HISTORY MADE! First Same-Sex Spouse Granted Green Card

A family of five in Colorado just got a big Fourth of July gift from Uncle Sam: Cathy Davis became the first same-sex spouse to become a lawful permanent resident of the United States through a marriage-based green card. Davis and her wife, Catronia, have three children. Their immigration interview took place in January and, according to DOMAProject.org, "could have been denied on the spot because of DOMA, the USCIS officer agreed that their case would have been approved that day if they were an opposite-sex couple and she put the case on hold at the request of their attorney, DOMA Project cofounder, Lavi Soloway."

Then exactly one week after the Supreme Court ruling striking down section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act, Davis and her wife were told the green card had been approved. A gay couple in Florida had their green card petition approved Friday, which allows them to remain together.

As with the Florida couple, DOMAProject organizers say that the Davis victory "confirms that DHS is prepared to recognize the legally valid marriages of lesbian and gay couples even when they live in states that do not. Cathy and Catronia were forced to travel from their home in Boulder to marry in Iowa last year because Colorado does not allow same-sex couples to marry. (Yet!)"