They were quickly turned away.
In Richmond, Virginia, eight couples clutching pink "bride" and blue "groom" applications were denied licenses as legislators three blocks away debated a bill affirming the state's ban on same-sex marriages.
"It's a heartbreaker to be rejected," said Mary Gay Hutcherson, accompanied by her partner of 10 years, Yolanda Farnum.
"But it was empowering. I think we deserve a license from the state of Virginia. And I think someday we will get one," she said.
They also protested in Ohio, where Governor Bob Taft signed a law last week making it the 38th state to officially bar recognition of gay marriage and the second to deny benefits such as health insurance coverage to unmarried employees' partners. The Ohio law is considered one of the most far-reaching bans in the country.
"It's so easy for people who have something to tell others they can't have it," said Christopher Hoffman, who was turned away in Columbus with his partner of 16 months, Joshua Jacob Wiley.
"We don't want to be `domestic partners.' We want to be husbands," he said.
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