Washington State Approves Same Sex Marriage

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Washington state legislature votes to approve same-sex marriage

By Tom Watkins, CNN
February 8, 2012

(CNN) -- A bipartisan group of lawmakers in Washington State voted Wednesday in favor of a bill that would legalize same-sex marriage, putting Washington on the path toward becoming the seventh state in the nation to legalize marriage for gay and lesbian couples.

"With today's vote, we tell the nation that Washington state will no longer deny our citizens the opportunity to marry the person they love," said Gov. Chris Gregoire, a Demorcrat who has vowed to sign it. "We tell every child of same-sex couples that their family is every bit as equal and important as all other families in our state. And we take a major step toward completing a long and important journey to end discrimination based on sexual orientation."

The law will go into effect in June, when the legislative session ends, unless opponents halt its implementation by putting it on the November 2012 ballot.


Full story and video: http://www.cnn.com/2012/02/08/us/washin ... index.html