Washington State Legislature Passes Marriage Bill

2/8/2012

Press Contact:
Angela Dallara
Communications Associate, Freedom to Marry
646-430-3925
angela@freedomtomarry.org
 
(Seattle, Washington) – Today, the Washington House of Representatives joined the state Senate in passing a freedom to marry bill that, if signed by the governor, would make Washington the seventh state to end the restriction on marriage for gay and lesbian couples and, counting the District of Columbia, the fifth to do so through legislative action. The law would take effect at the end of the legislative session in June, but marriage opponents are expected to attempt to deny its implementation by forcing it onto the November 2012 ballot.

Thalia Zepatos, Director of Public Engagement at Freedom to Marry, released the following statement in response to the vote:

“Freedom to Marry is proud to be a lead coalition partner in Washington United for Marriage, which worked tirelessly to educate legislators and citizens about why marriage matters to gay couples and their families. Today's win also comes as the result of dedication from elected officials like Rep. Jamie Pedersen, whose courageous leadership paved the way for this bill’s passage in the House. Freedom to Marry is prepared to see this victory through so that loving and committed couples in Washington are free to exercise their freedom to marry.”
 
Governor Chris Gregoire has championed the measure since announcing her support of marriage for gay and lesbian couples in early January. She is expected to sign the bill shortly.
 
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Freedom to Marry is the campaign to win marriage nationwide. We are pursuing our Roadmap to Victory by working to win the freedom to marry in more states, grow the national majority for marriage, and end federal marriage discrimination. We partner with individuals and organizations across the country to end the exclusion of same-sex couples from marriage and the protections, responsibilities, and commitment that marriage brings.