Recently the DC council took a second vote to legalize gay marriage in the district. If the Congress doesn't interfere it'll probably be allowed to become law without a referendum from the people.
Meanwhile, the Catholic Archdiocese of Washington has signaled that without additional religious exemptions the Church will not be able to continue offering services to the poor due to the threat of lawsuits. Catholic Charities in particular and the poor they serve would be especially hard hit.
The media has already started to search out any contrary group or situation that has Catholic in its name. Most notably, the media has reported that Georgetown has a policy that may allow same sex benefits by listing them as "legally domiciled adults" which is similar to what the Diocese of San Francisco adopted several years ago. The idea is that same sex benefits would be given as long as it's not called "marriage" with a wink and a nod.
Well, Georgetown isn't the Archdiocese of Washington, and to some observers hasn't been particularly ardent in its adherence to Catholic doctrine in the last several years. The sensational driven media doesn't know the difference between one Catholic group and another, so this is being held up variously as the model for compromise or as the height of hypocrisy.
What it ultimately signals is that these outsiders want the Church to be anything other than authentically Catholic, and that civil laws trump the rights and freedoms of religion. You'll also be hearing plenty from people who say "I'm Catholic but I think the Church is wrong" in the days and weeks to come. What these people don't realize is: their opinion doesn't change the Church's constant teaching or doctrines. There will be endless strawmen set up and knocked down, but it will prove nothing; those arguments will be based on utility or sentimentality which fail to satisfy.
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