I only made it through watching about 3 1/2 hours of Monday’s D.C. Council hearing on the same-sex marriage bill before I had to call it a night, and the majority of speakers I heard supported the legislation. Gay, straight, and religious leaders alike came forward to share moving personal stories about what it would mean for the longtime committed same-sex couples in their lives to finally be able to marry. But there were plenty of opponents among those who testified as well. Many cited their anger that the bill’s passage appeared to be a foregone conclusion, since it already has enough co-signers to clear the full Council. Others referenced deeply held religious beliefs that marriage can only be between one man and one woman. The tone of the evening ranged from reasoned discourse to tears to outright shouting.

There’s still another 168 speakers set to appear next week, but Metro Weekly offers a pretty good candidate for the most outrageous speaker of the hearing so far. Ernestine Copeland (or possibly Copelander) just happened to be the last individual to offer public testimony on Monday, sitting down to the microphone a little before 11 p.m. Among the highlights of her statement: calling Ward 6 Council member Tommy Wells (D) a “demon,” and suggesting that not even dogs should be allowed to consort with other dogs of the same gender. Video of her testimony, courtesy Metro Weekly, is below.