member Phil Mendelson (D-At Large), another key sponsor, said the vote is a culmination of a decades-long struggle by gay rights leaders in the District.

"I don't think it's a giant step; it's a final step," Mendelson said.

Council members Marion Barry (D-Ward 8) and Yvette M. Alexander (D-Ward 7) were the only two members to vote against the bill.

Both Barry and Alexander represent predominantly Black sections of the district (which is also majority Black as a whole).

"I stand here today to express in no uncertain terms my strong commitment to the gay and lesbian, bisexual, transgender community on almost every issue except this one," Barry said.

He then went on to plead with gay and lesbian residents not to hold his "no" vote against him.

"It's not fair to make this one issue a litmus test as to one's commitment to human rights, to justice, and I resent those who would make it a litmus test," Barry said.

Private polls show that black voters are far more likely than white voters in the District to oppose same-sex marriage. Both Barry and Alexander represent majority black wards and they also have stated that they were under considerable pressure from African-American ministers in their wards to vote against the bill.

What about the Black people who are LGBT in those wards? Do they not deserve to be able to marry the person that they love? Why an elected official would be "under considerable pressure" to a religious official is beyond me. We're talking about civil marriage, people. Get your church out of my bedroom!