Gay couples lining up outside courthouse to apply for marriage licenses

About a dozen same-sex couples stood outside of D.C. Superior Court in a chilly, light rain waiting for the courthouse to allow the couples inside to apply for their marriage licenses. The office that provides them will open at 8:30 a.m.

"I'm very excited. This is the love of my life," said Darlene Garner, 61, of her partner Candy Holmes, 53, both of Laurel. The two women have been together for 14 years and met at the Metropolitan Community Churches where they both are ministers.

Many of the couples in line wore casual clothes and Human Rights Campaign buttons on their lapels.

Several of the couples had already registered as domestic partners in the past. Michael Lavin, 55, and Joe Peters, 48, of Brookeville, Md., have been together for 17 years. The men said getting married was an "extra level of protection" for insurance and other policies to make sure each is covered.

A handful of D.C. Superior Court employees and security officers were directing couples to the marriage bureau in room 4485. The so-called court "greeters," who are normally stationed throughout the courthouse to give such direction and wear highly visible red jackets, were noticeably absent. They don't start working for another hour or so.

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-- Keith Alexander