House Takes Up Bill to To Overturn DC Council On Gay Marriage

Two weeks ago the D.C. Council voted 12 to 1 to recognize gay marriages gay marriages lawfully performed elsewhere (it does not allow gay marriages to be performed in the district). Yesterday, a bipartisan group of congressmen introduced a bill to define marriage in the nation's capital as "the union of one man and one woman."

The lead sponsors of the D.C. Defense of Marriage Act are Reps. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) and Dan Boren (D-Okla.). The bill has a total of 30 sponsors from both parties.

"The ideal institution for raising children is family; it is moms and dads," said Jordan yesterday at a Capitol Hill rally, where he was flanked by clergy members and other supporters. "We saw what happened in Iowa. We saw what happened in New Hampshire. And when the D.C. Council did this, this is the national city, this is the national capital of the greatest country in the world, and this is a fight worth getting into, defending that key institution."

If Congress fails to take action by July 6, the D.C. Council resolution becomes law in the district.

From a purely partisan perspective, this will put enormous pressure on the President and Congressional Democrats to make good on their promises about gay marriage. Lefty gays are already pissed that Obama is not moving on his promise to end Don't Ask, Don't Tell. This may be wildly optimistic, but it might be possible to peel some more gays out of the Democratic coallition (27% of gays voted for McCain/Palin).

posted by Gabriel Malor at 10:42 AM

| Access Comments