The Washington, D.C., City Council introduced a gay-marriage bill Tuesday that would legalize the unions in the District.
In April, the council voted to recognize out-of-state same-sex unions and hinted that gay marriage rights for D.C. residents would not be far behind.
Bishop Harry Jackson, pastor of Hope Christian Church in Beltsville, Md., said the Religious Liberty and Marriage Equality Act of 2009 will not get a vote of the people.
"The most dramatic aspect of this," he said, "is that the D.C. residents are essentially going to be shut out of the decision-making process."
—Kim Trobee
