Marriage Equality
Through the efforts of the ACLU-WA and its coalition partners in Washington United for Marriage and LGBT rights advocates statewide, the Washington Legislature is poised to take the historic step of approving civil marriage for same-sex couples.
Sponsors: Rep. Pederson, Sen. Murray
The freedom to marry the person you love is fundamental to a democratic society. It is a matter of basic fairness that all loving, committed couples should be able to marry legally, regardless of sexual orientation.
With public attitudes toward lesbians and gays shifting dramatically in recent years, there is a major push to extend access to civil marriage to same-sex couples this session. The campaign is being led by Washington United for Marriage, a broad coalition of civil rights groups, faith-based organizations, unions, and business associations formed last fall. The ACLU-WA is heavily involved in the effort and has a seat on its governing committee.
The drive for marriage equality received a boost in early January from a heart-felt endorsement by Gov. Chris Gregoire. While acknowledging that coming to support legal marriage for all couples had been a “personal journey,” she pointed out that same-sex couples face the same hurdles as others seeking to build strong families. “How can we tell some children that their parents’ love is less equal than that of others?” she asked.
The state legislature has been on its own journey toward full acceptance of lesbian and gay relationships. In 2007 it passed a domestic partnership law which provided hospital visitation rights, the ability to authorize autopsies and organ donations, and inheritance rights when there is no will. In 2009, the legislature passed and voters statewide later upheld a bill that expanded those rights to include all the rights and responsibilities that heterosexual couples have – "everything-but-marriage.” But couples still need the recognition for their relationships that civil marriage confers.
Washington should join New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, Iowa, and the District of Columbia in treating same-sex couples equally.
Learn more at www.washingtonunitedformarriage.org
