The Bilerico Project | Daily experiments in LGBTQ

As some of you know, I have been working to win marriage equality in Washington, D.C. Currently marriages from other jurisdictions are recognized in D.C. and we expect a bill allowing marriages to be performed in D.C. to be introduced this fall.

This op-ed from the Washington Post makes a strong argument for why we will win.

The argument over whether same-sex couples should marry in the District is about a decade past its expiration date. The reality of people's lives long ago outstripped the usefulness of the gay marriage debate.

You can go to just about any public space in this city today and see same-sex couples: Two women picking over the tomatoes at the Anacostia farmers market; two men taking notes at a PTA meeting on Capitol Hill; two women arguing in a Georgetown restaurant over who does the dishes and who pays the bills -- the things all married couples do.

And these are things that most same-sex couples feel comfortable and safe doing practically everywhere in Washington. That's been the case here for at least a decade. The city boasts one of the most visible, vibrant gay and lesbian communities in the country.

The fact that some people love differently is a massive mental hurdle that most folks have cleared here in the nation's capital.

That's why despite the best efforts of Bishop Harry Jackson, D.C. Archbishop Donald Wuerl, and the National Organization for Marriage, we will see marriage equality in the District.

Gay and lesbian families are integrated into the fabric of D.C. and, as the Post writer pointed out, visible as parents, community activists, and neighbors.

We still have a fight ahead of us to win marriage. Jackson and company are pushing for a Prop 8 style vote at the ballot that would ban marriage and are seeking to undermine D.C.'s elected government by urging anti-equality activists from across the country to pressure Congress to intervene.

Ultimately we will win because we have a large and out LGBT community that is engaging in real face-to-face interactions with our neighbors, friends, and family members. As they get to know us better, residents of the District will come to learn that the big outcome of marriage equality will simply be more married couples in D.C.