CARNAL NATION

The Associated Press reports that the District of Columbia Council unanimously voted today to recognize same-sex marriages performed in other states. The District joins New York in recognizing same-sex marriages but without actually allowing them to be performed within their precincts. Recognition is widely seen as a step closer to granting gays and lesbians the right to marry.

Same-sex marriage is now permitted in four states: Vermont, Iowa, Connecticut, and Massachusetts. Two states, New Hampshire and New Jersey, offer civil unions to gays and lesbians. New Hampshire's House passed a marriage bill in March, which now awaits a Senate vote. In New Jersey, Gov. Jon Corzine has pledged to sign a gay marriage bill that has been introduced in its legislature. Which state will be next?

Under the federal Defense of Marriage Act, the U.S. government does not recognize same-sex unions, even those that are legal marriages in Massachusetts, Connecticut, and several foreign countries.