While a number of states continue to debate or enact bans on gay marriage, the District, long a progressive-minded town with an active gay population, has steered clear of the debate. Until now, it seems.

A ballot initiative to define marriage as a union between a man and woman is set to be introduced before the D.C. Board of Elections and Ethics, DCist has been told. Lisa Greene, a 40-year-old Republican activist and founder of D.C. Citizens for Marriage, is planning on introducing the initiative — which would require some 19,000 signatures to be placed on the ballot, likely in 2008 — in the coming weeks. Greene has twice attempted to get the initiative to the voters — once last October and most recently on July 31 of this year — though both times she withdrew the necessary paperwork because of filing errors, according to the Washington Blade.

Our favorite Ward 3 candidate, Jonathan Rees, informed us via press release of Greene’s decision, and he pledged his support for the measure, writing:

I support Ms. Greene’s objective, will lend my lobbying and marketing talents to the effort, and I have asked a large group of Latinos who specialize in the distribution of political matters to lend their talents to this effort.

I believe that homosexuality is in direct violation of the teachings of all religions, patently unnatural, an unhealthy life-style both physiologically and psychologically as well as posing a health risk to the non-homosexual populace in general.

Though the District is largely Democratic, its majority African-American population may well endorse such a ban on gay marriage. During the course of the mayoral campaign, few candidates have directly stated their support for gay marriage, opting instead to declare their general support for gay rights and civil unions. If the measure were placed on the ballot and passed, Congress would have to vote in its favor to put it into effect.

Update: Just as a clarification, Rees is not really our “favorite” Ward 3 candidate. We meant that with all due sarcasm.