Wash. lawmakers pass gay-marriage bill

Associated Press

OLYMPIA, Wash.

Washington state lawmakers voted to approve gay marriage Wednesday, setting the stage for the state to become the seventh in the nation to allow same-sex couples to wed.

The action comes a day after a federal appeals court declared California’s ban on gay marriage unconstitutional, saying it was a violation of the civil rights of gay and lesbian couples.

The Washington House passed the bill on a 55-43 vote. The state Senate approved the measure last week. Democratic Gov. Chris Gregoire is expected to sign the measure into law next week.

Democratic Rep. Jamie Pedersen, a gay lawmaker from Seattle who has sponsored gay-rights bills in the House for several years, said that while he and his partner are grateful for the rights that exist under the state’s current domestic-partnership law, “domestic partnership is a pale and inadequate substitute for marriage.”

Pedersen cited Tuesday’s ruling by the San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals during his remarks on the House floor.

“The court addressed the question of why marriage matters directly,” he said, and read a section from the ruling that stated “marriage is the name that society gives to the relationship that matters most between two adults.”

“I would like for our four children to grow up understanding that their daddy and their poppa have made that kind of a lifelong commitment to each other,” he said. “Marriage is the word that we use in our society to convey that idea.”

Several Republicans argued against the bill, saying that it goes against the tradition of marriage.

Rep. Jay Rodne, R-Snoqualmie, said that the measure “severs the cultural, historical and legal underpinnings of the institution of marriage.”

“This bill is really an exercise of raw political power,” he said. “It contravenes human nature and it will hurt families and children.”

Two Republicans crossed the aisle and voted in favor of the bill. Three Democrats voted against it. Democrats hold a 56-42 majority in the House.

Rep. Maureen Walsh, R-College Place, said that the bill was a matter of equality.