Same-sex couples have been exchanging vows all over the District since D.C. first began to issue marriage licenses to gay and lesbian couples on Tuesday—in gardens, in courthouses, in the office of the Human Rights Campaign, and even in Hello Cupcake. And today, a Georgetown establishment is going to be the site of a same-sex wedding, DCist reports, when the marriage between Keith Spangler and Andreas Vellios takes place at Georgetown’s Ben and Jerry’s.

Ben & Jerry’s has a prominent history of supporting several social justice movements—the company even made a commemorative ice cream, Hubby Hubby, when its founders’ home state changed its laws to recognize same-sex marriage—and Jerry Greenfield (the Jerry of Ben & Jerry’s) will be at the ceremony to talk about his company’s commitment to justice and to congratulate the couple.

City Councilmember David Catania (SFS ‘90, LAW ‘94), the first openly gay member of the D.C. City Council who introduced the bill legalizing same sex marriage, will also be there, along with Freedom to Marry Director Michael Crawford. Afterward the ceremony, there’s going to be ice cream cake for friends and family of the couple.

Via DCist

On Wednesday, D.C. Councilmember and Georgetown alum David Catania (I-At Large)(SFS ‘90, LAW ‘94) spoke to a Voice reporter about his run for re-election, his recent work on same-sex marriage and medical marijuana legalization, and his time at Georgetown. Below is a full transcript of their conversation. Interview conducted and transcribed by Claire Wheeler.

Voice: What led you to first become involved in politics?

Catania: Where should I begin … I was active in my neighborhood before running for the Council. In the mid-1990s I was active in my former neighborhood, which was called Sheridan-Kalorama. I ran for the [Advisory Neighborhood Commission] in 1996 and was successful in that race and then the opportunity presented itself to run for the Council in a special election. Based on the work I had done as an adviser to the Neighborhood Commission and the view I held about the direction of the City, I decided if we wanted the City to improve, we would have to have a new generation of leadership with a different set of priorities then the generation that preceded me. So when the opportunity presented itself to run for the council in 1997, I decided to run.

V: Why did you decide to run for re-election in the council?

C: I think first and foremost, that I have chaired the Committee on Health since January 2005 and over the last five years I think we have made a lot of progress on improving the quality of healthcare in the district and access to healthcare. We are working to narrow certain health disparities that exist in the city, but there are still many challenges and a lot of work to do. I had hoped that we would have universal access to health insurance by 2010. It was a goal of mine. The economic meltdown in 2008 has really frustrated that goal, but I am still committed to it. The District enjoys one of the lowest rates of uninsured in the country, thanks in part to the work that I have started in the past few years on expanding our Medicare programs and expanding our Alliance programs. The district is in the top-tier in the Nation in terms of insured, but we still have, nonetheless, about eight percent of our population that is not insured, and I want to continue my work to bring that down to zero.

Read the rest of this entry »

D.C. Councilmember and Georgetown alum David Catania (I-At Large)(SFS ‘90, LAW ‘94) made headlines in 2009 as the man behind the District’s same-sex marriage legalization bill. But Catania, whose third term will end this year, has been keeping mum on whether or not he’ll run for re-election in November, leading some local politics fans to wonder whether the marriage equality victory might be his swan song.

It looks like the speculation can finally come to an end, though: Catania has told “several close supporters” to assume he’ll be running, according to Washington City Paper. City Paper and D.C. Wire also report that Catania will be making an official announcement in mid-January.

In addition to writing and championing the recently-passed same-sex marriage bill, Catania has spent much of his time on the Council working on health care and insurance issues. As of now there is only one challenger for Catania’s seat, Congress Heights minister and civic activist Anthony Motley.

Photo from Flickr user dbking, used under a Creative Commons license.

At right, David Catania

As things stand, the Catholic Archdiocese of Washington, D.C. says it will have no choice but to abandon its contracts with the City if the December 1 vote on the D.C. City Council’s proposed same-sex marriage law is successful.

The pulled contracts would have substantial consequences in D.C., as diocese-run “Catholic Charities,” currently serves 68,000 District residents and spends $10,000,000 on social services in the city annually in the District, and so City Council members are hurriedly seeking a compromise that will keep Catholic Charities in the City.

On Wednesday, Councilmembers Phil Mendelson (D-At Large) and David A. Catina (I-At Large) (SFS ‘90, LAW ‘94), the Georgetown graduate who introduced the bill, sent a letter to the Washington Archbishop Donald Wuerl asking the Church to adopt a policy like the one in effect at Georgetown that allows the University to provide medical coverage the same-sex partners of employees without recognizing their union.

The New York Times editorial board seconds the idea (which City Paper columnist and Voice alum Mike DeBonis wryly notes is probably “the first time a D.C. Council committee report has been quoted in the Gray Lady”).

Susan Gibbs, the spokesperson for the Archdiocese, has not responded to a request for comment, but she has told the Catholic News Agency and the Washington Post that she is “not confident” and “not sure the proposal alleviates the Church’s concerns.”

An explanation of Georgetown’s policy, after the jump

Read the rest of this entry »

D.C. Councilmember and Georgetown double alumni David Catania (I-At Large)(SFS ‘90, LAW ‘94) is planning to introduce a bill to legalize same-sex marriage in the District next Tuesday, according to the Washington Post.

The bill, “The Religious Freedom and Civil Marriage Equality Amendment Act of 2009,” is being co-sponsored by ten of the D.C. Council’s 13 members, and Mayor Adrian Fenty (D) has pledged to sign the bill, so it is all but guaranteed to pass.

According to the Post, the bill will change the city code to state that “any person … may marry any other eligible person regardless of gender.”

Rumors have floated around about Catania introducing a same-sex marriage bill since last year.  In May, the D.C. Council nearly unanimously passed a bill that recognized same-sex marriages performed in other states.

Catania, who is openly gay, announced his intention to introduce the bill at the Council’s Tuesday meeting at a gathering of 150 gay rights activists, saying, “We are going to do it now.  We are going to do it now, not for ourselves, but for the young people who are 20 years-old, 16-years-old, 13-years-old.”

Photo from Flickr user krossbow, used under a Creative Commons license.

13/13 12/13 D.C. Council members support gay marriage!

The D.C. Council’s final vote on recognizing same-sex marriages performed in other states (first voted on in early April) went remarkably smoothly, passing 13-0… until Ward 8 Councilmember and former “Mayor-for-life” Marion Barry (D) realized what he was voting on. The confused Councilmember, who had pledged to Christian groups that he would vote against recognizing same-sex marriage, then requested a reconsideration of the bill.

The ensuing debate, which City Paper’s Mike Debonis chronicled, was rather personal since two Councilmembers, David Catania (I—At Large) and Jim Graham (D—Ward 1) are gay. Catania said “[Barry's] position is bigoted” and Graham said he respects Barry’s civil rights record but “We part ways today on this issue” and that “There is not enough love in this world today.”

While Catania, Graham and their allies couldn’t convince Barry to change his position, the vote ultimately came down to a resounding 12-1 in favor. Not unanimous, true, but still a nice victory for the gay rights movement.

Photo from Flickr user bobster855, used under a Creative Commons license.

Progress!

It’s been a big week for same-sex marriage. On Friday, the Iowa Supreme Court ruled the state’s same-sex marriage ban was unconstitutional. Today, as the Vermont Legislature overrode their Governor’s veto of a bill legalizing gay marriage, the D.C. council unanimously passed a bill to legally recognize same-sex marriages performed in other states.

Predicting big Democratic wins in November, many speculated last fall that the Council would introduce a same-sex marriage bill of its own. However, after the passage of California’s Proposition 8 and D.C. voting rights hanging in the balance, the Council has been cautious about provoking Congress’s ire.

When he spoke at Georgetown a few weeks ago, Councilmember and Georgetown alum David Catania (I—At Large) said introducing a gay marriage bill would jeopardize the success of voting rights, but also added that “It’s the undying civil rights issue of our time and I intend to go forward with it.”

Photo from Flickr user M.V. Jansen used under a Creative Commons license.

Bald is beautiful

D.C. Councilmember David Catania (SFS ‘90, LAW ‘94) spoke to students today (as part of the Michael Jurist (SFS ‘07) Distinguished Alumni Roundtable series), and man, is he awesome.

Catania (Ind. – At Large) waxed philosophical on a number of subjects, blending serious information, like the roots of the D.C. HIV/AIDS epidemic, with jokes and anecdotes, like “Raise your hand if you think sex doesn’t happen in jail.” He also talked about whatever happened to the gay marriage rights bill he had planned to introduce in January.

The conversation started focused on how Catania’s SFS education got him started on the path he’s on today. While he was here, Catania was a research assistant for Madeline Albright (jealous?). He became an energy lawyer after he graduated from law school, albeit not a very enthusiastic one, and ran for public office on a whim. Not his own whim, but his neighbor’s. He explained:

“I was first elected to the DC City Council in ‘96 because neighbor of mine had talked me into running. Jean would have been about 86 years old… She took me up on the roof of my building and fed me gin and tonics until I agreed to run. And let me tell you, the best way to run is unopposed” He’s served on the Council ever since.

The gay marriage bill and a Catania-Pat Dowd heart-to-heart after the jump.

Read the rest of this entry »

GWU gets to have all the fun. D.C. City Councilman David Catania (SFS `90) announced yesterday that he will teach several public health courses at George Washington University, pro-bono:

Catania says he was appointed as a lecturer at the university’s School of Public Health and Health Services. He will give periodic lectures on public health, law and policy.

Catania heads the council’s health committee. He says he’s looking forward to sharing experiences from the District of Columbia with students.

Catania’s a pretty cool cat—he was rumored as a possible sponsor for a gary gay marriage bill in the District last year, and the Washington Blade reports that activists are “laying the groundwork” for the bill, which he seems likely to produce in the near future, as we speak. Catania is also the Council’s first openly gay Councilman.