Race on for First DC Gay Marriage

The Associated Press profiles marriage equality advocate Craig Dean, who is staking his claim to be the first gay person to marry his partner in Washington, D.C.

Dean gained attention in the 1990s, when he and his then-partner, Patrick Gill, filed a lawsuit to be allowed to marry legally in the district. The couple lost the lawsuit in 1995, and Gill passed away in 1997.

Dean now lives in South Carolina and hopes to marry his current partner, John Blevins, when the marriage equality law, which passed the D.C. council last month, takes effect.

"The law still has to survive a review by Congress, which has final say over the district's laws. Lawmakers appear unlikely to intervene though, so gay couples could be marrying in Washington -- legally this time -- by March," reports the AP. It would be the sixth place in the country where gay marriages are allowed. And Dean, who carries bittersweet memories of his and Gill's pioneering effort, wants the first spot in line."