CONTACT: Tara DiJulio, 202-224-5444, Washington DC 20510
For Release FEBRUARY 2, 2010
BENNETT DEFENDS TRADITIONAL MARRIAGE IN NATION'S CAPITAL
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Bob Bennett (R-Utah) introduced legislation today that would guarantee residents of Washington, D.C. the right to vote and decide whether same-sex marriage licenses should be issued in the nation's capital rather than allowing the decision to be made by the D.C. city council.
"The definition of marriage affects every person, and should be debated openly, lawfully, and democratically," said Bennett. "The board's decision to deny the people of Washington, D.C. a vote was incorrect and reminiscent of the judicial activism that has imposed gay marriage by fiat and stimulated such discord in other venues. Congress should act to ensure that the question is settled by a democratic ballot initiative process."
The District of Columbia Referendum on Marriage Act would ban Washington, D.C. from issuing same-sex marriage licenses until district residents are given the opportunity to vote on the matter in a ballot or referendum.
In December 2009, the Washington, D.C. city council passed a bill to legalize same-sex marriage in D.C. The mayor is expected to sign the bill. Unless Congress intervenes, the district will begin issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples in March 2010.
The city council was able to take this action only because efforts to define marriage by ballot initiative had been thwarted by the unelected District of Columbia Board of Elections. The board adopted, and the D.C. Superior Court upheld, an activist interpretation of the D.C. Human Rights Law to declare that a ballot initiative defining marriage as between a man and a woman was unlawful discrimination.
Bennett's bill is cosponsored by Senator Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), Sen. David Vitter (R-La.), Sen. Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.), Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Kan.), Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), and Sen. Pat Roberts (R-Kan.).
Congressman Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) introduced similar legislation in the United States House of Representatives earlier this year.
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14 Comments
Great news!
I hope more supporters will catch on. It seems like every state could put an ethics law in place and over ride natural marriage.
The Mormons are again taking the lead on this, we should support their efforts. They are also are widely recognized for their historically successful homosexuality treatment programs.
Please tell us the bill number. The folks in my Senators' offices get really cranky when you make them look stuff up, like trying to find a bill. They love it when I can tell them the bill number I want the
Senator to support.
Exactly how is allowing Gay couples the exact same legal benefits and responsibilities that Straight couples have always taken for granted going to affect 'traditional marriage?" Marriage equality for Gay couples will have precisely ZERO impact on anyone's life, marriage, church, and children. Churches will never be forced to marry Gay couples, any more than they are forced to marry non-Christian couples. Public schools will not be forced to “teach” about Gay marriage, any more than they are forced to teach about Straight marriage.
Instead, Bob Bennett should ask himself why law-abiding, taxpaying Gay Americans should be forced to subsidize all the legal benefits and responsibilities that Straight couples enjoy, when we are unable to take advantage of those same incentives to marry? And since when do Straight voters get to decide that the rights that they enjoy DO NOT apply to Gays?
It's about time people in the nation's capital were allowed to go through the democratic process. Anything that affects society on such a large scale that cannot be voted on to decide if it's moral or not is definitely a threat to our system of government.
Chuck Anziulewicz, the blogpost is about the DC attempt to impose SSM against the wishes of the people of DC.
Got anything of substance to say on that particular topic?
Cleary the homosexual agenda aims to destroy religious freedoms, and democracy by ignoring the will of the people to govern. The 1st amendment is under attack by radical homosexuals, we must protect our first amendment constitutional guarantees before its too late. Support NOM, protect marriage and save our children.
We must let voters decide in DC. Also a bill was suppressed in Maryland that keep gay marriages in other states legitimate in Maryland.
We need a email campaign for Maryland.
I meant would stop Gay Marriages from other states.
The 14th Amendment guarantees all citizens, even gay ones, of equal protection.
And yet SSMers want gayness to be the trump card for special treatment among the nonmarriage category of relationships and arrangements.
What makes the gay type of relationship more worthy of special treatment than, say, the non-gay mom-daughter relationship or the non-gay polygamous relationship? The hardline SSMer can not differentiate SSM from nonmarriage but the emphasis on gayness is all he really has to offer.
Protection equality among the nonmarriage catetegory means no favoritism for the gay identity group.
Showing special treatment for gayness is unconstitutional.
No one is stopping gays from getting married. They can show up and get license to marry. What that law does NOT provide for, is special treatment or exceptions for sexual addictions.
Okay, if no one else will, I will. Here's the information about the bill. Call your Senator and till him or her to support this bill . . . Do this NOW, before this reprehensible gay marriage law is allowed to go into effect because of Congress' inaction!
S.2980 : A bill to protect the democratic process and the right of the people of the District of Columbia to define marriage.
Sponsor: Sen Bennett, Robert F. [UT] (introduced 2/2/2010) Cosponsors (8)
Committees: Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs