Yesterday’s vote in the Washington state Senate was the first big push to get the same-sex marriage ball rolling in the state. Now the Washington state House has to pass the bill, and the governor has to sign it. The bill is expected to pass as early as next week, according to the Seattle Times.
The state Senate was seen as the biggest hurdle the bill’s passage. The House apparently has more than enough votes in its favor, according to the bill’s supporters, and Gov. Chris Gregoire strongly supports it.
But despite the initial worry, the Senate vote was 28-21 in favor of the bill. In all, 24 Democrats and four Republicans voted for the bill, which defines marriage as between two people, rather than a man and a woman. The bill’s passage would make Washington the seventh state to legalize same-sex marriage.
Sen. Ed Murray, lead sponsor of the senate bill and one of several gay legislators in the state, told the Seattle Times, “For a lot of people in my age group, this is a stunning event. It’s something we did not believe would happen in our lifetime.”
Now, before you throw all of your glitter confetti, know this: opponents of same-marriage have threatened to file a referdum that would challenge the law by a public vote in the November election. The referendum can only be filed after the bill is passed, but after that happens, opponents of same-sex marriage would have until 90 days after the end of the legislative session to collect 120,577 signatures.
But barring that, start writing your save the dates!
What does this mean to Oregonians? Well, if you have a domestic partnership, when the law passes you can go to Washington and get gay-married! Watch out Vantucky!
To read the entirety of SB 6329 download the PDF from the Washington State government site.
[…] equality bill, queers poised to tie the knot Written by Alley Hector || Print this Page After Washington state passed a bill through the Senate last week we knew that the road to gay marriage in our neighbor to the north was only a matter of time. Today […]