The D.C. Council voted unanimously Tuesday to honor same-sex marriages performed in other states - a decision some AU students have vocally supported.
Lawmakers expect the proposal to go to Congress for a final vote on May 5, according to The Washington Post. Tuesday's vote was the first step in a larger battle to legalize gay marriage in the District - an issue that the council expects to consider soon.
D.C. already grants domestic partner rights for insurance benefits, hospital visits and other purposes, Council Chairman Vincent Gray said in a press release Tuesday.
"However, the unanimous, affirmative vote today sends a clear signal that the council is prepared to stand up for the human rights of all D.C. residents no matter what their sexual orientation," Gray said in the release.
The council's decision sends the message that they value all relationships, AU Queers and Allies President John Marzabadi said. This could help further the cause for legalizing gay marriage, especially because it was a unanimous vote, he said.
"The decision is a step in the right direction," Marzabadi said.
While it is too soon to tell what effect the proposal will have on the AU community, it could have a noticeable effect on school policy, he said. AU is currently one of the few universities that provides domestic partner benefits for same sex couples, and a congressional decision to honor same-sex marriages in D.C. could influence the type of benefits same-sex couples see, he said.
On a larger scale, the proposal will send a message to Congress and open up debate on the same-sex marriage act, Marzabadi said.
"I think we could definitely see in 2009 at least three or four other states legislating or mandating same sex marriage," he said. "And that's just the states that we know of that have pending legislation."
Sam Schmidt, a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences, said he felt it is just a matter of time before gay marriage will become widely legalized.
"After a while the government is not going to be able to restrict a select group of people's rights," he said. "It just won't outlast the movement."
Madison Major, a sophomore in the School of Public Affairs, said she hopes the proposition is the first step toward same-sex marriage.
"I don't know about [the] near future, but yeah, I'm optimistic," she said.
While D.C. is a fairly liberal city, the real issue is getting the proposal past Congress because D.C. has federal oversight in all internal matters, according to Marzabadi.
"I think right now that's kind of a 50-50 situation," he said.
Queers and Allies does not have an official position on council's vote, Marzabadi said.
"But we are in favor of marriage equality, to put it lightly," he said.
You can reach this staff writer at mkendall@theeagleonline.com.
