by James Whitely - SGN Staff Writer

Mary Cheney, the openly Lesbian daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney, married her longtime partner, Heather Poe, on the morning of Friday, June 22, in Washington D.C. Same-sex marriage was signed into law in the District of Columbia on December 18, 2009, and has been legal there since March 3, 2010.

'Mary and Heather have been in a committed relationship for many years, and we are delighted that they were able to take advantage of the opportunity to have that relationship recognized,' said the Cheney family in a statement. 'Mary and Heather and their children are very important and much loved members of our family and we wish them every happiness.'

The Cheneys are likely the most prominent Republican family to endorse marriage equality. Vice President Cheney came out in support of same-sex marriage in 2009, in a specific reference to his daughter.

'Well, I think that freedom means freedom for everyone. As many of you know, one of my daughters is Gay and it is something that we have lived with for a long time in our family. I think people ought to be free to enter into any kind of union they wish, any kind of arrangement they wish,' said Cheney in 2009.

'The question of whether or not there ought to be a federal statute that governs this, I don't support. I do believe that historically the way marriage has been regulated is at the state level. It has always been a state issue and I think that's the way it ought to be handled today, that is, on a state-by-state basis.'

Since leaving office, Cheney has continued to oppose the federal Defense of Marriage Act.

'Mary and Heather have had a tremendous impact on the way America views Gay people,' said Jimmy LaSalvia, cofounder of the conservative Gay advocacy organization GOProud.

'Simply by living their lives openly, honestly, and as authentic conservatives, they have done more to change hearts and minds in this country than any Gay advocacy group.'

Mary, 43, is the younger of Dick and Lynne Cheney's two daughters. She and Heather live in Virginia and have two children, Samuel and Sarah.

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