History Is Made

With all of the hullabaloo about snow, another event has nearly slipped by unnoticed. On Friday, December 19th, Washington D. C. mayor Adrian Fenty signed the Religious Freedom & Civil Marriage Equality Amendment Act of 2009 at the All Souls Unitarian Church. With the bill's Republican author, and D.C. council member-at-large, David Catania standing nearby (2nd on the left with fist raised), D.C. enters the ever expanding pantheon of civilized society in the 21st century by recognizing that marriage is a civil right and not simply a religious commitment. By permitting individual churches and denominations the freedom to opt out of conducting ceremonies, this law really sets the standard for marriage as a civil act, and therefore a right. And that's exactly where it belongs. As long as the government "of, by, and for the people" chooses to confer special privileges and responsibilities upon people who choose to unite in matrimony, there is no place for denying this right of contract based on religious dogma. If you are a citizen, you have full and free right to exercise all aspects of civil commerce and polity. Period.

The Catholic church was particularly vociferous in opposing this moment stating that it would no longer provide services in the District of Columbia if forced to treat all people with equal dignity in matters of civil law. They thought that their bullying would once again force the majority to knuckle under to their minority, archaic world view. When it became clear that they would not prevail, they began singing a different tune: "Oh, we'll work to find common ground. We are all about playing nice...." Bull Shit! They are all about loosing financial advantages that underwrite their bigotry. Hypocracy knows no limits....and in a rare moment in history, neither does justice.