Jun 13, 2008  |  By: LOU CHIBBARO J  | COMMENTS     

Mayor Adrian Fenty said he has directed his interim attorney general, Peter Nickles, to conduct a thorough review on what the city’s legal options might be if same-sex couples in D.C. go to California to marry and ask the District government to recognize their marriages.

In response to a series of written questions from the Washington Blade, the mayor discussed a wide range of issues, including same-sex marriage, on the occasion of the city’s Capital Pride celebration, set to take place this weekend. Fenty plans to march in the parade again this year.

The mayor said he wants Nickles to review same-sex marriage-related developments since former D.C. Attorney General Robert Spagnoletti conducted a similar review four years ago for then-Mayor Anthony Williams. Both Williams and Fenty have declined to release the findings of the Spagnoletti review.

“I have asked the interim attorney general to review all developments since his predecessor’s memo on this issue, including the California Supreme Court ruling,” Fenty said. “What he will do and when he will do it has not been determined, but he is looking thoroughly and wisely.”

Fenty’s disclosure that he has asked Nickles to conduct an updated review on same-sex marriage comes at a time when some same-sex couples in D.C. have said they plan to travel to California to marry and petition the D.C. government upon their return home to recognize those marriages.

The California Supreme Court issued a ruling in May legalizing same-sex marriage in that state. A similar court ruling in Massachusetts legalized same-sex marriage there, but a state law prevents out-of-state gay couples from marrying there.

California does not have a residency requirement and same-sex couples from across the country have indicated plans to marry there. D.C. is among only a few states or U.S. jurisdictions that have not passed laws or constitutional amendments banning same-sex marriage. Although the D.C. Court of Appeals ruled against a same-sex couple’s request for a marriage license in the District in the 1990s, gay rights attorneys are divided over whether the city’s marriage law would allow for recognition of same-sex marriages performed legally in another state.

On the issue of gay youth, Fenty disclosed that city school system officials will begin a pilot program in the fall that will provide a centralized phone number for students to report instances of bullying and harassment, a development he said would be especially helpful for youth.

He said the school system was also working with his Office of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Affairs, headed by his gay appointee Christopher Dyer, to develop other programs aimed at assisting gay youth in the schools.

Fenty called the city’s gay community “one of the most engaged in the District of Columbia and one that takes great pride in its active role in city government.”

Here’s the text of Mayor Adrian Fenty’s written answers to questions from the Blade:

Blade: What message do you have for the gay community on the occasion of the District of Columbia’s annual Pride Parade and Festival?

Fenty: Whether working with the Office of GLBT Affairs or attending community meetings around the city, the GLBT community is one of the most engaged in the District of Columbia and one that continues to take great pride in its active role in city government. The District of Columbia prides itself on being a city of tolerance and inclusiveness. We have made tremendous progress on issues that are important to this community and we will continue to work together to make the District a world-class city. I am excited to participate in this year’s Pride Parade this weekend and for years to come.

Blade: As you know, the D.C. Council approved legislation creating the Mayor’s Office of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Affairs as a cabinet-level agency before you took office as mayor. Can you explain how you and your administration work with this office on a day-to-day basis and whether the office is fulfilling your expectations for addressing the needs of the gay community?

Fenty: The Office of GLBT affairs engages multiple agencies in our administration on a daily basis, whether it’s through planning public education activities like the GLBT Economic Development Summit and the transgender job fair and career day or specifically working toward improving a policy like the creation of the Wanda Alston House that will provide housing and wraparound services to GLBT homeless youth. A good example of how this office works is by its planning of the upcoming “D.C. Government and You” open house that will take place on July 16. This open ...