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About 150 people gathered at Freedom Plaza for what was called the "Stand Up for Marriage" rally. The plaza is directly in front of the John A. Wilson Building, D.C.'s city hall. (Sommer Mathis)
Ward 8 D.C. Council member and former mayor Marion Barry today said that he opposes a measure that would allow the District of Columbia to recognize same-sex marriages performed in states where they are legal. Barry made his remarks to a crowd of around 150 gathered to protest the legislation in Freedom Plaza this morning.
"We have to say 'no' to same-sex marriage in D.C.," Barry told the crowd, echoing a statement made minutes before by Rev. George Gilbert of the Holy Trinity United Baptist Church in Northeast. Barry was not present at the April 7 Council session where the bill, introduced by At-large Council member Phil Mendelson (D), passed unanimously in a preliminary vote.
"If I had been, I would have voted 'no,'" Barry added. "I am a politician who is moral."
Last year, when he was running for re-election, Barry told the Gertrude Stein Democratic Club that he would vote in favor of gay marriage legislation.
Today's "Stand Up for Marriage" protest was organized by Bishop Harry Jackson, pastor of Hope Christian Church in Beltsville, Md. Several Baptist ministers from both within and outside D.C. came to the microphone to denounce Council action that would extend any form of marriage rights to gays and lesbians in the District.
"It's really interesting that they had to bring people in from outside D.C.," noted Ward 4 resident Sharon McGowan, 35, who sported a pro-LGBT rights T-shirt as she sat quietly on the far edge of the plaza, watching.
Much of the arguments made at the rally were an effort to suggest that the Council was taking action not supported by most D.C. residents. Many people in the crowd said they had been encouraged to attend the rally in church, by their pastors.
"With something as serious as this, the people need to be heard," said Ward 5 resident Leila Franklin, who showed up in support of the rally.
Due to its overwhelming support on the Council, the legislation is expected to pass a final vote, scheduled for May 5, easily. Mayor Fenty also reiterated to the Washington Post today that he disagrees with the pastors.
Openly gay At-large D.C. Council member David Catania (I) has promised to introduce a bill legalizing same-sex marriage in the District later this year.
Ed. note: This story has been updated since it was originally published.
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"I am a politician who is moral."
Good one.
"I am a politician who is moral." - Marion Barry. Now that is the craziest thing I've read all day.
Damn, you all beat me to the punch.
Barry added. "I am a politician who is moral."
Lying makes the baby jeebus cry, Marion.
"I am a politician who is moral."
HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!! Oh, I haven't laughed that hard since I was a school girl... Thank you Mr. Barry
"I am a politician who is moral."
Marion Barry is pure comedy.
We could see the protest from the windows in our office. It looked pathetic when seen from up above. They didn't even fill 1/4 of freedom plaza. If only they had met at the opposite end of the plaza, we could have thrown things at them.
Ha, I just noticed my unintentional joke: "it looked pathetic when seen from up above." Yes, I do believe that from UP up above, God would look down and think the whole things is pretty pathetic too.
If he wasn't just a sad old man…
"I am a politician who is moral."
Good to see our former mayor knows where to draw the line. He's had a lot of experience with them.
(Photo 3 caption)
"Anti-gay marriage?? I thought this was the Teabaggers!"
It's so great to see people from a race that was once oppressed in this country do some oppressing of their own. It makes you feel all kinds of warm & gooey inside. Like chocolate chip cookies filled faux Christian righteousness.
*filled with
He's not oppressing. He's just being a politician.
ha! the second photo has a sign that says "marriage: the definition must not change" held by an african-american man.
someone should tell him if the definition hadn't changed during the civil war, he wouldn't be allowed to marry in huge swaths of this country.
irony off the goddamn charts here today.
24 of the 50 states had still had miscegenation laws on the books in 1961 when our current President was born to a married couple of different races.
So, no, grasping of irony doesn't seem to be a strong suit here at all.
Plus, I'm still waiting for someone to explain to me in detail how letting homos marry and pay more tax than single people threatens someone's heterosexual marriage.
Plus, I'm still waiting for someone to explain to me in detail how letting homos marry and pay more tax than single people threatens someone's heterosexual marriage.
EXACTLY!! And not just hetero marriage, how does it threaten anything or anyone??
That's the funniest part. It's nominally opposed on some vague general principal (some guy who some book says taught love will disapprove and condemn me, you, and of all society to hell), and NOT on some concrete thing (darling, if that bar opens across the street, we won't be able to park on our block or sleep at night).
Absolutely nonsensical.
First of all, everyone knows the gays are all rich. So applying the marriage penalty will force the gays to pay even more in taxes, making the straights feel like they are not contributing their fair share to their community (or to the DC employees' embezzlement fund).
Second, everyone knows the gays all have better taste. That means all the good caterers and venues will be booked, shutting out all the straights who want to marry (although the Ellwood Thompson site may still be available with ample parking). In addition, Pottery Barn and Crate and Barrel will be out of everything for at least a year.
Third, upon seeing how happy the gays are to finally be married after living together for years, the straights will realize that their marriages are empty shells. Straight marriages will break up as the former spouses realize they could have been happier married to one of their own all these years.
Thanks for clearing that up, it's been bugging me for years! And actually I think your third point might be dangerously close to the truth.
Geezus, this is not Barry's day.
http://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/Mayor-for-Life-Drops-800-on-Jacket-for-His-Girlfriend.html
Ooh, I'll add one: "I am a politician who is moral."
Except in the case of cocaine, prostitution, or legal responsibilities (taxes).
Those new kidneys gave him amnesia
Yup. Barry's flip-flops on tough issues are older than that shopworn daishiki of his. I bet those fresh new kidneys of his probably belonged to a Blue Dog Democrat. Too bad they didn't belong to a klansman, because then the irony meter would go suborbital. He'd be ranting about miscegenation, "the mud races," and evolution, all the while fathering out-of-wedlock kids with Thai hookers.
Heh. Marion Barry = Clayton Bigsby
http://www.comedycentral.com/shows/chappelles_show/index.jhtml
ooh, Marion Barry makes me sick.
a) less than a year ago, he supported gay marriage!
http://dcist.com/2008/06/barry_approves_of_samesex_marriage.php . Yeah, some morals he's got. What a disgusting act of political pandering.
b) There are about a million things more harmful to DC than recognizing other states' marriages (political corruption, AIDS, drugs, lack of affordable health care, etc.) Why isn't he organizing people to protest these? Oh yeah, because he's been a corrupt, promiscuous, drug user--and heck, his kidney transplant got paid for, so who cares about the rest of us poor slobs?
c) He's been divorced four times and had goodness knows how many girlfriends. How did he become the damn spokesperson for the sanctity of marriage, when he clearly doesn't believe that himself?
How come every time we get all the stupid people rounded up in one place, they are allowed to get away?
I know. And we missed such a good chance last weekend, when "fans" converged on Radio City Music Hall to boo NFL draftees...
oh, and why wasn't he at the 4/7 council session? His first day back at work after the transplant was 3/11 http://dcist.com/2009/03/marion_barry_back_at_work.php and his court hearing wasn't til 4/16.
Man, I didn't think it was possible for Marion Barry to become more of a joke at this point. Aside from the absurdity of Barry claiming the moral high ground, let's go ahead and finish that sentence:
"I'm a politician who is moral...and that's why I support denying gays and lesbians equal treatment under the law".
Seriously? It sounds like he's back on the pipe!
While I fully support same-sex marriage, why would they marry?
Haven't they suffered enough?
WTOP reported that Barry signed his support for this legislation previously at the same time the rest of the DC city council unanimously did. Today he claimed that it’s, “not his signature” on the document; that it’s a forgery. Whatever, one of these preachers is probably his crack/speed dealer and called in a favor to ole BarryBoy. Marion Barry is piece of shit scumbag; always has been and always will be.
How long do transplanted kidneys last again???
Office B**** set him up!
Office b*tch set him up!
Bears repeating "Marion Barry is piece of shit scumbag"
I think I just threw up in my mouth a little... thanks Marion!
Why does anyone pay attention to this buffoon anymore. He first supported gay marriage and now for the publicity he completely changes his view. Maybe he is back on the crack pipe.
Insert awesome joke about Barry "hitting the pipe" and gay rights here.
Why won't he just.....go......away.....
It's saddening that I have spent pretty much my entire life having to listen/see/read about his never ending antics.
You would think the residents of Ward 8 would have woken up in the past 20 years, yet he still holds power. How f'ing stupid are these people?
Holding a rally to deny the freedom's of a particular group of people at a park called Freedom Plaza :-\
Ironical, don't you think?
Does this guy have anything else to do?
I think he liked gay marriage at the thought of some residential development in 8. Then when the deal fell through, he was against it.
I need PG reverends to stay the fuck out of DC affairs.
Marion Barry - our moral values guy. He is on his third wife and counting. Just got detained for stalking a woman. And has had tax trouble with the law, and was convicted in some kind of cocaine posession issue.
Reminds me of the republican party - party of God. SC Gov Sanford - the christian conservative who went to Argentina to philander. Sen Ensign - admitted (after being threatened with blackmail) that he had a 8 month affair with the wife of a staffer.
As shakespeare said, "methinks they do protest too much" - they make other people their victims, to hide their own criminality.
BTW, it appears that Rev Jackson committed perjury in this affair, and he is not a resident of DC. Another man of God, who perhaps could do the world some good - by ministering to his future fellow inmates in the Big House.