Bitter Aftertaste: DC’s gay marriage opponents plan to use Congress as blockade [video]
”We will fight you in the courts, we will fight you in the Congress. We will not let you win.”
Anthony Evans, preacher of the Mount Zion Baptist Church in the Brightwood neighborhood of Washington, DC, speaking with cameras after yesterday’s historic second and final vote to pass same-sex marriage equality in the District of Columbia. (AP via YouTube)
”Politicians on the city council are acting as if they have the right through legislation to deprive citizens of D.C. of their core civil right to vote, but we will not let them get away with it…. We have one message for David Catania and the rest of these politicians today: this fight is not over. We will go to Congress, we will go to the courts, we will fight for the people’s right to vote and we will win!”
Brian Brown, Director of the National Organization for Marriage, the anti-gay marriage political group that has helped lead the fight against same-sex marriage in every state, including repeals of in both California and Maine. There have been numerous lawsuits against NOM alleging that they continually break campaign finance laws, but lawsuits have long delays and the election cycles featuring marriage battles, so far, have ended long before any legal action could be heard against NOM. The group regularly airs twisted political videos that pit gays against school children. One ballyhooed video featured Carrie Prejean, the infamous Christian beauty queen caught recently caught up in a sex video scandal and dropped from her right-wing speaking engagements. (NOM)
”It’s going to be exceptionally difficult because Democrats have us outnumbered by large amounts. Nevertheless, we’re going to try…. If it were put up for a vote, traditional marriage would win. It would win with a congressional vote, and it would win with the residents of Washington, D.C.”
Jason Chaffetz, US Representative of Utah, saying he will introduce legislation to stop marriage equality for gay men and lesbians from becoming and staying legal. Article I, Section 8 of the US Constitution gives Congress the ability to “exercise exclusive Legislation in all Cases whatsoever, over” the District. (Salt Lake Tribune)
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