Is Prop 8 coming to DC?

Well not exactly....

Friday's Washington Blade details an upcoming community-wide forum to debate whether the City Council should take up a same-sex marriage bill in January. Twelve of DC's 13 city council members and Mayor Adrian Fenty support same-sex marriage. However many, including me, wonder if now is the right time to begin this battle for two reasons.

Reason number 1 - While I believe DC is a progressive city, many thought the same of the state of California. At least for now (until the gentrification keeps pushing us into PG county), 57 percent of the population in DC is black, and several black gay activists believe gay marriage supporters must significantly increase their efforts to reach out to blacks, other minorities, and the historic black churches in the District. While I will not get into the debate of Prop 8 vs the Blacks of California... I will say it is definitely going to have to be an education platform for this bill not to be repealed, since we know it will definitely pass the council.

Reason number 2 - Is specifically Home Rule. As we all know DC is not a state but a District. And although us residents are taxed like any other state we do not have representation in Congress and Congress has the authority to overturn any law the DC Council comes up with. So until DC has legislative autonomy not only will the city have to vote on this but so will Congress.

While it pains me to think that we have to pick our civil right battles, I think the focus of all tax paying DC residents should be on statehood and representation. Getting it through the Council and off Mayor Fenty's desk is only the mere beginning, preventing challenges from some of the population and by Congress will be the issue.

The December 11 community forum on a D.C. same-sex marriage bill is scheduled to be held at 7 p.m. at the Human Rights Campaign’s Equality Center at 1649 Rhode Island Ave., NW and I plan to be there.