kate baldwin explains. reporter: same sex couples in washington can legally marry starting tuesday in the district. very excited. reporter: even before the first couple walks down the aisle there is controversial flout from the decision. the social services arm of the archdiocese of washington just announced it will no longer offer health benefits to members of new or current employees who aren t already covered under its plan. as a result the nonprofit is effectively avoiding having to give benefits to same sex partners. keeping with the church s opposition to same sex marriage. how long have you and your partner been together? ten years. reporter: chris is gay and a practicing catholic. he views the developments in d.c. as two steps forward and two steps back for the gay and lesbian community and the strained relationship with the catholic church. why sit disappointing to you? it s a slap in the face.
it s prejudice. reporter: catholic charities declined comment but the archdiocese said less than 10% of the employees take part in the health insurance program, suggesting that a small portion of the staff will be affected by the change in policy. in a statement, the archdiocese says this approach allows catholicer charities to continue to provide services to the 68,000 people it now cares for in the city, to comply with the city s new requirements and to remain faithful to our catholic identity. a stance some catholics say is damaging the church s public image. they are getting a view of the church that isn t necessarily consistent with our values. we don t say people don t deserve health insurance because they happen to be in a certain kind of marriage or a certain kind of relationship. that s not what we teach. reporter: the same message chris hinkel is trying to send as he fights for acceptance. i want people to treat others
partners, keeping with the church s opposition to same-sex marriage. how long have you and your partner been together? for ten years? chris hinkel is gay and a practicing catholic. he lives in virginia and worships in washington. hinkel views the developments in d.c. as two steps forward and quickly two steps back for the gay and lesbian community and its strained relationship with the catholic church. why is it disappointing to you? it s a slap in the face, yeah. it s it s prejudice. reporter: catholic charities declined to comment but the archdiocese of washington made a point to say that less than 10% of catholic charities employees take part in its health insurance program suggesting that a small portion of the staff will be affected by the change in policy. and in a statement the archdiocese says this approach allows catholic charities to continue to provide services to the 68,000 people it now cares for in the city, to comply with the city s new requirements, and to rema