Angelisa Young and Sinjoyla Townsend became the first same sex couple to marry in Washington, DC, this morning. The couple was also first in line to apply for a marriage license last week. Young told the Washington Post, “I am doing this because I love my partner and we deserve to be married…But I am also doing this because [being] the first one is always the hardest.” According to the Washington Times, more than 300 same sex couples have applied for marriage licenses since they became available to lesbian and gay couples last Wednesday. The DC city council approved legislation to legalize same-sex marriage in December 2009, but a mandatory 30 day congressional review period delayed implementation of the law. In addition to Washington, DC, same sex marriage is currently legal in five states (Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont). Legislation to legalize same sex marriage was recently defeated in New York and New Jersey. Currently, California is waiting for a ruling in a case that will decide whether Proposition 8, the November 2008 ballot initiative that overturned the right of same-sex marriage in the state, is constitutional. Civil unions are currently legal in five states (Colorado, Maine, Maryland, New Jersey, and Wisconsin).
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