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Washington state lawmakers pass gay marriage bill
From the Associated Press
5:20 PM PST, February 8, 2012 - Los Angeles Times
Washington state lawmakers voted to approve gay marriage Wednesday, setting
the stage for the state to become the seventh in the nation to allow same-sex
couples to wed.
The action comes a day after a federal appeals court
declared California's ban on gay marriage unconstitutional, saying it was a
violation of the civil rights of gay and lesbian couples.
The Washington
House passed the bill on a 55-43 vote. The state Senate approved the measure
last week. And Democratic Gov. Chris Gregoire is expected to sign the measure
into law next week.
Democratic Rep. Jamie Pedersen, a gay lawmaker from
Seattle who has sponsored gay rights bills in the House for several years, said
that while he and his partner are grateful for the rights that exist under the
state's current domestic partnership law, "domestic partnership is a pale and
inadequate substitute for marriage."
Pedersen cited Tuesday's ruling by
the San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals during his remarks on
the House floor.
"The court addressed the question of why marriage
matters directly," he said, and read a section from the ruling that stated
"marriage is the name that society gives to the relationship that matters most
between two adults."
"I would like for our four children to grow up
understanding that their daddy and their poppa have made that kind of a lifelong
commitment to each other," he said. "Marriage is the word that we use in our
society to convey that idea."
Several Republicans argued against the
bill, saying that it goes against the tradition of marriage.
Rep. Jay
Rodne, R-Snoqualmie, said that the measure "severs the cultural, historical and
legal underpinnings of the institution of marriage."
"This bill is really
an exercise of raw political power," he said. "It contravenes human nature and
it will hurt families and children."
Two Republicans crossed the aisle
and voted in favor of the bill. Three Democrats voted against it. Democrats hold
a 56-42 majority in the House.
Rep. Maureen Walsh, R-College Place, said
that the bill was a matter of equality.
"Why in the world would we not
allow those equal rights to those individuals who are truly committed to each
other in life?" she asked. She noted that her daughter told her she was gay a
few years ago.
"Nothing's different," she said. "She's still a fabulous
human being. And some day, by God, I want to throw a wedding for that
kid."
Gregoire watched from the wings with the bill's sponsor, Democratic
Sen. Ed Murray of Seattle, a gay lawmaker who has spearheaded the domestic
partnership and marriage push in the Legislature.
"I'm happy," Murray
said after the vote. "It's a great day for families across the state. It's a
great day for my family."
However, gay couples can't begin walking down
the aisle just yet.
The proposal would take effect 90 days after the
governor signs the measure but opponents have promised to fight gay marriage
with a ballot measure that would allow voters to overturn the legislative
approval.
If opponents gather enough signatures to take their fight to
the ballot box, the law would be put on hold pending the outcome of a November
election.
Otherwise gay couples could wed starting in
June.
Washington state has had domestic partnership laws since 2007, and
more than a dozen other states have provisions, ranging from civil unions to gay
marriage, supporting same-sex couples.
Gay marriage is legal in New York,
Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont and Washington
D.C.
Lawmakers in New Jersey are expected to vote on gay marriage next
week, and Maine could see a gay marriage proposal on the November
ballot.
Proposed amendments to ban gay marriage will be on the ballots in
North Carolina in May and in Minnesota in November.
A three-judge panel
of the 9th Circuit ruled against California's voter-approved same-sex marriage
ban, known as Proposition 8.
The panel gave gay marriage opponents time
to appeal the 2-1 decision before ordering the state to allow same-sex weddings
to resume. The judges also said the decision only applies to California, even
though the court has jurisdiction in nine western states.
Lawyers for the
coalition of conservative religious groups that sponsored Proposition 8 said
they have not decided if they will seek a new 9th Circuit hearing or file an
appeal directly to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Washington state's momentum
for same-sex marriage has been building and the debate has changed significantly
since 1998, when lawmakers passed Washington's Defense of Marriage Act banning
gay marriage. The constitutionality of that law ultimately was upheld by the
state Supreme Court in 2006. But earlier that year, a gay civil rights measure
passed after nearly 30 years of failure, signaling a change in the
Legislature.
The quick progression of domestic partnership laws in the
state came soon after, with a domestic partnership law in 2007, and two years of
expansion that culminated in 2009 with "everything but marriage" expansion that
was upheld by voters.
In October, a University of Washington poll found
that an increasing number of people in the state support same-sex marriage.
About 43 percent of respondents said they support gay marriage, up from 30
percent in the same poll five years earlier. Another 22 percent said they
support giving identical rights to gay couples, without calling the unions
"marriage."
If a challenge to gay marriage law was on the ballot, 55
percent said they would vote to uphold the law. And 38 percent said they would
vote to reject a gay marriage law.
The gay marriage bill also has the
backing of several prominent Pacific Northwest businesses, including Microsoft,
Nike and Starbucks.