ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, November 17, 1996 TAG: 9611180077
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-8 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: ALEXANDRIA
SOURCE: Associated Press
LONNIE RICH argues that proposing a law to allow gay marriage is a matter of principle.
An Alexandria City Council member has suggested the city include a proposal to allow same-sex marriages on a legislative wish list it will send to the 1997 General Assembly.
``I am persuaded that I can't justify the distinction between same-sex marriage and opposite-sex marriage,'' council member Lonnie Rich said last week.
In a state where sodomy is illegal, no one expects the legislature to pass such a measure. But Rich and several of his colleagues argue that it is a matter of principle.
Other local officials, and some residents, question the wisdom of taking on such a seemingly hopeless cause. Calling for the legalization of gay marriages will perpetuate Alexandria's image as ``just a bunch of flaming liberals,'' said council member David Speck.
It could even affect the way state legislators view the rest of the city's agenda, he said.
``I think as a matter of political strategy, we want to make sure that that proposal doesn't jeopardize other proposals that we have and that we need,'' said Speck, who has not decided how he will vote when the council considers Rich's idea after a Dec. 14 public hearing.
Mayor Kerry Donley supports Rich and doubts there would be any impact on other city proposals.
``Down in Richmond, we're already known as the People's Republic of Alexandria, so I don't know that it would harm us in any way,'' Donley said.
Rich said no one from the gay community asked him to bring up the issue. He decided on his own that the city should take a stand after he followed the debate in Congress over the Defense of Marriage Act, which prevents federal recognition of same-sex marriages and allows states not to recognize such marriages performed in other states. The measure was approved by Congress and was signed by President Clinton.
Reaction among city residents has varied. Susan Krumm, 49, said she was disappointed in the council for even considering an endorsement of gay marriage.
``I think that our family values are going downhill too fast as it is, and we need to take a stand on keeping our God-given ways of living,'' Krumm said.
Jonas Neihardt, president of the Old Town Civic Association, said supporting gay marriage could help Alexandria's image in the business community and draw more high-technology companies and trade associations to the city.
``It makes you seem like more of a enlightened place, which I think is helpful when you're trying to attract world-class businesses,'' he said, noting that he was speaking for himself, not the civic association.
But lawyer Gant Redmon says he is getting tired of Alexandria's reputation for championing alternative lifestyles. Redmon headed a task force three years ago that concluded that many of the city's crime, housing and education problems were rooted in crumbling family structures.
``I am much more of a traditionalist, and I would not care to see our city government espousing such views,'' he said.
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