D.C. to recognize state gay marriages

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By Gary Emerling

Gay-marriage advocates scored major victories in the District and Vermont on Tuesday, with the passage of legislation allowing same-sex couples to marry in Vermont and the approval of a bill that would see those marriages recognized in the nation's capital.

The developments came just days after the Iowa Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage on Friday, ruling that a state law restricting marriage to a union of a man and a woman violated the equal protection clause of the Iowa Constitution.

If signed by Mayor Adrian M. Fenty, the D.C. bill would allow same-sex couples in the city to marry in states such as Iowa and Vermont and then return to the District and have that marriage recognized.

"It is the next logical step in the extension of marriage equality," said council member David Catania, an at-large independent who said he plans this year to introduce legislation that would legalize same-sex marriage in the District. "It is simply a matter of time."

D.C. Attorney General Peter J. Nickles said both he and Mr. Fenty support the measure, which will come up for a final vote next month. Mr. Fenty said in a statement that he looks forward to signing the bill.

"The mayor will sign," Mr. Nickles said. The bill "requires that we accord the same benefits to couples whose same-sex marriage has been recognized and performed in other jurisdictions."

Gay marriage is legal in Connecticut, Massachusetts and now in Iowa and Vermont.

Vermont lawmakers Tuesday voted to override a veto by Gov. Jim Douglas, a Republican, and allow same-sex marriages. House lawmakers voted 100-49 to override the veto, and the Senate voted 23-5 to do the same. The action made the state the fourth to legalize gay marriage and the first to legalize it by legislative action.

Mr. Douglas on Monday issued a veto message saying the bill would not improve conditions for same-sex couples because it still would not provide them rights under federal and other states' laws.

The Associated Press reported that the announcement of the vote brought an outburst of jubilation from some of the hundreds packed into the gallery and the lobby outside the House chamber, despite the speaker's admonishment against such displays.