D.C. Council Votes Final Passage of Gay Marriage Bill

Washington, D.C.'s City Council yesterday, by a vote of 11-2, gave final approval to the Religious Freedom and Civil Marriage Equality Amendment Act of 2009. The bill, which permits same-sex marriages to be performed in D.C., now goes to Mayor Adrian A. Fenty, who, according to the Washington Post, is expected to sign the bill before Christmas. Congress then has 30 days to review the legislation and can block it only by a resolution passed by both houses of Congress and signed by the President. It appears unlikely that the law will be rejected through this route. The bill contains protections to assure that clergy can refuse to perform same-sex marriages and that religious organizations can refuse to provide goods, services, accommodations and facilities for same-sex marriages that violate their religious beliefs, except when those facilities are offered to the general public. A number of Christian clergy say they will continue to oppose the legislation. As previously reported, they have filed suit to force an initiative vote on a proposal to define marriages as only between a man and a woman. (See prior related posting.)