The Court's decision to uphold Prop 8 is a wake-up call to the LGBT community that we cannot sit on the sidelines and hope that some Supreme Court's justices will come to our rescue. We must stand up and give voice to the momentum that is building in this country to win full marriage equality for every member of our community. Californians along with all other Americans are now looking to us in the District to expand the map of marriage equality by adding the nation's capital. Now is the time to translate your anger at bigotry and discrimination like Prop 8 into real action to win the rights and freedom we deserve.
Hundreds Fill Dupont Circle for Marriage Equality Rally
The Court's decision to uphold Prop 8 is a wake-up call to the LGBT community that we cannot sit on the sidelines and hope that some Supreme Court's justices will come to our rescue. We must stand up and give voice to the momentum that is building in this country to win full marriage equality for every member of our community. Californians along with all other Americans are now looking to us in the District to expand the map of marriage equality by adding the nation's capital. Now is the time to translate your anger at bigotry and discrimination like Prop 8 into real action to win the rights and freedom we deserve.
An Eloquent Endorsement of Marriage Equality from D.C.'s Ward 8
When meeting last Saturday, Ward 8 Democrats sought to voice their opinion on the matter of marriage equality here in the District. Their statement below is a valuable window into the minds and hearts of Washington citizens, explaining why they chose to endorse same sex marriage rights.
(Click here to view the entire Ward 8 statement, as well as the marriage equality resolution recently adopted by Wards 2, 4, 6, and 8.)
by Philip Pannell, Ward 8 Democratic State Committeeman
May 16, 2009
"Today is the celebration of the 55th anniversary of Brown vs. Board of Education, the Supreme Court ruling that began the dismantling of de jure segregation in public schools. Our country is made ever greater by the continued efforts to guarantee equal opportunity and rights for all citizens. While the historical transformation of the United States into an equal opportunity and equal rights society has led to advancements for women, African Americans and other groups, there still remains a minority in our country who experience daily discrimination and bigotry and for whom equality remains an elusive goal... Sadly it is still widely acceptable in our country to discriminate against LGBT people and to express this bigotry openly...
"Current efforts to achieve civil marriage equality are essential and critical to achieving a society where everyone is purportedly equal. In the U.S. when a man and a woman are married they, according to the U.S. General Accountability Office, automatically receive 1,138 rights... Civil unions do not grant all of the 1138 rights that married heterosexual couples enjoy (such as filing joint federal income tax returns and receiving Social Security benefits). While I support civil unions only as a step toward civil marriage equality, I compare it to the support that most DC Democrats give to the current legislative efforts to gain a vote in the House of Representatives as the first step toward statehood, which is the only way we will be equal to citizens of other states. It is impossible to be one-third or one-half free or equal. You are either free and equal or you are not...
"What the proponents of civil marriage equality are advocating is that two persons of the same gender be allowed the benefits and rights of civil marriage. For those who believe in holy matrimony then it is up to them to follow the dictates of their chosen religious denominations. Marriage equality would in no way abridge the First Amendment rights of religious institutions, their associations and members to refuse to perform marriages that are inconsistent with and violate their deeply held religious beliefs and traditions...
"Fellow Democrats, the continued legal discrimination against LGBT people must end. For our society to continue to discriminate against people because of how they were born is unfair, unjust and profoundly inhumane... Our government and society devalue and dehumanize same–gender relationships by labeling them immoral and not worthy of recognition and benefits. Also, I find it profoundly troubling that many Gays and Lesbians must continue to endure lives of quiet desperation and deception because they are afraid to be what they are. If Gay men were allowed the benefit of civil marriage, then maybe some of them would not be compelled to live on the down low and use unsuspecting women as fronts in order to achieve societal acceptability and respectability...
"My fellow Ward 8 Democrats, you have affirmed my community involvement and humbled me by electing me five times as the president of this great organization. I can declare with firm conviction and without hesitation or equivocation that there is nothing homophobic about the Ward Eight Democrats. I ask that you continue that same affirming, welcoming and embracing spirit by sending the message throughout the city that the Democrats of Ward 8 value all families..."
Ward 8 Democrats Endorse Same Sex Marriage
On Saturday May 16, the Democrats of D.C.'s Ward 8 voted in a landslide to support legalizing marriage rights for same sex couples. The dramatic vote calls into question Councilman Marion Barry's assertion last week that his Ward predominantly shares his opposition to equal marriage rights.
Ward 8's endorsement follows similarly overwhelming votes in favor of the legislation from Wards 2 and 4 in recent weeks. Wards 5 and 6 are scheduled to consider the resolution (drafted by the Gertrude Stein Democratic Club) this week: the details are below, and all residents are encouraged to attend!
Ward 8's endorsement follows similarly overwhelming votes in favor of the legislation from Wards 2 and 4 in recent weeks. Wards 5 and 6 are scheduled to consider the resolution (drafted by the Gertrude Stein Democratic Club) this week: the details are below, and all residents are encouraged to attend!
Ward 5 Democrats:
Monday May 18th 7PM Michigan Park Christian Church 1600 Taylor St NE
Ward 6 Democrats:
Tuesday, May 19th @ 7pm. Southeast Branch Library @ Eastern Market
Ward 7 Democrats:
Saturday, May 30th @ 12pm -- (Venue to be announced)
Tuesday, May 19th @ 7pm. Southeast Branch Library @ Eastern Market
Ward 7 Democrats:
Saturday, May 30th @ 12pm -- (Venue to be announced)
Madison Hotel Pride Happy Hour Benefits DC for Marriage
The Capital Pride Parade will soon be upon us. It's taking place Saturday, June 13th, 2009 starting at 6:30 PM. And where will you go after the parade? Well why not support a venue that is supporting DC for MarriageThe beautiful Madison Hotel is located just a few blocks from the finish of this year's Pride Parade at 1177 Fifteenth St. NW. Happy Hour begins at 8:00 PM, and a portion of the proceeds from the night will help support DC for Marriage. So be sure to join us after the parade!
Insights from a Marriage Equality Forum
(Pastor Rob Hardies of All Souls Church, left, listens to the ideas of a young gay man on marriage equality.)
A diverse group of District residents gathered at All Souls Church in Columbia Heights on Wednesday evening to discuss the local movement for marriage equality. The crowd in attendance was a visible microcosm of the greater coalition that marriage supporters aspire to build, with young people, old people, people of every color, lesbians, gays, straights, and even some rather vocal toddlers.
The event’s panel offered a range of perspectives, bringing together religious leadership, civil libertarianism, and grassroots democracy. Reverend Monique Ellison, an openly lesbian clergywoman of the Episcopal Church, called on “people of faith who are reading scripture… to speak up to help society see how far-reaching God’s love is for everyone, and how much God values all of us… because of all the beauty and diversity that the Creator has made.” Describing her challenge as a black woman coming out even as she sought to be ordained in the church, Reverend Ellison encouraged marriage equality supporters to listen deeply to those who struggle with their faith and beliefs, and to ask questions in return.
Sharon McGowan, an attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union, urged gays and lesbians to have “that second-level conversation" with friends and family members about marriage equality. As a lesbian raised in the Catholic tradition, McGowan observed that “people of faith are having their own ‘coming out’ process [to support marriage equality],” usually as a result of interactions with neighbors, friends, or family members who illustrate why marriage equality is so important for fair treatment of families and couples under the law.
Michael Crawford, who founded DC for Marriage, noted that marriage equality opponents have already begun “a campaign of lies and division… to divide us along race and class lines.” Crawford joined the other panelists in denouncing the fictitious framing of the marriage equality movement as some kind of bizarre “civil war” between blacks and gays or between churches and gays. Pastor Rob Hardies of the hosting All Souls Church rejected those constructs as “divisions that disappear in the many identities in this room,” and he called for greater solidarity between members of D.C.’s diverse community as a way to move forward on marriage equality as well as on other important social issues affecting families in the District.
The call for solidarity resonated strongly with the gathering, and the meeting concluded with a young straight man’s passionate remarks: “Solidarity is the key. It’s a question of fighting all oppression… an injury to one is an injury is to all.”
GLAA highlights 10 Points on Marriage Equality for the DC Council
The Gay and Lesbian Activists Alliance (GLAA) has listed 10 points for members of the D.C. Council to consider in the fight for full marriage equality:
Marriage Equality: 10 Points for D.C. Council Members
1. D.C. voters have long supported diversity and inclusiveness, including equal rights for their GLBT neighbors. It has been three decades since an anti-gay candidate has been elected in our city. The anti-gay ministers have a long record of being politically ineffectual. See, for example, the fights in the early 1990s over domestic partnerships and sodomy law repeal. Several ministers thundered against those measures at the time, to no avail. Much of the opposition to marriage equality comes from outside the city. Ward 9 voters can neither elect nor defeat anyone.
2. Most clergy in the District have steered clear of Bishop Harry Jackson and his inflammatory demonstrations. This is partly because of Jackson's notoriety, including a sense that he is a tool of right-wing evangelical ministers whose purpose is exploitation rather than any ongoing fellowship; and partly because even many ministers opposed to marriage equality are not prepared to set aside more pressing issues for their communities like health care, jobs, and education in favor of a divisive and emotional fight that helps no one. There is little need for any Council member to worry that he or she will lose a re-election bid due to the ill-informed and misguided opposition of a small minority.
3. The claim by the anti-gay ministers that they will be forced by the government to conduct or approve of same-sex marriages is simply false, nor has any marriage equality advocate proposed any such thing. If the government ever sought to force ministers to perform same-sex marriages of which the ministers disapproved, we would gladly submit an amicus brief on the side of the ministers. This issue is a red herring. Ministers for religions that frown on divorce are not forced to marry people who have been divorced. No ministers in marriage-equality jurisdictions have been forced to marry same-sex couples. Council member David Catania stated in The Washington Post on May 10 that “any legislation that I propose will specifically protect the free exercise of religion as guaranteed by the First Amendment of the Constitution. All religious institutions will be free to decide for themselves whether or not to solemnize same-sex marriages consistent with their religious beliefs.”
4. This is not a fight between activists on one side and clergy on the other.The GLBT community is one of diverse faiths, and includes many clergy members. A list of gay-affirming congregations compiled by the D.C. Office of GLBT Affairs is available online at: http://lgbt.
5. Marriage equality benefits people of all colors, contrary to efforts by Bishop Jackson to create a racial wedge issue. A majority of the District’s gay population is black, extrapolating from the fact that about 60 percent of the city's population is black. A number of leaders of D.C.’s marriage equality effort are African American, including Michael Crawford of D.C. for Marriage and Jeffrey Richardson of the Gertrude Stein Democratic Club. Furthermore, the Foundation for All D.C. Families recently provided Council members with a summary of polling data from 2006 showing that significant numbers of black voters, while short of a majority, support equal rights for same-sex couples and oppose any anti-gay initiative.
6. False lessons from Prop 8. Bishop Jackson invokes the passage of
7. Marriage helps people of all income levels, but provides the most help to couples with the fewest financial resources. This is because legal marriage serves as the “poor man’s lawyer,” granting couples a wealth of protections in one fell swoop that otherwise could only be approximated by a series of legal instruments costing thousands of dollars.
8. The 2006 poll commissioned by the Foundation for All D.C. Families shows strong majority support for marriage equality among likely District voters. When Bishop Jackson and his friends claim that the Council is way out of step with District voters, you should ask what happened to his thousand supporters on April 28, how many of those who did show up that day and May 5 were actually District voters, and where they are getting their polling information. Their over-the-top pronouncements have earned them only skepticism.
9. The claim that marriage has remained unchanged for millennia is preposterous. As Empire State Pride Agenda points out, "Marriage is a dynamic institution that has evolved throughout history to meet the needs of society. In fact, much of what was associated with marriage in the past would today be incomprehensible to the majority of Americans. This includes arranged marriages, payment of a dowry, the legally inferior status of women in the marital relationship, polygamous marriages and royal and aristocratic marriage between relatives, such as first cousins."
10. The push for marriage equality is not just about rights, but about people embracing responsibility. When two people of whatever gender seal their mutual love and commitment with a marriage contract, the community is strengthened. Children are better protected when both of their parents are legally responsible for them, and marriage is the best way of assuring this. Civil unions and domestic partnerships lack the universal recognition and legal certainty of marriage. There are bound to be tensions in any diverse society, but the fact that someone disapproves of, or is uncomfortable with, a particular family is no justification for placing that family outside the protection of the law. We are talking about the simple justice of extending equal protection to all families in our city. Let’s keep D.C. on the right side of history.
References
1. “Mr. Barry’s Ugly Words,” Editorial, The
2. Gay and Lesbian Activists
http://www.glaa.
3. Gay and Lesbian Activists
www.glaa.org/
4. D.C. Office of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Affairs, “
5. Nate Silver, FiveThirtyEight, “Prop 8 Myths,” November 11, 2008http://www.fivethir
6.
http://www.prideage
Copyright © 2009 Gay and Lesbian
Activists
(202) 667-5139
Councilwoman Yvette Alexander rejects ministers' claims that supporting civil marriage equality is anti-Christian
City Council Member Yvette Alexander's comments from the May 5th City Council Hearing are available on this youtube clip and included below:
Yvette Alexander directed several of her remarks to vocal ministers: "I do know one thing, that everyone is equal under God. There are a lot in the gay community that are at your very churches in your congregation... I would ask the ministers and the gay community to please work together, that you two... need to come up with a viable solution, need to learn what each other are talking about... I would implore all of you to come together as a community... and not to point fingers at the gay community."
Yvette Alexander directed several of her remarks to vocal ministers: "I do know one thing, that everyone is equal under God. There are a lot in the gay community that are at your very churches in your congregation... I would ask the ministers and the gay community to please work together, that you two... need to come up with a viable solution, need to learn what each other are talking about... I would implore all of you to come together as a community... and not to point fingers at the gay community."
Councilman Tommy Wells seizes moral high ground back from marriage opponents
City Council Member Tommy Wells's comments from the May 5th City Council Hearing are available on this youtube clip and included below.
Tommy Wells states in part: "This is not a political issue for me. This is a moral issue, and my moral compass points my vote for me today... When two residents from Ward 6 that happen to be of the same sex asked if I would preside over their marriage last year, it was a very joyous occasion, but it was not legally recognized in the District of Columbia. As they yet pay taxes, share the responsibilities of our city, share the responsibilities of being volunteers, they donate to charities and really make up the fabric of what makes this such a great and wonderful city, I cannot tell residents such as them in the District of Columbia that they have a second-class role in my Ward, or in my city, the nation's capital."
Tommy Wells states in part: "This is not a political issue for me. This is a moral issue, and my moral compass points my vote for me today... When two residents from Ward 6 that happen to be of the same sex asked if I would preside over their marriage last year, it was a very joyous occasion, but it was not legally recognized in the District of Columbia. As they yet pay taxes, share the responsibilities of our city, share the responsibilities of being volunteers, they donate to charities and really make up the fabric of what makes this such a great and wonderful city, I cannot tell residents such as them in the District of Columbia that they have a second-class role in my Ward, or in my city, the nation's capital."
Councilman Phil Mendelson declares that no marriage shall be treated as "something different, something less" in D.C.
City Council Member Phil Mendelson's comments from the May 5th City Council Hearing are available on this youtube clip and included below.
Phil Mendelson states in part: "A marriage that's entered into legitimately in another jurisdiction will be recognized as a marriage here. I think that's an issue of fundamental fairness; to do otherwise is to be discriminatory, to do otherwise is to say that people who get married elsewhere are something different, something less here. The fundamental principle is that people in committed relationships deserve rights, benefits, and legal protections."
Phil Mendelson states in part: "A marriage that's entered into legitimately in another jurisdiction will be recognized as a marriage here. I think that's an issue of fundamental fairness; to do otherwise is to be discriminatory, to do otherwise is to say that people who get married elsewhere are something different, something less here. The fundamental principle is that people in committed relationships deserve rights, benefits, and legal protections."
Councilwoman Muriel Bowser asks, "Don't we all just want to be treated equally?"
City Council Member Muriel Bowser's comments from the May 5th City Council Hearing are available on this youtube clip and included below.
Muriel Bowser asked citizens to think of the "thousands of people who are our family members, who are our church members, and who also want the equality that we enjoy... Don't all of us just want to be treated equally? Don't we all want to send the message that we are alike?... Think about the people in your lives who won't tell you who they are. Think about the people in your churches who don't really enjoy the full bounty of the communion of your church because they can't reveal to you who they are. Think about our city being a welcoming place, where people are treated equally... in community life, and in all the institutions in our government."
Muriel Bowser asked citizens to think of the "thousands of people who are our family members, who are our church members, and who also want the equality that we enjoy... Don't all of us just want to be treated equally? Don't we all want to send the message that we are alike?... Think about the people in your lives who won't tell you who they are. Think about the people in your churches who don't really enjoy the full bounty of the communion of your church because they can't reveal to you who they are. Think about our city being a welcoming place, where people are treated equally... in community life, and in all the institutions in our government."
City Council Member Mary Cheh on Recognizing Marriages from other States
City Council Member Mary Cheh's comments from the May 5th City Council Hearing are available on this youtube clip and included below:
Mary Cheh states in part: "we recognize marriages in all other jurisdictions when people come here, and this is a matter of fairness, and a matter of equality; and I think it's a matter of justice. For me when we talk about protecting civil rights and our fundamental rights across the board, this is among them."
Mary Cheh states in part: "we recognize marriages in all other jurisdictions when people come here, and this is a matter of fairness, and a matter of equality; and I think it's a matter of justice. For me when we talk about protecting civil rights and our fundamental rights across the board, this is among them."
Jim Graham on Marriage Equality
City Council Member Jim Graham's comments from the May 5th City Council Hearing are available on this youtube clip and shown below. Jim Graham said in part: "When you boil all this down and you cut through all the politics of this and you recognize this to be a civil right, nothing we're imposing on any church, than you realize how important it is to people to have this ability to express their love for each other."
Maine Celebrates New Marriage Equality Law; New Hampshire Sends Approved Bill to Governor Lynch
(video courtesy of Equality Maine, equalitymaine.org)
On Wednesday May 6, Maine became the fifth U.S. state to secure marriage rights for gay and lesbian couples, after Governor John Baldacci chose to sign LGBT equality into law. This marks the second time a state legislature has successfully enacted marriage rights without an overarching Court decision, an achievement first reached by Vermont on April 7 of this year.
Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Iowa also currently offer marriage rights to gay and lesbian couples as a result of judicial review (as did California before the razor-thin passage of Proposition 8 at the polls in November 2008). But the trend now appears to be toward legislative action, with politicians on both sides of the aisle increasingly willing to entertain legislation and move toward supporting civil marriage rights for LGBT couples.
New Hampshire's legislature has quickly followed suit, finalizing passage of a marriage equality bill and sending it to Governor John Lynch's desk on Wednesday. Governor Lynch has opposed marriage for same-sex couples in the past, so all LGBT and straight allies (in New Hampshire or otherwise) should contact his office immediately and urge him to sign the bill. These legislative victories echo far and wide in our country and can inform and boost our fight to achieve full marriage equality here in the District.
DC City Council Votes Overwhelmingly to Recognize All Out-of-State Marriages
On Tuesday May 5, the LGBT community secured an important victory, with the City Council's overwhelming final passage of a new law to recognize same-sex marriages from other states as marriages in the District. The final vote was 12 in favor to only 1 against. The lone "no" vote came from Councilman Marion Barry (D-Ward 8), who fears a brewing "civil war" within his Ward over the issue.
The approved bill now awaits Mayor Fenty's promised signature, after which Congress has 30 legislative days to review the new law before it goes into effect. Supporters gathered around the Wilson Building today wearing white, with some couples waving copies of their out-of-state marriage licenses. However, same-sex marriage opponents did not miss the opportunity to protest; following the vote, a group of ministers led a raucous outcry that had to be broken up by police. Councilwoman Yvette Alexander (D-Ward 7) issued a plea for calm and respectful debate, noting that while she is not yet ready to support full marriage equality, her "yes" vote today indicated a willingness to listen and learn more about the issues.
In that spirit, will you join us and help reach out to make full marriage equality a reality in DC? It's easy to get started - click here to sign our pledge, and you can also join DC For Marriage on Facebook to get all the latest news. We must recognize the Council's brave endorsement of equality today by stepping up and making our voice heard in the fight to come. We'll need YOUR SUPPORT to bring full marriage equality to the District!
Stand Up and Be Counted May 5th
On Tuesday May 5th the DC City Council is scheduled to take their final vote on the domestic partnership parentage bill and the bill that clarifies DC law recognizing same gender marriages from other jurisdictions. Members of the LGBT community must stand up and be counted. Join us.When: Tuesday, May 5th, 2009
Where: John A. Wilson Building (1350 Pennsylvania Ave. NW)
Time: As early as 8AM Session starts at 10AM You can enter on the back side of the Wilson Building
Wear White for Equality!
RSVP for this event on Facebook (not required)
Tying the Knot: May 13th
The issue of marriage equality has become big news with the recent decision by the DC City Council to recognize marriages performed in other jurisdictions. Join us for a conversation featuring faith leaders, gay and lesbian couples and straight supporters of marriage equality about why marriage matters to gay and lesbian couples.This forum takes place at 7:00 PM on Wednesday May 13th at the All Souls Unitarian Church, 1500 Harvard St. NW.
Click here to RSVP on Facebook (Optional)
Stein Club Statement on Marion Barry
Today, The Gertrude Stein Democratic Club of Washington, DC released the following statement in response to Councilmember Marion Barry’s statements at an anti-marriage equality rally held on Tuesday April 28th at Freedom Plaza organized by Bishop Harry Jackson of Hope Christian Church in Bowie. "It is unfortunate that Councilmember Barry, whose political career was born in the crucible of America's civil rights struggles, has sided with the forces of bigotry and intolerance, especially after having established a clear and consistent record of being supportive of LGBT issues. It is unclear to us why Mr. Barry has chosen this point in history to contradict his own previous past support for the LGBT community when more people than ever, both in DC and throughout the country, have expressed support for marriage equality. It is also unfortunate that the councilmember has chosen to use invective and name-calling, rather than provide any reasonable basis for his position."
The Gertrude Stein Democratic Club endorsed Marion Barry during his 2008 re-election bid for his current Ward 8 city council seat. During the Stein Club’s June 2008 endorsement meeting councilmember Barry stated that if a marriage equality bill was to come before the DC city council that he would vote for it.
Members of The Gertrude Stein Democratic Club have had a long history of support for Councilmember Barry going back to his first mayoral campaign, “but that ended today”, says Stein Club President Jeffrey Richardson.
“The Stein Club may have endorsed Mr. Barry in 2008, but we cannot and will not support him, or any other DC elected official, that is willing to use our community’s fight for equality as a divisive political game. Yesterday Mr. Barry not only voiced his opposition for marriage equality in the District of Columbia, but he stood side by side with people he proclaimed as the moral leaders of our community as they fanned the flames of hate, bigotry, and intolerance”, stated by Jeffrey Richardson, President Gertrude Stein Democratic Club.
The executive committee of the Gertrude Stein Democratic Club has requested a meeting with Councilmember Barry and as the leaders of the LGBT caucus of the DC Democratic Party have withdrawn support for Councilmember Barry until such time that he publicly disassociates himself with the statements made at Tuesday’s rally and issues a formal apology to the Stein Club, the DC LGBT community, and residents of the District at-large.
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