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Pelosi: Don't interfere with D.C. on gay marriage
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05/06/09 06:33 AM ET
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Congress should let the District of Columbia pass a gay marriage law if it wants to, without interference.
"I don't think Congress should intervene, any more than we should intervene when New York did something similar," Pelosi said.
The D.C. Council on Tuesday passed a bill to recognize same-sex marriages performed elsewhere. The vote was overwhelming, but it drew heated opposition from Councilman Marion Barry and African- American ministers.
The vote foreshadows a debate over whether to legalize same-sex marriages performed in the city.
Mayor Adrian Fenty (D) has said he will sign the bill recognizing same-sex marriages performed elsewhere. The council's action puts the matter before Congress, which because of its federal control of the District can review the legislation.
At least one Republican member, Rep. Jason Chaffetz of Utah, has said he will try to block the bill. He told The Washington Post, "Some things are worth fighting for, and this is one of them. It's not something I can let go softly into the night. ... I recognize the Democrats are in the majority, but I represent the majority of Americans on this issue."
Eleanor Holmes Norton (D), the District's non-voting delegate in Congress, has said she doesn't think Chaffetz or other lawmakers will be successful in stopping the bill.
"I do not believe that a serious attempt to overturn the council bill will be made or will be successful," Norton said in a statement.
"I don't think Congress should intervene, any more than we should intervene when New York did something similar," Pelosi said.
The vote foreshadows a debate over whether to legalize same-sex marriages performed in the city.
Mayor Adrian Fenty (D) has said he will sign the bill recognizing same-sex marriages performed elsewhere. The council's action puts the matter before Congress, which because of its federal control of the District can review the legislation.
At least one Republican member, Rep. Jason Chaffetz of Utah, has said he will try to block the bill. He told The Washington Post, "Some things are worth fighting for, and this is one of them. It's not something I can let go softly into the night. ... I recognize the Democrats are in the majority, but I represent the majority of Americans on this issue."
Eleanor Holmes Norton (D), the District's non-voting delegate in Congress, has said she doesn't think Chaffetz or other lawmakers will be successful in stopping the bill.
"I do not believe that a serious attempt to overturn the council bill will be made or will be successful," Norton said in a statement.
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