Photo by Mr. T in DC

Today the D.C. Board of Elections and Ethics set a hearing date for an initiative proposed by a Ward 8 resident that would limit marriage in the District to heterosexual couples.

The initiative simply reads, “Marriage is the legally recognized union between one man and one woman. No person may enter into a marriage in the District of Columbia with another person unless it is a man and a woman.” The board will hear arguments for and against the initiative on Feb. 16.

This is the second initiative filed so far; there have also been two referenda petitions filed. This initiative was proposed by Joyce Little in late December. This isn’t Little’s first attempt to stop same-sex marriage from becoming legal in the District, either. According to the D.C. Agenda, Little filed a motion in December that would have stopped the D.C. Council from voting on the same-sex marriage legislation. Her motion was turned down. (The motion is here in .PDF format.)

Little, who has identified herself as a Christian who sees homosexuality as an “abomination,” has also argued that same-sex marriage will have a negative impact on the city’s poor.