D.C. Residents Battle Over Same-Sex Bill

They sat in the same hearing room, one close enough to touch the other. However, the beliefs of those who are for same-sex marriage in the District of Columbia and those who are against it were so far apart they might as well have been seated in different states.

Geraldine Washington, an opponent of same-sex marriage and one of 200 people who signed up to testify, called the D.C. Council hearing on the subject Monday afternoon a mockery of democracy.

Washington said she understood that the majority of the council has already made up its mind to pass the Religious Freedom and Civil Marriage Equality Amendment Act of 2009.

"Do not invite me to the coronation when the king has already been crowned,"Washington said.

One hundred people testified at Monday's hearing on Bill 18-482. The Committee on Public Safety and Judiciary will hear testimony from the other 100 people on Nov.2.

In May, the Council voted to recognize the marriages of residents who were married in any of the six states where same-sex marriages are legal. A month later, a referendum on the Civil Marriage Equality Act was denied.

If passed, the amendment would permit same-sex marriage in the District. It would also protect officials of non-profit religious organization from being required to celebrate any marriage if doing so violates his or her rights.

The bill would amend the Health Care Benefits Expansion Act of 1992 and discontinue the registration of new domestic partnerships after Jan. 1, 2011. It would also allow homosexuals to continue their domestic partnerships or convert their partnerships into a marriage without paying additional fees.

Monday's D.C. Board of Elections and Ethics hearing allowed religious leaders and residents to testify for a referendum on the amendment. It was held on behalf of Stand for Marriage D.C., which is against same-sex marriage.

"The people of Washington, D.C., have been denied their fundamental right to vote on whether to recognize homosexual 'marriages' performed outside of the District," the group maintains on its Web site.

The Rev. Anthony Evans, executive director for the D.C. Black Church Initiative, is an opponent of the proposal and said he wants the Board of Elections to allow a vote on the issue.

"There is significant support for the Board of Elections to approve a ballot initiative,"  Evans said. "If we fail, we will have a movement to impeach the mayor of D.C., Adrian Fenty; D.C. Chairman At-Large Phil Mendelson, and Councilman Kwame Brown."