The freedom to marry gains momentum in Washington state

By Angela Dallara
Jan 11, 2012 at 05:22 pm

Washington United for Marriage and its allies are moving forward after Governor Gregoire’s announcement on Monday that she supports extending the freedom to marry to gay and lesbian couples.

Yesterday Tacoma, the third-largest city in Washington, became the first municipality in the state to officially endorse marriage legislation with an 8-0 unanimous vote. Numerous residents and council members spoke in favor of the legislation, while no one spoke in opposition. The King County Council passed a similar motion on Monday with bipartisan support.

In addition, the Associated Press reported today that the Washington state legislature is close to having enough votes to approve the bill. The House is expected to have enough support; and after polling all 49 state senators over the past week, the AP found that they are also in firm support of marriage by a margin of 21-18, including a pair of Republicans. Five other Democrats say they are currently considering it, two of whom are leaning in favor. The measure needs 25 votes to pass the state Senate.

Freedom to Marry is working closely with Washington United for Marriage to continue the public education campaign for marriage in the state. Click here to learn more about the work we and the rest of the coalition are doing!