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Pelosi: Hands Off DC's Gay Marriage Law
Tells Lawmakers Not to Interfere With The District
By JOE MURRAY, The Bulletin
The battle over gay marriage is taking new twists and turns as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is saying Congress should not to interfere with the District of Columbia’s decision to legalize gay marriage.
“I don’t think Congress should intervene, any more than we should intervene when New York did something similar,” Mrs. Pelosi said.
With Iowa, Vermont and Maine legalizing gay marriage, and the New Hampshire legislature following suit, opponents of such unions are trying to find ways to turn the tide in the debate and are hoping the District can be ground zero.
Though the District’s mayor, Adrian Fenty, has not signed the bill legalizing gay marriage, he is expected to. The decision has sparked debate on Capitol Hill.
Because of the District’s origins, lawmakers are able to interfere with the policy decision of Washington, D.C.’s elected officials. And, despite the significant Democratic majority in Congress, one Republican lawmaker is already sending signals he intends to oppose the District’s gay marriage law.
“Some things are worth fighting for, and this is one of them,” said U.S. Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah. Mr. Chaffetz is the ranking Republican on a House Oversight and Government Reform subcommittee that oversees the District.
“It’s not something I can let go softly into the night.... I recognize the Democrats are in the majority, but I represent the majority of Americans on this issue.”
Mr. Chaffetz, a Mormon, is taking heat for his announcement. Many gay rights activists point out the Mormon church has been influential in opposing gay marriage and note the church was a key player in California’s decision to repeal gay marriage.
But despite Mr. Chaffetz’s comment, the District’s sole non-voting Representative believes efforts to thwart the gay marriage law will be unsuccessful.
“I do not believe that a serious attempt to overturn the council bill will be made or will be successful,” Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton, D-D.C., said in a statement.
The District’s decision to wade into the gay marriage waters has caused both gay rights and pro-family supporters to weigh in on the issue.
“This legislation will strengthen families in Washington, D.C. by making clear that same-sex couples married in other jurisdictions are entitled to equal respect and dignity under the law,” said Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese.
“The District of Columbia Council has determined that it makes sense, and is simply the right thing to do, to recognize marriages by same-sex couples legally entered into outside the District,” he said.
Conservatives had a more dire take on the development in the District and now Maine.
“Is the dismantling of the family the kind of ‘change’ the Democratic Party stands for? It is insane to redefine the meaning of marriage,” said Mat Staver, founder of Liberty Counsel.
“There are social, moral, political and spiritual consequences when you establish a policy that says children do not need moms and dads. Same-sex marriage creates a motherless and fatherless social policy.”
Joe Murray can be reached at jmurray@thebulletin.us
“I don’t think Congress should intervene, any more than we should intervene when New York did something similar,” Mrs. Pelosi said.
With Iowa, Vermont and Maine legalizing gay marriage, and the New Hampshire legislature following suit, opponents of such unions are trying to find ways to turn the tide in the debate and are hoping the District can be ground zero.
Though the District’s mayor, Adrian Fenty, has not signed the bill legalizing gay marriage, he is expected to. The decision has sparked debate on Capitol Hill.
Because of the District’s origins, lawmakers are able to interfere with the policy decision of Washington, D.C.’s elected officials. And, despite the significant Democratic majority in Congress, one Republican lawmaker is already sending signals he intends to oppose the District’s gay marriage law.
“Some things are worth fighting for, and this is one of them,” said U.S. Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah. Mr. Chaffetz is the ranking Republican on a House Oversight and Government Reform subcommittee that oversees the District.
“It’s not something I can let go softly into the night.... I recognize the Democrats are in the majority, but I represent the majority of Americans on this issue.”
Mr. Chaffetz, a Mormon, is taking heat for his announcement. Many gay rights activists point out the Mormon church has been influential in opposing gay marriage and note the church was a key player in California’s decision to repeal gay marriage.
But despite Mr. Chaffetz’s comment, the District’s sole non-voting Representative believes efforts to thwart the gay marriage law will be unsuccessful.
“I do not believe that a serious attempt to overturn the council bill will be made or will be successful,” Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton, D-D.C., said in a statement.
The District’s decision to wade into the gay marriage waters has caused both gay rights and pro-family supporters to weigh in on the issue.
“This legislation will strengthen families in Washington, D.C. by making clear that same-sex couples married in other jurisdictions are entitled to equal respect and dignity under the law,” said Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese.
“The District of Columbia Council has determined that it makes sense, and is simply the right thing to do, to recognize marriages by same-sex couples legally entered into outside the District,” he said.
Conservatives had a more dire take on the development in the District and now Maine.
“Is the dismantling of the family the kind of ‘change’ the Democratic Party stands for? It is insane to redefine the meaning of marriage,” said Mat Staver, founder of Liberty Counsel.
“There are social, moral, political and spiritual consequences when you establish a policy that says children do not need moms and dads. Same-sex marriage creates a motherless and fatherless social policy.”
Joe Murray can be reached at jmurray@thebulletin.us
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