Robert McCartney: Arguments against gay marriage not sound

Arlington County Board Vice Chairman Jay Fisette (D), who was Virginia's first openly gay elected official, said: "My sexual orientation is not a choice; it was a discovery. And if it's not a choice, how can one make a moral judgment about it?"

Opponents emphasized that they want to put the issue before voters in a ballot initiative. "Let the people vote!" was a recurring cry.

That seems reasonable, except that the District's Human Rights Act forbids initiatives or referendums that would effectively authorize discrimination -- such as denying gays the benefit of marriage. The election board has ruled once that a similar vote would discriminate against gays, and there's little reason to think it will change its mind.

"The District of Columbia is a republic. It is not a direct democracy," in which every issue is subject to a popular vote, testified Mark H. Levine, an attorney for the Gertrude Stein Democratic Club, which advocates for gay rights issues.

The Rev. Walter E. Fauntroy, the District's first delegate to Congress, was probably the most prestigious person who testified against same-sex marriage. He spoke at the election board hearing about what he sees as the importance of allowing a vote; afterward I asked him about the substance of the issue.

Fauntroy said that same-sex marriage threatens children. "Every child needs to be bonded to a man and a woman," he said. That ignores research showing that same-sex couples do a perfectly good job of raising children. Also, same-sex couples can already adopt in the District.

Fauntroy also said the "survival of the species" is at stake. "I have some brilliant friends who are gay, and it bothers me that they're not going to pass those genes on," he said.

I've got news for Fauntroy. His friends are more likely to pass on their genes, such as by artificial insemination, if they are permitted to marry. He and the other opponents should get out of the way and let them do so.

I discuss local issues at 8:51 a.m. Friday on WAMU (88.5 FM). E-mail me at mccartneyr@washpost.com.