A law that recognizes legal gay
marriages performed in other states and countries has gone into
effect in the District of Columbia.
The law was signed by D.C. Mayor Adrian
M. Fenty in May, but because laws passed by the District are subject
to a 30-day review period by Congress the law was delayed.
In a tenuous nod to gay marriage,
Congress allowed the review period to expire without taking action.
Council leaders openly acknowledge
their next move is to legalize gay marriage in the city, perhaps as
early as this fall. The legislation is being fought by a group of
black ministers led by Bishop Harry Jackson, who ministers at the
Hope Christian Church in Beltsville.
Click
here for a complete story background on the fight for gay marriage in
D.C.
The new law recognizes the marriages of
gay men and lesbians performed in states and countries where it is
legal, including the 18,000 marriages performed in California during
the May-to-November 2008 window when it was legal.
Gay marriage is legal in six mostly New
England states: Connecticut, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Vermont and
New Hampshire.