Yesterday was a joyous one in Washington, D.C., according to the Washington Post, because gay marriage is finally legal. On March 4, Keith L. Alexander and Ann E. Marimow cheered that the “fight” for gay marriage had won in the district.
The giddy writers didn’t let the fact that the D.C. Council’s decision wasn’t a surprise dampen the, well, sheer, unmitigated wonderfulness of the moment. “For the couples in line Wednesday and those who follow, it was the culmination of a three-decade struggle for equality,” they wrote. “Advocates had long known that the D.C. Council would approve same-sex marriage.”
That still didn’t stop Angelisa Young from crying, “so hard she eventually had to bury her face in her fiancées chest.” Young and her partner, Sinjoyla Townsend, were the first to receive their license, which “meant everything to them. There was the history of it all, but mostly it was about having the nation's capital validate their relationships and their families.”
After Young and Townsed received their license the crowd, “broke into spontaneous applause and cheers.”
Alexander and Marimow pointed out that the crowd included religious leaders who supported gay marriage as well as cheering college students. The authors even described how, “There were congratulatory hugs, commemorative pens and chocolate cupcakes to mark the moment.”
Two gay council members and the chief sponsor of the bill even signed autographs.
Just in case, however, there was extra security. But, luckily, “officers far outnumbered the protesters. And the celebration largely overshadowed the presence of four people from a church in Kansas who gathered outside the courthouse, chanting and carrying protest signs, one of which read: ‘Mourn for your sins.’”
Even though all is well for now, it may, unfortunately, not last. Alexander and Marimow explained that, “even as couples planned their marriages, there was some concern the celebrations could be cut short by Congress or the courts.” Sharra Greer, waiting in line with her partner, mused, “Who knows how long this will last?” Apparently, she was referring to the whole gay marriage thing, not her relationship.
Greer also stated that, “As long as Democrats are in the majority, we're hoping they can hold the line.” And once again, Democrats to the rescue.
