Yesterday, Guam rejected a marriage license application from the first same-sex couple seeking to get married. "A Department of Public Health and Social Services clerk refused to accept an application filed by Loretta Pangelinan and Kathleen Aguero."

"It doesn't mean I'm not sympathetic, but the law is going to prevent me from issuing a marriage license," department director James Gillan said.

The couple will take their case to a federal court.

The U.S. District Court of Guam falls under the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which has ruled in favor of gay marriage. Thompson said he expects the Guam court to follow the appeals court's decision.

It is possible the U.S. Supreme Court may rule on gay marriage this summer, but the couple does not want to wait. "They want equality now, not later," he said.

Gay couples in Guam usually fly to other states to get married, but Thompson's clients want to get married in Guam. And they most likely want to litigate the issue so that Guam will formally recognize same-sex marriage.

Of the five U.S. Pacific and Caribbean territories, only Puerto Rico has faced a lawsuit seeking marriage rights for gay and lesbian couples. A federal judge there — bucking the trend in federal courts on the mainland — rejected the suit.