A proposed ballot initiative for the District of Columbia that would have restricted civil marriage to a union of a man and a woman cannot cannot appear on the ballot, the DC Board of Elections and Ethics ruled Tuesday.
The initiative was offered by anti-gay activists, including some local preachers, as a pre-emptive strike against a marriage equality law that is expected to be approved by the city council next month.
As the board did in June when it struck down a similar proposed ballot initiative, it ruled yesterday that the measure would have violated the DC Human Rights Act, Washington Post reports.
In its 13-page decision the board reasoned that if the measure passed it would have stripped rights currently recognized for some DC citizens. Because of a law passed earlier this year, DC recognizes marriages granted to gay and lesbian couples by other states or countries.
Public vote on DC same-sex marriage would violate rights law, says board [contd.]
“The proposed initiative seeks to prohibit the District from continuing to recognize these same-sex marriages,” the opinion states. “If passed, the initiative would, in contravention of the (Human Rights Act), strip same-sex couples of the rights and responsibilities of marriages currently recognized.”
In June, the elections and ethics board struck down a previous proposal put forward by the same anti-gay activists that would have stuck down the law recognizing civil marriages from outside jurisdictions.
City council member David A. Catania said today's ruling shows that the city's Human Rights Act is “one of the most comprehensive statements on equality in the world.”
In a statement, Catania, who is the lead sponsor of the district’s marriage equality law, said, “I am pleased that the board of rejected this effort as an impermissible trespass on the human rights of District residents.”
Source: No public vote for same-sex marriage - D.C. Wire -
Last modified: 17 Nov 09 09:09
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