WASHINGTON - The fight over recognizing gay marriages is heating up again in the District. Religious leaders came to the Capitol Thursday, demanding Congress step in and stop Washington from accepting marriages between two men or two women.

The group believes if D.C. allows gay marriage the rest of the nation will follow. In fact, they want to use Congressional legislation to stop the city from legalizing same sex marriage.

They are of the Cloth and Congress, and are united in condemning the D.C. City Council vote to acknowledge gay marriages performed in other jurisdictions.

"I don't want my grandkids to be in the classroom and hear about Heather has two mommies and the prince and the prince become the king and the king," said Bishop Harry Jackson of Hope Christian Church.

The group believes they have to act now to prevent the city from eventually allowing same sex marriage within its borders.

When asked for a show of hands of city residents from the assembled group, few arms went up, but the same sex marriage opponents say the nation's capital belongs to all Americans.

"Washington D.C., on behalf of the American people, will say yes to traditional marriage," said Rep. Mike Pence, R-Ind.

Members of Congress and the church leaders say a vast majority of District residents oppose gay marriage, but they will shed little information on their data.

Meanwhile, advocates for gay marriage in D.C. believe their opponents mistakenly assume the majority of the African American population in the city clings to long-held opposition to gay rights.

"Outsiders have seriously overstated anti-gay attitudes among African Americans and I think they are hoping to divide us along race and class lines," said Michael |Crawford of D.C. for Marriage.

The opponents of gay marriage say if the District allows same sex marriage, the next step will be to allow marriage to pets or inanimate objects.

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