last week . She and Young were among 100 couples applying for licenses . Share your thoughts on same-sex marriage The district joins Connecticut , Iowa , Massachusetts , New Hampshire and Vermont in allowing same-sex couples to marry . Mayor Adrian Fenty signed the Washington measure into law in December after the city council overwhelming passed it . It then went through a review period , during which Congress had an opportunity to intervene . The Supreme Court last week rejected a request from a group of Washington residents to keep the law from going into effect . Local courts had previously turned down lawsuits to block it . Opponents of the law say city residents should have had a chance to vote on the issue before the city council passed it . They hope to force a ballot initiative to overturn the law . Also among the first couples to marry Tuesday were Reggie Stanley and Rocky Galloway , both 50 . The couple have two daughters , Malena and Zoe Stanley-Galloway , each 15 months old , according to the biographical information released by the equality groups . Also married on Tuesday were the Rev. Elder Darlene
Washington -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A lesbian couple together for more than a decade smiled through tears Tuesday as they became the first same-sex couple to marry in the District of Columbia , on the first day such unions are legal in the nation 's capital . Sinjoyla Townsend and Angelisa Young said they had waited years to marry . They were first in line last week to apply for a marriage license at Washington 's marriage bureau . `` You are my friend , my partner , my love , '' Young , 47 , told Townsend , 41 . `` I will love you today , tomorrow and forever . '' After the wedding , those present cheered as the two women embraced and cried . They have been together for 12 years and have children , according to biographical information released by the Human Rights Campaign and D.C. Clergy United for Marriage Equality . The new law survived a Supreme Court challenge . The measure went into effect last week , but couples had to hold off until Tuesday because of the district 's three-day waiting period . `` We 're very excited , '' Townsend said