Same-sex marriage is expected to become legal in the District of Columbia in January. The bill to legalize it passed the D.C. Council’s Committee on Public Safety & Judiciary on Nov. 10 and now heads to the full Council where 10 of the 13 members are cosponsors of the measure. A full Council vote is expected Dec. 1.

Mayor Adrian Fenty has said he will sign the bill into law. At that point, the bill will advance to the U.S. Congress for a 30-day review period. Congress is not expected to make any move to block the bill’s becoming law.

In New York, meanwhile, Gov. David Paterson said Nov. 10 that the state Senate will vote before year’s end on the bill to legalize same-sex marriage there. The measure already passed the Assembly and, should it pass the Senate, Paterson plans to sign it into law. At press time, it was not clear if there are enough yes votes in the 62-member Senate.

In New Jersey, there is a scramble to pass a same-sex marriage bill before Gov. Jon Corzine, who supports same-sex marriage, leaves office in January. Corzine lost his re-election bid Nov. 3 to Chris Christie, who opposes same-sex marriage.

Reports say a vote in the Legislature would be close. Although both the Assembly and Senate have Democratic majorities, not every Democrat would vote for same-sex marriage and the bill needs some Republican support.

Mormon Church Backs Gay-Rights Measures
The Mormon Church on Nov. 10 came out officially in support of proposed ordinances in Salt Lake City to ban discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in employment and housing. Speaking before the City Council, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints spokesman Michael Otterson called the measures “fair and reasonable.”

The council then proceeded to pass the ordinances by unanimous vote.

The LDS’ unlikely support followed two months of meetings between local gay leaders and church officials and is being seen, in part, as an attempt by the church to defuse gay anger over the massive Mormon funding of the campaign that led to the passage of California’s Proposition 8, which amended the state constitution to re-ban same-sex marriage.

The church also came under gay fire after two gay men were arrested in July for kissing in Salt Lake City’s Main Street Plaza, a former public square that later became church property. The arrests led to large gay kiss-ins at the plaza.

K.C. Chiefs Dump Player Who Called Reporters Faggots
The Kansas City Chiefs football team released running back Larry Johnson from the team Nov. 9 after he called reporters faggots and called a fellow Twitter user a fag. In the locker room Oct. 26, Johnson muttered to reporters, “Get your faggot ass out of here.” The remark was captured on tape.

A day earlier, he used his Twitter account to call another Twitter user a “fag.” He also reportedly tweeted: “Make me regret it. Lmao. U don’t stop my checks. Lmao. So ‘tweet’ away.”

Johnson later apologized for the outbursts, saying he hadn’t intended to be offensive and had not been “a good role model (for) the kids who view athletes as role models.”

-assistance: Bill Kelley