WASHINGTON — It was cold and drizzling outside the City Courthouse just after 6 a.m. on  Wednesday, March 3, but no one seemed to mind among the same-sex couples waiting for the chance to apply for a marriage license.

Gay rights advocates hailed the day as a milestone for equal rights and a symbolic victory as same-sex marriage became legal in the nation’s capital.

Washington is now the sixth place in the nation where same-sex marriages can take place. Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Vermont also issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples.