NEW YORK - March 3 - Statement by Evan Wolfson, Executive Director of Freedom to Marry, on the Freedom to Marry in the District of Columbia:

"Today is a day of jubilation as Washington D.C. joins the five states and eight countries where same-sex couples now share in the freedom to marry. The issuance of marriage licenses to same-sex couples in America's capital marks a significant victory for the national movement to secure the freedom to marry, and a great joy for D.C. couples who no longer need to leave home to secure the protections and responsibilities of marriage for their families. As our nation's lawmakers mingle with committed couples living more securely than before and witness first-hand that the sky does not fall, it will be evident that there is no good reason for denying gay couples the freedom to marry, and every reason to end the federal discrimination against married couples inflicted through the so-called 'Defense of Marriage Act.'"