Even With Prop 8 Win, D.C. Could See Marriage Equality Bill

Although it now appears California's Proposition 8 will pass by a slim margin - our sister site LAist reports a 4.2 percent difference in votes - opponents of the measure aren't throwing in the towel yet. A statement on the No On Prop 8 web site says, "we expect that there are more than 3 million and possibly as many as 4 million absentee and provisional ballots yet to be counted." We reported in September that D.C. could see a marriage equality bill early next year; a follow up report indicated it may be as soon as early January. LGBT activists believed at the time that a defeat of Prop 8 would boost D.C.'s chances of passing a same-sex marriage bill. Despite Prop 8 passing, other factors that could give a D.C. bill a fighting chance fell into place last night: the election of Sen. Barack Obama as President, and the expansion of the Democrats' majority in Congress.