When was gay marriage legalized in washington state
Marriage Equality and Gay Rights in Washington
Washington became one of the first three states, along with Maine and Maryland, to enact same-sex marriage at the ballot box when voters approved Referendum 74 on November 6, 2012. (Other states had legalized same-sex marriage earlier, but those decisions were made by courts or legislators rather than by popular vote.) This essay follows the path to marriage equality in Washington, beginning in 1971 when two men applied for a King County marriage license and launched the first gay marriage lawsuit when they were refused. It examines some of the civil rights achieved by gays and lesbians along the way.
Request Denied
On September 20, 1971, John Singer (later Faygele benMiriam, 1944-2000) and Paul Barwick (b. 1947), both ex-servicemen, walked into the King County auditor's office and demanded a marriage license. The county had never before received a marriage license request from a same-sex couple, and auditor Lloyd Hara (b. 1939) contacted the county prosecutor's office seeking advice. Norm Maleng (1938-2007), then principal civil deputy prosecutor, told the auditor to decline the application.
Years later, Hara
December 9: Gay Marriage in Washington State
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Domestic Partnerships and Marriage Equality in Seattle
Over the course of four decades, the Seattle City Council took incremental steps to expand the coverage and definition of human rights. Marital status and sexual orientation were included in anti-discrimination laws, and families were defined more broadly so that domestic partners of employees could collect benefits. This led to the city's domestic partnership registration program and eventually to its support of statewide marriage equality legislation.
Expanding anti-discrimination laws
With support from Councilmember Jeanette Williams, the Seattle Women's Commission began to provide advice to the Mayor, City Council, and other departments regarding women's issues in 1971. Part of the Commission's mission was to found goals, priorities, and immediate action objectives in alleviating discrimination against women.
Legislation mandating fair employment practices was first passed by Municipality Council in 1972 (Ordinance 100642); it prohibited employment discrimination due to race, age, sex, color, creed or national origin. Amendments in 1973 (Ordinance 102562) widened the prohibition to include marital status, sexual orienta
Midnight party: Pot, gay marriage become legal in Washington state
Updated at 4:51 a.m. ET: SEATTLE – When the clock struck midnight here on Thursday, hundreds of gay couples were lined up outside the county courthouse to obtain marriage licenses, while a hundred or so pot-lovers gathered across town beneath the Space Needle to light up.
They could accomplish this because last month, on Nov. 6, Washington state voters approved marriage for same-sex couples and legalizing marijuana. Both laws went into effect at midnight.
The King County Recorder's Office opened its doors to couples at 12:01 a.m. At the front of the line were Kelly Middleton, 24, and Amanda Dollente, 29. They had arrived at 4 p.m., worried they wouldn't get a spot in line.
They had gone through three cups of warm chocolate and countless cigarettes, worried they weren't prepared and anxious that the law might suddenly adjust – as it did in California in 2008.
"I ran around the building asking people, 'Are we in the right place? Will you look at my paperwork?'" Dollente said.
There was concern last week that the marriage licenses would still carry the words "bride" and "groom," but officials came through in time.
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