District of Columbia

On December 18, 2009, Mayor Adrian Fenty signed a marriage bill which ended the exclusion of same-sex couples from marriage, after it twice passed by an overwhelming majority of City Council members. As of March 3, 2010, following a Congressional Review period, same-sex couples in the District of Columbia can now apply for a marriage license. For information about how to get married in DC: Supreme Court of DC Marriage Bureau Section and District of Columbia Office of GLBT Affairs.

In 2009, the DC Council also passed and the mayor signed a bill 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, 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 protect marriage.
 
Status: Marriage
 
Groups Actively Working on Marriage 
 
Gay and Lesbian Activists Alliance: a local, all-volunteer, non-partisan, non-profit political organization, fighting for the civil rights of gay men, lesbians, bisexuals and transgenders

DC for Marriage: 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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