A controversial bill legalizing gay marriage in the state of Washington has passed the state’s Legislature, setting the stage for the state to become the seventh in the nation to allow same-sex couples to wed.
The measure now heads to the desk of the state’s Democratic governor, Christine Gregoire. Ms. Gregoire has already indicated her support of the measure, vowing to sign it into law if it passed the Democratically-controlled legislature. The Washington House passed the bill on a 55 to 43 vote on Wednesday, following the state Senate which approved the measure last week.
Voting in favor of the measure, Democrats said the measure would resolve a number of issues related to marriage. The state has already considered a number of state ballot measures on the issue, many of which have resulted in legal challenges.
“Approval for the marriage-equality standard in both legislative chambers is a momentous statement of justice and principle for every Washington citizen, family, and community. We have sent to the governor’s desk a bill — a bipartisan bill, I happily add — around which every Washington city, town, and neighborhood can and should rally,” said state Rep. Jim Moeller, a Democrat. “I have felt all along that time was on our side. Time has always been on the side of doing what I believe is the right thing, the principled thing for equality and justice.”
While a number of Republican lawmakers voted in favor of the proposal, various Republicans expressed disappointment with the bill’s passage, saying it will undermine the sanctity of marriage.
“Marriage is about life,” Representative Jay Rodne, a Republican from North Bend, said during debate on the bill. “It’s about joining that man and that woman as husband and wife and mother and father, linking them with their natural-born children.”
The proposal would take effect 90 days after the governor signs, but opponents have promised to fight gay marriage with a ballot measure that would allow voters to overturn the legislative approval. The legislation allows religious denominations to decide who qualifies for their wedding ceremonies and which marriages to recognize.
