Photo by M.V. Jantzen

As we wrote this morning, Monday’s going to be a long day for members of the D.C. Council’s Committee on the Judiciary and Public Safety, as they hear public testimony on the same-sex marriage bill. The committee has since released the list of witnesses for Monday – all 100 of them.

At three minutes a pop, we’re looking at five hours of public testimony, starting at 3:30 p.m. Factor in a few breaks here and there, certainly a few people taking liberties with time, and we’re guessing no one’s going home until at least 11 p.m. But that’s not all: the following Monday, Nov. 2, has another 168 people registered to testify.

Looking at the witness lineup for this Monday’s hearing, it should be good early on. Bob Summersgill and Rick Rosendall, two local gay rights activists, open up the proceedings. Bob King, the Ward 5 ANC commissioner who has been part of the push for a referendum goes 7th, followed by Kathryn Pearson-West, a resident who has strongly sided with the pro-referendum forces in repeated postings to local online newsletters. Our favorite, Bishop Harry Jackson, will speak 14th, while influential gay Ward 8 activist Phil Pannell goes in the #45 slot. As for organizational showing, the Human Rights Campaign is flexing some muscle with six of the 100 testimonies.

Council member Phil Mendelson’s (D-At Large) office stressed that the order of speakers was determined by who signed up first, and it shows. The majority of the first 100 speakers have organizational affiliations, while the majority of the remaining 168 that will appear on Nov. 2 are simply listed as “Public Witness.” The first 20 or so speakers have generally been most involved in the debate so far, and they jumped on the opportunity to offer testimony.