• 27
  • January
    2012

Washington inched closer this week toward becoming the seventh state in the union to legalize same-sex marriage. Already there were more than enough members of the state House of Representatives who had agreed support the same-sex marriage bill. However, the outcome of the bill in the Senate appeared not to have enough support. In a victory for advocates of same-sex marriage legalization in Washington, the 25th senator to sign off on the idea announced her support this week, meaning the bill has enough votes to succeed.

Should the bill become law, it would remove the need for domestic partnerships in the state as same-sex couples would then be allowed to marry. Existing laws regarding same-sex couples in Washington essentially give them the same rights as married couples, just without the official title of being married. But critics say that amounts to a "separate but equal" distinction that should fade into history.

As we wrote about on this blog earlier this month, the drive toward same-sex marriage legalization already had support from Washington Gov. Christine Gregoire. But before the bill could advance to her desk, it would have to gain approval from both the state House and Senate.

Many area businesses have said they support the change to the law, and say they anticipate a windfall for the state economy and an increase in state revenue. Even if the Washington law does change, it will not affect the federal government's view of same-sex couples. The Defense of Marriage act still applies at a federal level, so same-sex married couples receive any benefits for being married at the federal level, and cannot file as married on their tax returns, for example.

Source: The Columbian, "Same-sex marriage nears legalization," Steve Mathieu, Jan. 23, 2012