Gov. Gregoire signs measure legalizing gay marriage in Washington
Feb 13, 2012, 10:33 AM | Updated: 5:48 pm
Gov. Chris Gregoire signed a measure legalizing gay marriage in Washington state on Monday.
“As governor for more than seven years, this is one of my proudest moments,” Gregoire said. “And most surely today is a proud day in the history of the Legislature and the state of Washington. It is a day historians will mark as a milestone for equal rights. A day when we did what was right, we did what was just, and we did what was fair. We stood up for equality and we did it together.”
The House passed the bill on a 55-43 vote Wednesday, a week after the Senate approved it.
“This is what defines great legislators and great leaders,” said Gregoire, who thanked Democratic Senator Ed Murray and Rep. Jamie Pedersen (D-Seattle), sponsors of the gay marriage bill.
Listen to Tim Haeck’s report: Governor Gregoire signs same-sex marriage bill
Washington now joins Massachusetts, Connecticut, Iowa, New Hampshire, Vermont, and New York, plus the District of Columbia, in allowing same-sex marriages.
The law takes effect June 7, but opponents have promised to fight back with a ballot measure that would allow voters to overturn it.
If opponents gather enough signatures to take their fight to the ballot, the law is put on hold pending the outcome of a November election.
They must turn in more than 120,000 signatures by June 6 to challenge the proposed law. An anti-gay marriage initiative has also been filed. To qualify, 241,153 signatures must be submitted by July 6.
In 2009 the Legislature passed, and voters later upheld, a bill that greatly expanded the rights of same-sex domestic partners. That measure was known as the “everything but marriage” bill. Nearly 19,000 people in Washington state are registered as domestic partners.
Before January, when Gregoire said she would introduce the legislation to legalize same-sex marriage, she had supported efforts to expand the state’s law on domestic partner rights for gay couples, but had not previously come out in favor of full marriage rights.
“I can’t sit here any longer and say it’s OK to discriminate,” Gregoire said in January. “I have not liked where I have been for seven years and I have sorted it out in my head and heart. What’s more important to me is I believe in equality and respect for all citizens.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
