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District of Columbia
On December 18, 2009, Mayor Fenty signed a marriage bill which ended the exclusion of same-sex couples from marriage, and which was twice passed by an overwhelming majority of City Council members. The law is currently under Congressional Review which is expected to end in early March 2010.
In 2009, the DC Council also passed and the mayor signed a law that ensures out-of-state marriages of same-sex couples are respected and treated equally under law. The law took effect in July 2009.
In 1992, the District city council passed a domestic partnership law in 1992, which offered a few (less than 8 of 212 in the DC code) protections and responsibilities to same-sex couples and their families, but the U.S. Congress blocked this law from taking effect until 2002. Over the years, the domestic partnership law was expanded to include all of the same protections and responsibilities that marriage provides (referred to as broad domestic partnership), but not the equality that only comes with marriage.
State advocacy groups and a very active grassroots community of supporters continue to work to ensure the law takes effect and is protected.
WHERE YOU CAN GO TO GET INVOLVED OR LEARN MORE:
Gay and Lesbian Activists Alliance
GLAA is a local, all-volunteer, non-partisan, non-profit political organization,
founded in 1971. We are the nation's oldest continuously active organization
fighting for the civil rights of gay men, lesbians, bisexuals and transgenders.
DC for Marriage
DC for Marriage is an emerging group of local residents working towards equal rights and responsibilities for same sex couples in the District of Columbia.
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LEGISLATIVE STATUS IN THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA:
Your Community—District of Columbia
Human Rights Campaign (HRC)
HRC presents resources, news, and the current marriage and
relationship recognition laws in each state.
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PUBLICATIONS:
The Economic Impact of Extending Marriage to Same-Sex Couples in the District of Columbia
Williams Institute
April 2009
Extending marriage to same-sex couples will boost the District of Columbia's economy by over $52.2 million over three years, which would generate increases in local government tax and fee revenues by $5.4 million and create approximately 700 new jobs.
District of Columbia Census Snapshot
December 2007
Using data from the U.S. Census Bureau, this report provides demographic and economic information about same-sex couples and same-sex couples raising children in the District of Columbia.
Geographic Trends Among Same-Sex Couples in the U.S. Census and the
American Community Survey
Williams Institute
November 2007
Gary Gates at the Williams Institute released groundbreaking research
on the geographic trends among same-sex couples. The report finds the
biggest increases in Southern and Mountain states and states barring
legal acceptance of same-sex couples had larger percentage increases
in same-sex couples from 2000 to 2006.
Marriage Law in the District of Columbia
Gay and Lesbian Activists Alliance
December 2003
This report enumerates the 212 protections and responsibilities of
marriage in the District of Columbia code, most of which same-sex
couples and their families are excluded from.
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NEWS:
View news about the fight for the freedom to marry in DC.
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This report enumerates the 212 protections and responsibilities of
marriage in the District of Columbia code, most of which same-sex
couples and their families are excluded from.
Williams Institute
December 2007
Using data from the U.S. Census Bureau, this report provides demographic and economic information about same-sex couples and same-sex couples raising children in the District of Columbia.
Read families’ stories about how marriage discrimination affects everyday life. These stories communicate, in concrete ways, how the exclusion of same-sex couples from marriage hurts families and helps no one.
Start in The Marriage Basics to get short answers to your big questions about the freedom to marry, and learn more about the protections and responsibilities of marriage, the historical background for this civil rights movement, why separate is not equal, and so much more.
