Last night’s rally was cool. The turnout was huge, spilling onto the streets around the HRC building. There was a long roster of speakers (perhaps more than I’d expected), but I thought the most memorable was 13-year-old Jake, a boy with two mothers, whose speech about his family was simple and moving. Proponents of the marriage amendment keep saying how marriage is about family and children. Well, that’s a family right there, just one of hundreds of thousands of gay families that deserve the right of recognition. (By the way, is it just us, or did the rally get no media coverage at all?)
In other news, D.C. mayor Anthony Williams has asked the corporation counsel to weigh in on whether the District should legally recognize same-sex marriages performed elsewhere. Nota bene: the current corporation counsel, Robert Spagnoletti, is gay, with a domestic partner and adopted child. Interesting.
On the Hill yesterday a Senate Judiciary subcommittee held an initial hearing on the amendment and related issues. Transcripts of the testimony and statements are up on the web.
Finally on a nonpolitical note (in this town we all need a break from politics sometime), there will be a Gay Life and Wedding Expo on Sunday, Apr. 4. Sounds like fun.
3 replies on “Marriage buzz around town”
Yes, hardly any media coverage. And again I think it has to do where it was held. I guess the HRC just wanted to find a way to promote their new office location.
I think having it in front of the White House, or the Capitol Building, or even on the Capitol Mall would have not only been better but also gotten more media coverage.
rally ’round the fag, or jake has two mommies
Jeff already has reported on our outing to the HRC-organized rally for gay marriage last night, about which our impressions…
The witness list for the hearing presents an fascinating insight into the direction thereof: in particular, two religious, and a representative of the NAACP. Why clergy should be present is a mystery, given the separation of church and state, and the only reason I can think of to include the NAACP is that judicial activism has been a significant force for civil rights change in the U.S. over the years, and thus such a witness might be inclined towards favoring activist judges.