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Friends,
Marc Fisher’s April 12 column in The Washington Post, titled
“Opinions Vary on Same-Sex Marriage in D.C.”
may have given a mistaken impression of
GLAA's position. GLAA strongly supports marriage equality; indeed, we have been
among its leading local advocates in D.C. for many years. This is shown by our
leadership ranging from basic legal research into the DC Code to tracking of
candidate positions on marriage equality over many election cycles. My reference
to 10 to 15 years was an estimate of the time it will take to achieve marriage
equality nationwide, not a
suggestion that D.C. should wait that long before pressing ahead.
Prior to the D.C. Council's April 7 vote
on recognition of same-sex marriages from other jurisdictions, GLAA conveyed
our support for the measure in consultations with Councilmember Phil Mendelson,
as the logical next step in our collective efforts toward the goal of full
marriage equality.
GLAA believes that D.C. should pursue
marriage equality legislation as soon as discussions among our allies suggest it
has a reasonable chance of being sustained, given Congress' history of interference
in D.C. self-rule. The sustainability standard is one that we first heard
articulated by Councilmember David Catania.
Fisher quotes Councilmember Catania as
saying that Congress "never actually reversed a law in the history of home
rule," which is untrue (perhaps it was another inaccurate quote). Congress
in 1981 overturned the D.C. Sexual Assault Reform Act, which included the
city’s first attempt to repeal its old anti-sodomy law. (I have been
around that long, and remember it vividly.) It should be noted that the
legislative veto is harder to accomplish now, because the court ruled in INS v. Chadha, 462 U.S. 919 (1983),
that the unicameral veto was inconsistent with the bicameralism principle and
the Presentment Clause of the U.S. Constitution. Congresswoman Norton once told
us there were two earlier disapproval actions as well. There was also the
Armstrong Amendment, the Control Board in the 1990s stripping the Mayor of all
authority other than Parks and Recreation, and (going much further back) the
stripping away of home rule under Boss Shepard. That shameful history of
congressional interference should not be forgotten, even as we continue to
press our rights.
We look forward to continuing to work with
the Council, the Mayor, Congresswoman Norton, and our other allies to advance
the rights of all our families.
Best,
Rick Rosendall
Vice President for Political Affairs
Gay and Lesbian Activists
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