Scenes from a marriage bill signing

I spent the morning at the official signing of D.C.'s new marriage equality live. I tweeted from the event here. The event was held at the All Souls Church, a fitting setting for the new equality law.

Mayor Fenty was very engaged, working the crowd from the moment he arrived. He told me this was "a great day" for DC.

The Mayor tarted his speech by recognizing his parents, noting that they were married at a time when interracial marriages were illegal in many states. (I'm a big fan on Fenty's parents -- seen being interviewed in the photo below. They run Fleet Feet, the running gear store, and have gotten me through all six of my marathons.) Fenty also said he hope D.C. sets the tone for the rest of the nation.

City Council Chair Vincent Gray, as well as the bill's sponsor, David Catania, Jim Graham and Phil Mendelson also made remarks. Then, the Mayor made it official by signing the bill into law -- to sustained applause. I have to admit, it was quite a powerful scene...and a little emotional. We became equal.
A lot of people who made this bill happen were at the signing today. I got to catch up with Michael Crawford from DC for Marriage, seen below getting a hug from Catania. Michael told me how helpful so many people were and gave a shout out to Sultan Shakir, Nick McCoy and Sharon Groves from HRC.

When one walks out of the front door of the All Souls Church onto 16th St, the White House is not too far away. Some day, we'll need to have a marriage bill signing there. In the meantime, Congress needs to stay out of D.C.'s business on this one.

It was a great day. Doesn't totally make up for that Maine loss, but it sure helps salve that wound.