An ombudsman has strongly defended a photo of a same-sex couple kissing that accompanied a Washington Post front page story about marriage equality.  Dozens of subscribers complained about the picture, with some using anti-gay rhetoric to make their points.  But Post ombudsman Andrew Alexander said the paper was right to publish the photo where it did:

News photos capture reality. And the prominent display reflects the historic significance of what was occurring. The recent D.C. Council decision to approve same-sex marriage was the culmination of a decades-long gay rights fight for equality. Same-sex marriage is now legal in the District. The photo of Ames and Ariga kissing simply showed joy that would be exhibited by any couple planning to wed – especially a couple who previously had been denied the legal right to marry.

There was a time, after court-ordered integration, when readers complained about front-page photos of blacks mixing with whites. Today, photo images of same-sex couples capture the same reality of societal change.

Photo:  Bill O’Leary/The Washington Post

Same-sex couples won the right to marry in the nation’s capital Tuesday when the District of Columbia City Council voted 11-2 to pass a measure sponsored by openly gay council member David Catania.  Congress has 30 days to review the law before it takes effect, but Congressional leaders have already agreed not to block the law’s adoption.

Chuck Wolfe, president and CEO of the Victory Fund, congratulated Catania on the victory:  ”There are many people to thank today, but this community owes a special debt of gratitude to Councilman  Catania.  He has served the city with distinction for years, and he has never hidden who he is.  Openly LGBT elected officials are doing tremendous things all across America, and today’s vote in D.C. is another testament to their effectiveness as leaders in the fight for true equality.”

NBC Washington reports on the results of the vote:

As expected, the D.C. Council voted 11-2 in favor of same-sex marriage in the District Tuesday afternoon. It was the second of two required votes on the bill.

Mayor Adrian Fenty has said he will sign the bill.

The historic vote is of particular importance because it puts the same-sex marriage issue in front of Congress. Same-sex marriages would begin in the city as soon as the bill passes a period of Congressional review. Congress is not expected to alter the law.

The Washington Post reports that today the Washington, D.C. city council will vote on the final approval of a bill recognizing marriage equality inside the district.  There is little resistance expected, following the 11-2 preliminary victory on the first of December.

The Post quoted out councilmember David Catania, who is the chief sponsor of the bill, about what this victory means for marriage in DC:

“We are on the verge of history,” council member David A. Catania (I-At Large), the lead sponsor of the bill, told about 350 same-sex marriage supporters at a pre-vote rally Monday night in Shaw. “For the world to see gays and lesbian couples equal to straight couples in the nation’s capital, that is an important message.”

For those who need to see it before they believe it, item V.1. on today’s council agenda.

Having garnered 10 co-sponsors, the Washington, D.C. marriage equality bill added one more supporter in a vote Tuesday, passing the first of two necessary votes 11-2. The District of Columbia City Council’s preliminary marriage equality vote constitutes the greatest consensus ever to occur in favor of marriage equality.  Marriage equality bills passed in New England typically did so with the slimmest of margins and tremendous controversy.

The vote was also a major victory for out councilmember David Catania, who wrote and sponsored the legislation.  At public hearings where hundreds of supporters and opponents lined up to be heard, including representatives from anti-gay groups such as the National Organization for Marriage, Catania often stepped up to correct anti-gay advocates when they needed to be corrected.

The Associated Press picked up the story immediately:

WASHINGTON — In the first of two votes on allowing same-sex marriage in the nation’s capital, the District of Columbia City Council has passed the bill 11 to 2.

The D.C. Council voted for the first time Tuesday. The bill has been expected to pass, as 10 of the 13 council members co-sponsored its introduction. A second, final vote is expected for later in the month, and D.C.’s mayor has promised to sign the bill.

Marriages would begin in the city as soon as the bill passes a period of Congressional review. Congress likely will not alter the law.

At a rally with about 300 supporters last night, openly gay D.C. City Councilmember David Catania revealed a bill to establish marriage equality in the District.  Catania, and nine other councilmembers who have signed on as co-sponsors, will introduce the bill at an October 6 meeting of the council, the Washington Blade reports:

Catania told the gathering he and the majority of his Council colleagues believe the time is right for moving a same-sex marriage bill through the Council now, even though opponents have vowed to call on Congress to step in to kill the legislation. … He said nine of his Council colleagues would join him at the Council’s Oct. 6 meeting to jointly introduce the legislation, the Religious Freedom and Civil Marriage Equality Amendment Act of 2009.

Fellow sponsor Councilmember Phil Mendelson had a few words of caution for the gathered crowd, stating that “We pretty much know what the Council is going to do. That’s the first decision maker. The second decision maker is the people.”  Without popular support for the bill, opponents may pressure the U.S. Congress to block implementation of the law.