DC Mayor Adrian Fenty Signs Marriage Equality Bill

[racaulk]

In a raucous signing ceremony at a northwest Washington church, Mayor Fenty officially legalized same-sex marriage in the District, distributing ceremonial pens among the Council members standing behind him. The law now will go through a period of review consisting of 30 days in which Congress is in session. If the law passes that hurdle -- as is widely expected -- the first gay marriages in the District could take in late winter or early spring of 2010.

The ceremony at All Souls Unitarian Church -- one of many in the city that supported the legislation -- opened with comments by Fenty, Council chairman Vincent Gray, and Council members Phil Mendelson, David Catania and Jim Graham.

In his opening remarks, Fenty recalled that when his own parents were married, many states would have refused to recognize their bonds. Fenty's father is black, while his mother is white.

"Today an era of struggle ends for thousands of D.C. residents," he said. "Our city is taking a leap forward."

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Link: http://voices.washingtonpost.com/dc/2009/12/fenty_signs_gay_marriage_bill.html
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Congratulations, residents of Washington, DC!

:bounce: :woohoo: :applause: :hi:

[GodlessBiker]

1. Thank you, Mayor Fenty!

[Veruca Salt]

2. k&r!

[dgibby]

3. Great news!

Do you think it will get past Congress? I understand they have to approve it or am I mistaken?:shrug:

[racaulk]

4. I don't think Congress has to approve it, per se.

Congress has a 30-day period from the Mayor's signature date to review the bill and reject it if they choose. If they do nothing, the bill will become law after that period expires. There is not a vote of Congress to approve the measure, it just becomes law through their inaction. I could be wrong, but that's my understanding of the process.

On this bill, there does not appear to be a desire by Congress to override the measure. Other than some posturing by Rep. Chaffetz (R-UT), everything I've read says that this bill is expected to get through Congress intact and become law. But keep your fingers crossed, because you know NOM and their allies would love to see this overturned.

:hi:

[dgibby]

5. Thanks.

I knew I'd seen something about Congress, but couldn't remember exactly what. Here's hoping!:bounce: :bounce: :thumbsup: :hi: