Gay Marriage on the Verge of Approval in the Capital: Congress to Determine if Voters will be Left Standing at the Altar

Washington, D.C. – The City Council for the District of Columbia passed a law allowing same sex marriage which was signed into law by Mayor Adrian Fenty on December 18th. Fenty chose All Souls Unitarian Church to sign the bill in which he stood and raised it in the air to a cheering crowd of onlookers. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7LB6sC0LyaM

But not all are cheering the actions of City leadership. Churches in the area are seeking to have the issue put directly to the voters of the nation’s capital. Bishop Harry Jackson of Hope Christian Church is among those leading the fight. Bishop Jackson has reportedly mobilized more than a 1,000 churches in the D.C. area in a grass roots effort to preserve traditional marriage. Proponents of same sex marriage do not want the issue decided by the voters, fearing another loss.

Congress has 30 days in which to pass a resolution disapproving the act to legalize same sex marriage. That date comes on January 18, 2010. If both Houses of Congress pass a joint resolution rejecting an act passed by the City Council, it will be deemed repealed. On the other hand, should Congress do nothing, then same sex marriages could begin as early as March 2010 in the nation’s capital.

“This law seeks to change the core structure of what the family is for an entire city without putting it to a vote of the citizens of that community,” said Brad Dacus, President of the Pacific Justice Institute. “Congress owes it to the people in our nation’s capital to have a voice on such an important issue,” Dacus continued. “People from all over this country should contact their U.S. Senator and House Representative and urge them to support a resolution to repeal this act.”

This will be the first time that Congress will have an opportunity to take direct action on same sex marriage. “Members of Congress need to make a definitive statement on whether or not they trust the judgment of the citizens of the District of Columbia to directly decide this issue for themselves,” stated Kevin Snider, Chief Counsel for the Pacific Justice Institute.

You can contact your elected officials by email at: https://writerep.house.gov/writerep/welcome.shtml or, if you prefer, you can call the U.S. Capitol Switchboard at: (202) 224-3121.