Gay Marriage Passes in Washington DC
By Michael Bryant on Tuesday, 15th December 2009
The Washington DC City Council took their second and final vote today on gay marriage and passed it with a vote of 11 to 2.
The bill will now move on to Mayor Fenty, who is expected to sign it before Christmas. It will then be subject to a 30 day review period by Congress, although many supporters and gay marriage advocates do not expect them to address the new legislation. To block the newly passed law, both the House and Senate would have to sign a disapproval resolution, which would then have to be backed by President Obama.
The city council chamber was a place of celebration after the vote. Dozens of same-sex marriage supporters rose to their feet and started cheering despite city council rules baring public demonstration.
In response to the vote, Jim Graham, a Democrat and one of the two openly gay members of the city council said “in many ways, this is the final prize.”
Before today’s vote, the city already recognized gay marriages performed in other states through legislation that was also recently passed.
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Tags: Congress, Gay Marriage, Gay Rights, LGBT, Obama Administration, Washington DC
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