DC City Council Approves Same-Sex Marriage!

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DC's LGBT community and marriage equality supporters everywhere are cheering the news that the DC City Council approved gay marriage in nation's capital in a vote of 11 - 2 on Tuesday.

On Top reports:

“Today's vote is an important victory not only for the gay and lesbian community but for everyone who supports equal rights,” Catania, an Independent, told supporters.

Catania, one of two openly gay members on the council, has taken a measured approached to the issue, first introducing a gay marriage-recognition bill in the spring for the council to approve. The city's law recognizes marriages performed in the five states which have legalized the institution: Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, Vermont and New Hampshire. New Hampshire's law takes effect January 1."

DC mayor Adrian Fenty has promised to sign the bill into law, but DC couples should must still wait 30 business days for congress to respond. The House has the final say on all laws passed in the district, even though DC has no voting power in congress.

Maggie Gallagher and the gnomes at NOM are hard at work urging Republican lawmakers to disapprove the new law and are hoping to put the marriage equality question on a ballot for voters to decide the issue. So far, marriage equality has never survived a popular vote in any state where it had been legalized. If congress takes no action, the new law could take effect in March.

Now, all eyes are on New Jersey, where support for same-sex marriage has been slipping in the wake of the defeats in New York and Maine. Marriage supporters are hoping the DC victory will add much-needed momentum to the New Jersey effort.