Harry ‘Tommy’ Thomas, Jr.

During the debate that preceded yesterday’s same-sex marriage vote, few D.C. Council members had to worry about the political implications of their decision. But one undeniably did, and voted for the legislation anyway — Ward 5’s Harry “Tommy” Thomas, Jr. (D).

While a majority of the Council lined up behind the bill early on, Thomas was harder to pin down. As the issue heated up in May – the month the Ward 5 Democratic Committee voted to oppose same-sex marriage legislation — Thomas at first said he would probably vote for such a bill before quickly sending a spokesperson out to say that he hadn’t yet made up his mind. (Ward 7’s Yvette Alexander (D) and Ward 8’s Marion Barry (D) declined to commit to the legislation from the get-go.)

As the summer progressed, activism and advocacy in Ward 5 leaned toward opposition to same-sex marriage. In August, ANC 5A12 Commissioner Bob King spearheaded the effort to put the issue on the ballot, and ANC 5A07 Commissioner Carolyn Steptoe and former ANC Commissioner and D.C. State School Board candidate Robert Vinson Brannum also joined the public vote chorus. Needless to say, Thomas was facing pressure from both well-organized neighborhood activists and the same ministers who represent the major opposition to the bill. CORRECTION: Robert Vinson Brannum testified in favor of same-sex marriage legislation. Mea culpa.

It wasn’t until October that Thomas indicated he would vote for the legislation, bringing the tally of supporters to 11.

Thomas gave a surprisingly impassioned speech on the dais Tuesday, in which he described the balance he sought to strike between local political considerations and his fundamental opposition to discrimination. “I represent a ward that is torn down the middle on this issue,” he said. “But as a legislator, I cannot allow my personal…or religious life to allow for the disenfranchisement of any individual in the District.”

Given the pressure that he faced, both from within his ward and within the divided African-American community, Thomas’s words and subsequent vote showed bravery and leadership. Where Barry and Alexander chose to represent what they said was overwhelming opposition in their wards to the legislation, Thomas chose to stand up to it. Whether he ends up facing an opponent in the next election who uses this vote against him remains to be seen, but his actions yesterday deserve to be commended.