All I Want for Christmas is Gay Marriage in D.C.

categories: Gay Marriage, LGBT Rights and Politics, Marriage Equality

Published October 07, 2009 @ 04:06AM PT

Gay marriage D.C.

The City Council in Washington, D.C. saw a marriage equality bill introduced this week that if passed will make the District the next in line to recognize same-sex marriage. That could happen by the end of the year, making 2009 the official year of gay marriage.

The bill's passage is close to certainty -- or at least as close to certainty as anything gets in politics. Already ten city councilors support the bill to legalize same-sex marriage in the District, and Mayor Adrian Fenty has pledged to sign the bill.

The District's step forward for equality has some anti-gay politicians in the U.S. Congress going ballistic, among them Rep. Jason Chaffetz of Utah. He wants the U.S. Congress to stop debating health care, education, and War on Terror policies and get involved in the marriage debate in Washington, D.C. Maybe Rep. Chaffertz would also like every member of Congress to start doing bedroom inspections in the D.C. just to make sure only straight people are co-habitating.

Thankfully, Congress isn't showing any inclination of biting on Chaffertz's rhetoric, hinting that Congress is too damn busy working hard for their 21 percent approval rating to get involved in the marriage debate in D.C.

Or, perhaps more correctly, Congress just feels that the District can take care of its own on this issue. And if that's the case, then everyone's Christmas/Hannukah/Kwanzaa/Boxing Day/Winter Solstice present this year will be another part of the country recognizing marriage equality.

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Comments (19)

It's great that Washington, D.C. will recognize the very important right of same-sex marriage with the bill the City Council and Mayor Fenty will pass this year. Jason Chaffetz is an intolerant conservative with an intolerant conservative with an incorrect view of LGBT rights and is stupid for saying that he wants Congress to stop debates on the issues. Equality for the LGBT community trumps and will always trump the intolerance of social conservatism.

Posted by Edwin Bonilla on 10/07/2009 @ 12:48PM PT
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Let us all hope and pray for a blessed yule.

Let equality reign supreme.

Posted by Thomas McHugh on 10/07/2009 @ 03:42PM PT
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Marriage is a sacred sacrament let's all respect God's views regarding marriage.

Posted by privateguy rebate on 10/07/2009 @ 06:32PM PT
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Mr. rebate...

Your god aint necessarily the same god others believe in or follow and as for marriage being a "sacred sacrement"...

Its only sacred if those who participate in it make it sacred by how they treat their partner.

Posted by Thomas McHugh on 10/08/2009 @ 12:53PM PT
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Then why doesn't the law outlaw divorce? Its only sacred to you folks when it has to do with someone else's business. If we added no divorce to the save marriage act 85% of the conservatives who are against gay marriage would drop back. They don't want any one telling them what they should do. Divorce is what is ruining our country, not gay marriage. Oh and my God made a perfectly beautiful little girl I call my daughter who deserves the same human rights as your daughter. She is love and her partner and her have a sacred union better than many "straight" marriages Thank you

Posted by Karen Colpo on 10/11/2009 @ 08:02AM PT
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I agree with you miss colpo...

At least in regards to equality.

Posted by Thomas McHugh on 10/12/2009 @ 05:17AM PT
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That would be a great Christmas present.

Posted by Martin Martinez on 10/08/2009 @ 05:02AM PT
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Yes it would but then equality is always a blessed gift.

Posted by Thomas McHugh on 10/08/2009 @ 12:54PM PT
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Thomas, although that statment is accurate, equality should not be considered a "gift." It should be considered a requirement in a secular nation such as ours (despite how quickly the religious reich is trying to take it over.)

Posted by Dave Hershey on 10/10/2009 @ 05:24PM PT
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True mr. hershey and I apologise...

Equality is a blessed right that belongs to all of us.

Posted by Thomas McHugh on 10/11/2009 @ 12:56AM PT
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I live in Utah. Guys like that Rep. Chaffetz are part of the reason why I dislike this state so much. If equality ever does come to Utah, it will be one of the last states to have it.

Posted by Bryan Butler on 10/10/2009 @ 10:41PM PT
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Your not alone mr. butler...

I live in west virginia although I'd rather live in georgia...But unfortunatly, both of those states will in all likelyhood be among the last to institute equality. :(

Posted by Thomas McHugh on 10/11/2009 @ 12:58AM PT
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why can't we have gay mariage now. i should have the right to marry who ever i like. go love!

Posted by Kevin Madden on 10/11/2009 @ 04:20AM PT
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HOORAY!!!!! We need to go local and focus most efforts on city councils.

Gay communities save other local residents millions of dollars in public school taxes and childcare taxes. Communities need to know this.

Focus on state and local level. Gays won marriage rights by going state by state instead of directly to the feds. What we need now is the first gay controlled town, defined as a gay, not just a gay supportive but a gay majority on a town council somewhere. Apperantly Provincetown still doesn't have it.

Posted by Alan Ditmore on 10/11/2009 @ 03:56PM PT
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Why would you coctinue to live in some of the last states to gain equality, continue to be personally oppressed, and continue to waste your votes in hopeless minority status, when you can relocate and by doing so build a majority and acheive equality.

You will be welcomed by anyone who wants to save school and childcare taxes as the gay fertility rate is still under 0.5 including adoption, less than a quarter of the hetero fertility rate.

Posted by Alan Ditmore on 10/11/2009 @ 04:06PM PT
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Because people have families, careers, and lives in those states. People should not have to leave their state or their country to be treated as equal. In the case of Malbury vs Madison all rights must be transferable from each state. That is why this fight must now go federal and stay federal. And if any of you dont believe me then I will be happy to pass on Evan Gerstmann's book. "Gay Marriage and the constitution 2ed."

Posted by Chris Marshall on 10/11/2009 @ 08:10PM PT
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Well mr. ditmore...

1 : Im heterosexual so I already have the rights that all of us should have.

2 : Im on disability which limits me in financial terms so unfortunatly, I literaly cant afford to move...Besides, my girlfriend is here and considering what an undesirable I am for the most part, Im loathe to give up the one slice of heaven I have.

Still, I too wonder why those in the homosexual community dont choose to make a mass exodus to states that support equality...

My thoughts on it are that while those states would indeed benifit in terms of voting power and other factors, the one major downside would be a loss of power to fight for equality in the states like mine that still has their collective heterosexual heads up their asses...

I think that downside is too high a price to pay for convenience.

Posted by Thomas McHugh on 10/12/2009 @ 05:24AM PT
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There is no loss of political power when leaving a state in which you are a minority because a minority has NO political power. Thus having 1% gays or gay supporters is no less powerful than having 49.9%.

In a democracy, you only get power in a state when you gross the line from 49.9% to 50.1%, and doing this is worth moving as many Americans are already doing, demostrated by The Big Sort:

http://www.thebigsort.com/maps.php

Posted by Alan Ditmore on 10/14/2009 @ 02:08PM PT
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There is no loss of political power when leaving a state in which you are a minority because a minority has NO political power. Thus having 1% gays or gay supporters is no less powerful than having 49.9%.

In a democracy, you only get power in a state when you cross the line from 49.9% to 50.1%, and doing this is worth moving as many Americans are already doing, demostrated by The Big Sort:

http://www.thebigsort.com/maps.php

Posted by Alan Ditmore on 10/14/2009 @ 02:08PM PT
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Michael is the Communications Director for the Human Rights Program at Harvard Law School, and previously was Communications Director for Pax Christi USA, a progressive Catholic human rights organization.