Delaware Attorney General Beau Biden on
Wednesday said that the marriages of some 1,300 gay and lesbian
couples performed in Utah will be recognized in Delaware.
“Marriage equality is the law in
Delaware and I strongly believe that individuals outside our state
borders should be equally free to choose whom to love and whom to
spend their lives with,” Biden said in a statement. “It is our
position that these marriages are and should be recognized as valid
under Delaware law.”
The marriages were conducted during a
17 day window bookended by a federal judge's ruling striking down
Utah's marriage ban and the Supreme Court putting the judge's order
on hold pending the outcome of an appeal.
Two days after Utah officials said they
were putting the marriages “on hold,” the Obama administration
announced that the federal government would recognize the marriages
for purposes of federal benefits.
Maryland has also pledged to recognize
the marriages.
(Related: Vince
Gray: “Unequivocally” D.C. should recognize Utah gay marriages.)