A homosexual couple sued the District of Columbia Monday, contending that the city had discriminated against them by refusing to approve their request for a marriage license.

"We demand the right to marry," said Craig Dean, a lawyer who filed the suit on behalf of himself and Patrick Gill.

Frederick Beane, clerk of the city's superior court, denied the couple's application for a license last week on grounds that "the sections of the

District of Columbia Code governing marriage do not authorize marriage between persons of the same sex."

But Dean and Gill say city law explicitly prohibits only polygamists and practitioners of incest from obtaining marriage licenses.

The suit asks that Beane be ordered to grant the license. It also seeks

$250,000 in compensatory damages and $1 million in punitive damages. Beane has 20 days to respond to the suit.
