For all those of you who were not present at last night’s D.C. City Council hearing on the ‘Religious Freedom and Civil Marriage Equality bill” or for those of you who have not yet caught up on what took place last night, you’ll have a second chance to be in on this historic moment!

As you can see this was a very packed house for the first of two hearings on the marriage equality bill.

Council Member Mendelson has extended the remaining 169 testimony speakers over to a second hearing session on Monday, November 2nd.  A very great amount of the 100 testimonials last night were very supportive of marriage equality! 

Check our calendar page for more info on the second hearing.

For a play-by-play run-down of last night’s hearing, visit Michael Crawford’s Twitter feed at www.twitter.com/dmcrawford.  You can also find information on the City Council web site (including live feeds and video clips).

Also up this week is a faith community celebration of marriage equality–”Soulful Voices”–taking place this Thursday night at Asbury United Methodist Church! See the calendar page for more info.

Hello friends,
 
We are drawing close to the October 22, 20009 deadline to sign up to testify on” Bill 18-482, Religious Freedom and Civil Marriage Equality Amendment Act of 2009.”
 
We are poised to change the World with the passage of this legislation in the District!
Yet are work is still cut out for us and we must be vigilant in our efforts to make sure that Marriage Equality becomes a matter of law here in our Nations capital.
 
Please sign up now to testify before the COMMITTEE ON PUBLIC SAFETY AND JUDICIARY on October 26, 2009. 
 
Below is text from a flyer that has all the information needed to participate in this action. Please make sure to get it out to as many people as possible.
 
THOSE WHO WISH TO TESTIFY:
Contact legislative Clerk Ms. Deborah Kelly by phone at 202-724-7808, by fax at 202-724-6664 or by e-mail at dkelly@dccouncil.us. Be sure to provide your name, telephone number, organizational affiliation and title (if any) by close of business thursday, Oct. 22, 2009. The Committee will testify continue this hearing at a later date if the number of witnesses exceeds what can be reasonably accommodated in a single day.
Persons wishing to testify are encouraged but not required to submit 15 copies of written testimony by Nov. 9. if submitted by the close of business on Thursday, Oct. 22, 2009, the testimony will be distributed to councilmembers before the hearing.

Council of the District of Columbia

Committee on Public Safety and the Judiciary

Notice of Public Hearing

1350 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W.,

Washington, D.C. 20004

COUNCILMEMBER PHIL MENDELSON, CHAIRPERSON COMMITTEE ON PUBLIC SAFETY AND THE JUDICIARY ANNOUNCES A PUBLIC HEARING

on Bill 18-482, Religious Freedom and Civil Marriage Equality Amendment Act of 2009 on

Monday, October 26, 2009 3:30 p.m.

5th Floor Council Chambers

John A. Wilson Building

1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.

Washington, D.C. 20004

Councilmember Phil Mendelson, Chairperson of the Committee on Public Safety and the Judiciary, announces a public hearing on Bill 18-482, the Religious Freedom and Civil Marriage Equality Amendment Act of 2009. The public hearing will be held at 3:30 p.m. on October 26, 2009 in the 5th Floor Council Chambers of the John A. Wilson Building.

The stated purpose of Bill 18-482 is to amend the law to permit same-sex couples to marry in the District of Columbia; to ensure that no priest, minister, imam, or rabbi of any religious denomination and no official of any non-profit religious organization authorized to solemnize marriages shall be required to celebrate any marriage if doing so violates his or her right to the free exercise of religion; to protect religious freedom with respect to doctrine and public accommodations; and to amend the Health Care Benefits Expansion Act of 1992 to discontinue the registration of new domestic partnerships after January 1, 2011 and to allow any existing domestic partners to either continue their domestic partnership or convert their domestic partnership into a marriage without paying an additional fee.

Those who wish to testify should contact Ms. Deborah Kelly, Legislative Clerk, at (202) 724-7808, by fax at (202) 724-6664, or via e-mail at dkelly@dccouncil.us, and provide their name, address, telephone number, organizational affiliation and title (if any) by close of business Thursday, October 22, 2009. Persons wishing to testify are encouraged, but not required, to submit 15 copies of written testimony. If submitted by the close of business on Thursday, October 22, 2009 the testimony will be distributed to Councilmembers before the hearing. As it is anticipated that a large number of witnesses will testify, witnesses will be limited to three minutes of testimony. The Committee will continue this hearing at a later date if the number of witnesses exceeds what can be reasonably accommodated in a single day.

If you are unable to testify at the hearing, written statements are encouraged and will be made a part of the official record. Copies of written statements should be submitted either to Ms. Kelly, or to Ms. Cynthia Brock-Smith, Secretary to the Council, Room 5 of the Wilson Building, 1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20004. The record will close at 5:00 p.m. on Monday, November 9, 2009.

Come Show Your Support for Marriage Equality in D.C.!

Several marriage equality supporters sit in the DC Council chambers ready to hear testimony regarding the marriage recognition legislation passed earlier this year.

The “Religious Freedom and Civil Marriage Equality Amendment Act of 2009” will be introduced next Tuesday, October 6, 2009 at the D.C. Council’s Legislative Meeting. You are encouraged to come show your support for this important legislation! The meeting will begin at 10:00 a.m. in the Council Chamber, located on the fifth floor of the John A. Wilson Building (1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW).

The introduction of legislation generally occurs within the first hour of the meeting. If you plan to attend, please arrive early (prior to 9:30 a.m.) to secure a seat. Seating in the chamber is limited and seats are taken on a first-come, first-served basis. Finally, please keep in mind that audible demonstrations of any kind are prohibited in the Council Chambers. Please respect this rule of decorum.

With the proclamation “Our Time Is Now!,” leading activists from the District’s gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered community will hold a convocation at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 30 that will serve as a “call to action” for marriage equality in the District of Columbia.

At the convocation, the leaders will outline the next steps in the campaign for marriage equality and how residents can make that a reality in the nation’s capital. D.C. Council member David Catania will discuss marriage equality legislation at the event.

The convocation will be held at the True Reformer Building, 1200 U Street NW. The activists organizing this event are Carlene Cheatam, Philip Pannell, Jasper Hendricks, Jeffrey Richardson, Monique Ellison and Nick McCoy. Organizations in the host committee are The Gertrude Stein Democratic Club, The D.C. Coalition, Log Cabin Republicans, Gay and Lesbian Activists Alliance, Jamoor Entertainment, The Campaign for All D.C. Families, Gay District, D.C. for Marriage and the National Black Justice Coalition.

CALL FOR ACTION CONVOCATION FOR MARRIAGE EQUALITY

• When: Wednesday, Sept. 30, 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
• Where: True Reformer Building, 1200 U Street NW, Washington, D.C.
• Contact: Nick McCoy, nowtherealmccoy@gmail.com
       Monique Ellison, monique_ellison@earthlink.net
• Transit accessibility:
                    Metrorail: Green or Yellow lines to U-St/Cardozo station
                    MetroBus: routes 52, 54, 63, 64, 71, 72, 90, 92, 94, 96, 98
• Special Needs: please contact us if you are in need of an accomodation due to a disability.