Subscribe to Breaking NewsOut-of-state gay marriages now recognized in D.C.
As of 12:01 this morning, gays and lesbians who are married in Iowa, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Maine or Vermont now also have their marriages recognized in Washington, D.C.
The D.C. City Council approved the measure last month, but it was subject to a 30-day Congressional review period. Since Congress took no action, gay and lesbian marriages performed legally in other states are now legal in D.C. as well. No same-sex marriages, however, are recognized by the Federal government.
Says the conservative Washington Times:
“The law will affect everything from tax filing, employer health care benefits, inheritance and hospital visitation rights to mundane activities, such as gym memberships and car rentals.
“Recognition of same-sex marriages performed in other jurisdictions strengthens many rights that were already in place with the District’s Health Benefits Expansion Act of 1992, which allowed gay couples to register as domestic partners and receive some of the same benefits afforded to married couples.
“The act, which did not go into effect until 2002 because implementation was blocked by Congress, has been amended over the years to offer additional benefits that allow same-sex couples to make medical decisions on each other’s behalf, to benefit from hospital visitation rights and to file taxes jointly, among other things.
“The U.S. Census Bureau lists 3,839 same-sex couples as residing in the District, according to 2005-2007 data. And the nearly 33,000 gay, lesbian and bisexual people — single and coupled — living in the District made up approximately 8.1 percent of the city’s total adult population in 2005.”
Sorry for forgetting California! Those marriages are legally recognized, as are legal marriages performed in other countries. Here’s a great Q&A on DC marriages from the Washington Post:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/06/AR2009070602913.html
Jeff, the legal gay marriages from CA will also be recognized. What I am wondering is whether marriages performed in other countries (i.e., Canada or Spain) will be recognized.
tbrough. Thanks for PA info. Tell us how it goes.
I love the ‘Pro-Marriage’ usage…. we need to pick this up folks,
its even more positive than Marriage Equality.
In fact I would love to get all laws that define marriage as “between a man and a woman” or “a union between one man and one woman” (however defined in opposite-sex terms only) – through the shredder!!!!!
ANY TWO ADULTS HAVE A LEGAL, CONSITUTIONAL, CULTURAL AND SOCIAL RIGHT TO MARRY!!!!!!
This is about DC. I’m tired of hearing the whining from California. California, your misery is–whether fiscal or social–entirely self-inflicted. California is a beautiful place, but here in a piece about DC I keep hearing “California” like there’s a parrot on meth. Please, Californians, go clean up the mess you inflicted on yourselves, and stop insisting that the rest of the country attend to you, or seek you out as the very font of social progressivism. You people blew it, and you need to focus on cleaning up your mess–and maybe listen to what people in other parts of the country have to say–before stopping the planet’s rotation to make sure that you’re being attended to. I’m not trying to denigrate anybody’s marriage in the aftermath of 8, but please, just once, can you Californians acknowledge that there are 49 other godddamn states (and a Federal District, and a Commonwealth), several of which put your fiscal standards and social progress to utter shame? You soiled Paradise, not us. Please go deal with that. We love you and care about you, but in states like Ohio, we just don’t have the goddamn time to nurse your wounded souls when we’re still not even safe in our jobs. It’s called perspective, and it’s not just for art class.
It is only the equalivant to New York model law – which I call “we recognise your same-sex marriage that was performed I a place where they are legally performed, if you fuck off out-of-this-state and come back eventually.”
DC IS THE BEST IN THE USA!!!!
There is another law in DC remember:
DC also has the “Domestic Partnership Judicial Determination of Parentage Act of 2009″ coming into force on 20 July, 2009. This act will provide lesbian and gay men complete rights with there children (including adopted and biological).
Do not get too excited yet the “Equality in Marriage Act” (this will legalize performed same-sex marriage in DC) has not passed as of 7/7/2009!!!!
When will “conservative and redneck” California get rid of that Prop 8, so same-sex marriage is legal again???? (I would personally love to get that prop 8 law and put it through the shredder!!!!!)
Well at least it is a start!
Geezus, how many of you of the 18k LEGALLY married within CA are going to continue to make yourselves look as if you’re the ones who are suffering. YOUR LEGAL in your state, and YOU ARE LEGAL in any other state (including DC) that recognizes out of state marriages, as well as BEING LEGAL in any other country that does such. Stop the whining.
There is sloppy reporting all around. DC recognizes marriages between same-sex couples that are legally entered into in other jurisdictions. That includes California and the other countries, but it does not include Vermont, New Hampshire, or Maine since those states do not yet marry same-sex couples. When they do in a few months, those marriages will also be recognized in DC.
What about those of us who were married in other countries? Will DC recognize our marriages? My husband and I were married in Canada, will DC recognize our marriage?
Good for DC. I can’t wait for Maryland to do the same. We will run out and get married asap. My home state of Ohio can’t seem to even get a ENDA passed. We are so glad we moved.
To those wondering about all the other jurisdictions, I believe this answers your question:
““Recognition of same-sex marriages performed in other jurisdictions strengthens many rights that were already in place ”
It doesn’t specify which other jurisdictions, so I take it to mean ALL other jurisdictions – which means when I visit D.C. my Canadian marriage will be recognized.
Gee, what’s that bright burning ball in the sky? Yup, the sun still came up after semi-equality took hold. Whodathunkit?
This article fails to tell us about whether same-sex marriages from non-US jurisdictions will be recognized, i.e. Belgium, Canada, Netherlands, Norway, South Africa, Spain, and Sweden.
And what about the countries that offer civil unions and registered partnerships, including the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Luxembourg, Switzerland, the UK, and Uruguay, among others?
Don’t forget the 18,000 couples married in CA during the 5 month hiatus. Those too will now be recognized in DC.