Same-sex Couples in D.C. Set to Say "I Do"

Washington (CNN) -- Dozens of same-sex couples plan to marry in the District of Columbia on Tuesday, the first day that such unions will be legal in the nation's capital.

The new law survived a Supreme Court challenge last week, when the measure went into effect, but couples had to hold off until Tuesday because of a three-day waiting period.

Sinjoyla Townsend and Angelisa Young say they have waited for years for this day. They were first in line last week to apply for a marriage license at Washington's marriage bureau. They will be among the first to marry Tuesday.  "We're very excited," Townsend said last week. She and Young were among 100 couples applying for licenses.

The district joins Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Vermont in allowing same-sex couples to marry.  Washington Mayor Adrian Fenty signed the district's measure into law in December, after the City Council overwhelmingly 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 that would have kept the law from going into effect. Local courts had previously turned down lawsuits to block the law.

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.