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: Superior 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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Today, Oscar-wining actor Natalie Portman and her fiancé Benjamin Millepied joined the over 100,000 supporters of Freedom to Marry’s Say, “I Do” campaign, urging President Obama to support the freedom to marry for gay and lesbian couples.

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Resources Related to District of Columbia

Southern Poverty Law Center: 18 Anti-Gay Groups and Their Propaganda

The Southern Poverty Law Center provides a detailed listing of anti-gay groups know for their dangerous propaganda aimed at lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.

The Economic Impact of Extending Marriage to Same-Sex Couples in the District of Columbia

Extending marriage to same-sex couples will boost the District of Columbia's economy by over $52.2 million over three years.

District of Columbia Census Snapshot

Demographic and economic information about same-sex couples and same-sex couples raising children in the District of Columbia.

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