“Same-sex marriage has only been legal in the District for about two months, but the city is on track to set a record for marriages this year. The D.C. Superior Court has already issued more than 2,000 marriage licenses. ‘To put that in perspective,’ Judge William Jackson says. ‘All of last year was about 3,000.’ In the first three months of 2010, the court processed 376 applications. Since March 3 — when gay marriage became legal in the District — the marriage license office has received 2,082 applications. Based on the early numbers, the District is on target to issue four times as many marriage licenses this year as they did in 2009.” [WTOP]
Gay Marriages Help Push D.C. to the Extreme
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Cam
Congratulations to all the couples!
Atlanta Joe
Does anyone know the ratio of same to opposite sex couples getting married? And how does this compare to the (projected) gay to straight population ration in the District? Can anyone remind me if one needs to be a District resident to get married there or is there a “tourist trade” extant?
Cam
@ No. 2 ¡ Atlanta Joe
Hi Joe, you do not need to be a resident to get a marriage liscense and get legally married in the district. Come on up, it’s a beautiful time of year here to get married.
Kyle
@Atlanta Joe – Plus you can now get married in DC and Maryland will recognize out of state marriages. So with a quick Metro ride you can get married in DC and be back home in Maryland!
PwrBttm
Of course- once the Republicans take over Congress in November this will all stop. I know its cool to hate Democrats- but this is one instance where we would do very well to keep the House democratic.
Core
I wonder how much this affects congress (being located in a city that supports gay marriage). It seems like being in a progressive city would have some type of affect (vs. if you were located in Utah or Alaska).
tavdy79
@PwrBttm: As I understand it, the period when Congress could have blocked the law has been and gone some months back, so the only part of the federal government that could now conceivably remove the law from the books is SCOTUS.
Even if someone was stupid enough to think such a challenge would work (I can’t imagine either wing of the court voting against DC’s right to govern itself) the case would take some years to wend its way through the court system. By that point any challenge to DC’s marriage law would have the Atty. Gen’s of MA, NH, VT, CT, IA and possibly CA, ME, RI, NY, NJ &/or MD as interested parties.
Also there’s an outside chance that Perry, which would undoubtedly reach SCOTUS first, will consign DOMA to the dumpster where it belongs. This could undermine any case against the DC marriage law.
The timing of DC’s legalisation really couldn’t be better.
jeffree
Economists would describe such a surge in same-sex marriage as “pent up demand” –that’s to say that people who wanted to do something (e.g. marry a same sex partner) finally got the opportunity, and followed through in numbers unpredicted beforehand.
I doubt these %s will be different in states that eventually decide to allow same sex marriages –with the same rights/ obligations afforded to str8 couples.
We want to guaranntee/protect our rights to raising children/ adopting children/ taxes/ pensions/ employee healthcare benefits the same as
any other family.
No one loses out once we can attain those rights……
WalkderDC
An attempt to negate the councils vote for same sex marriage in DC already went up to the Supreme court, Justice Roberts reviewed and refused to intervene so it’s here to stay.
Also, Pwbttm. I’m curious, the GOP has just had a 50% drop in enthusiasm and the polls are only putting them at around a plus 1 in the overall. To take over they would need around a plus 6, so why would you think that they are going to take over Congress? Have you been watching FOX? đ
Pitou
@WalkderDC: As much as they’ve been dragging their feet and promising, promising, then not doing a wloe lotta anything, I would far rather see a House still full of Dems then the Right-Wing GOP any old day. They’re scare tactics work….I’m scared shit-less of them.
It seems (now anyway) a beautiful thing that they are viewed as associated with those nutjob Tea Partiers. Does anyone else think the same? They’re damaging their or brand…!?!
leanleft
@WalkderDC:
1. The Senate has nothing to do with DC Appropriations. That is under the complete authority of the House.
2. That the Supreme Court refused to hear the case means nothing. The House can and has refused to implement laws duly passed by the District of Columbia at anytime. DC does not have home rule. The House has stripped appropriations for the funding of the DC’s DP law before, medical marijuana was held up for just this reason, and there is no reason why they could not and would not do the same thing with marriage in the District.
The only reason that did not happen this time- is the Majority Leader has huge leeway on what amendments she allows to hit the floor and she was able to block it. Boenher would not be so friendly- hell he’d probably walk it up the floor himself.
JamesStone
I saw this interview with Ted Olson and David Boies a couple months ago. They are very convincing…let’s hope.
http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/02262010/watch.html
Lamar
At least one good thing came out of Prop 8 now gays know to get married as soon as it is legal before assholes decide to take our rights back again.
Wade MacMorrighan
Not to seem like a downer, or anything, but, anyone willing to bet that mags and Brian at NOM are going to pounce on this in their personal “culture war” to show that, if this pattern persists, heterosexual couples may no longer want to get married to the degree that the gays do and, thereby, culturally, “marriage” will be, in their minds, as a Gay social institution thus proving their so-called “Gay agenda”!