DC Bigots File Last Minute Marriage Appeal To U.S. Supreme Court

With same-sex marriage licenses due to be granted in less than 48 hours, anti-gay bigots in the nation’s capital have filed a last minute appeal with the U.S. Supreme Court.

Court papers filed Monday with Chief Justice John Roberts argue that Washington residents should be able to vote on the matter. Local courts have rejected the opponents’ arguments. The gay marriage opponents include a Baptist minister, Walter E. Fauntroy, who was Washington’s delegate in the House for nearly 20 years. The city has said Wednesday probably will be the first day same-sex couples can apply for a marriage license. Couples will still have to wait three full business days for their licenses before exchanging vows.

Fauntroy, pictured above, was for 20 years the “at large” U.S. House rep for Washington DC. He was also a confidant of Martin Luther King and helped organize the 1963 March On Washington, a watershed event in human rights that clearly has faded from his memory.