Washington

Washington currently offers broad domestic partnerships to same-sex couples and their families. On April 21, 2007, Governor Christine Gregoire signed the Domestic Partner Bill into law. The law took effect on July 23, 2007, approximately one year after the Washington State Supreme Court ruled against marriage equality for same-sex couples (and upheld a state Defense of Marriage Act passed by the legislature in 1998).
 
In 2008 and 2009, the domestic partnership law was expanded to include all of the protections and responsibilities that marriage provides at the state level.

Anti-gay opponents tried to repeal the domestic partnership law in the November 2009 election, but failed. Washington state continues its conversation about the inequalities gay couples and their families face on its path to ending the exclusion of gay couples from marriage.
 
Status: Broad Domestic Partnership, Anti-Marriage Law 
 
Groups Actively Working on Marriage
 
Equal Rights Washington: Washington's statewide lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) civil rights and advocacy organization  

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