On Wednesday for the first time gay couples in Washington D.C. could apply for marriage licnese and -- no surprise there -- the sky did not fall.

The District on Wednesday became the sixth place in the nation where same-sex couples can now marry, following a chain of dominos that began fallling in Iowa last spring.

This is good news for anyone who believes in basic civil rights for all, for anyone who rejects discrimination of any sort.

After some tough setbacks late last year -- New York state took a pass on legalizing gay marriage and in Maine voters approved a referendum to block same-sex marriage -- it was encouraging to see the ball moving forward, ever so slightly.

The stories out of D.C. on Wednesday, featuring real people looking for the same rights the rest of us have, are reminders of why this is worth fighting for.

"I became a naturalized U.S. citizen in the the mid-90s," a woman from Vietnam waiting with her partner for a marriage license told a New York Times reporter. "But this is really the first time that I feel like I have the full rights and benefits of citizenship."