Gay marriage in washington state
Domestic Partnerships and Marriage Equality in Seattle
Over the course of four decades, the Seattle Municipality Council took modest steps to enlarge 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 receive 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 help from Councilmember Jeanette Williams, the Seattle Women's Commission began to provide suggestions to the Mayor, City Council, and other departments regarding women's issues in Part of the Commission's mission was to establish goals, priorities, and immediate action objectives in alleviating discrimination against women.
Legislation mandating impartial employment practices was first passed by City Council in (Ordinance ); it prohibited employment discrimination due to race, age, sex, hue, creed or national origin. Amendments in (Ordin
Washington State Legislature Passes Historic Same-Sex Marriage Bill
February 8, am
Expected Signing by Governor Will Make Washington the Seventh State to Enable Same-Sex Couples to Marry
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: () ; media@
OLYMPIA, Wash. – The American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU of Washington today hailed the passage by the Washington House of Representatives of a bill granting lesbian and gay couples in the state the freedom to marry as a historic step towards fairness for families across the country.
“Washingtonians should be proud of their legislature and their governor for standing on the right side of history by securing fairness and dignity for all families,” said James Esseks, director of the ACLU Lesbian Queer Bisexual and Transgender Undertaking. “When loving couples generate the kind of pledge that is at the heart of marriage, it's not fair to remove them from the protections that only marriage can provide.”
The vote comes one day after a judgment by a federal appeals court that a California ballot initiative that excludes same-sex couples from marria
Washington state backs gay marriage
Governor Christine Gregoire has five days to approve the text, which would make Washington the seventh state in the nation to allow gay marriage.
"The bill was passed by the Property on a vote," an official in Washington's House of Representatives in the state capital Olympia told AFP.
Gregoire "has five days after she gets the bill. It will probably get a few days to become it over to her, and then she has five days," said the official, who asked not to be named.
The governor said last month she supported the bill and that she planned to sign it if approved by lawmakers. Washington's state senate approved the bill last week.
Six US states -- Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, Fresh Hampshire, New York and Vermont -- plus the District of Columbia already allow same-sex marriage, but the issue remains highly controversial.
A group of 80 US mayors -- including Brand-new York's Michael Bloomberg, Chicago's Rahm Emanuel, Antonio Villaraigosa from Los Angeles and Annise Parker from Houston -- last month unve
Washington State Makes History with Marriage Equality Statute
WASHINGTON – Today the Human Rights Campaign – the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender civil rights group – praised Washington declare Gov. Christine Gregoire for her signature of the historic bill extending marriage to gay and dyke couples. HRC is arrogant to have been a founding member of the campaign to pass the marriage bill and to have worked on the ground with state partners.
“Today’s signature of the marriage equality law puts Washington on the road to fairness for all families,” said HRC President Joe Solmonese. “While those opposed to marriage for queer and lesbian couples will no doubt try to undo this progress, I am confident that equality will prevail in Washington.”
The Human Rights Campaign made a significant vow of resources to the successful efforts to reach marriage equality in Washington in From the founding of the Washington Together for Marriage coalition through the governor’s signing of the m