Mayoral Welcome
Mayor Fenty greets marchers and voices support of marriage bill
D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty (D) not only welcomed National Equality March participants to town on Friday night — he provided a boost to the city’s gay and lesbian residents awaiting marriage equality.
Speaking at Logan Circle’s Halo lounge on Friday evening, Fenty told the upstairs crowd he was “especially pleased” to soon have the opportunity to sign the marriage equality legislation introduced this week by Councilmember David Catania (I-At Large).
“When — not if — it passes the City Council,” Fenty said, “all of us will come together…and sign that bill, and become one of the first cities to make sure that we have full equality and marriage for all of our citizens.”
Fenty highlighted Catania, one of the city’s two gay councilmembers, as the ”true leader of this bill,” though the councilmember preferred to spread responsibility for the legislation’s progess.
“[The mayor] underplays his role,” said Catania during his remarks. “Had he not come out so early and so strongly in support of this, people would have tried to tried to drive a wedge between him and the council.”
Catania stressed his own commitment to making marriage equality the law of the District: “It has to happen here, and it will happen here.”
The Friday evening event was sponsored by the Gertrude Stein Democratic Club, the National Stonewall Democrats, the Stonewall Democrats of Central Maryland, and the Virginia Partisans Gay & Lesbian Democratic Club.
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