Same-sex couples may soon be able to wed in the District of Columbia thanks to today’s 11-2 vote by the D.C. Council.
“NOW commends the D.C. Council for acknowledging that the LGBT people of this city have a fundamental right to marry,” said NOW President Terry O’Neill. “Same-sex couples should not be denied the protections and benefits that opposite-sex couples have always enjoyed.”
Mayor Adrian Fenty has promised to sign the bill; however, because Congress has jurisdiction over the governance of our nation’s capital, same-sex marriage will not become legal in D.C. until it survives a 30-day congressional review period. NOW will monitor this process and is prepared to activate its grassroots if an attempt to overrule the Council gains any traction in Congress.
“Discrimination against same-sex couples is coming to an end in this country,” said O’Neill. “We have made great strides in the past decade, and NOW pledges to continue working until equal marriage is the law of the land.”
###