On November 6, many Washington state couples held their breath as citizens voted on whether or not same-sex marriages would be allowed in the future. The same sex legalization vote came down to referendum 74, which ended up passing by 54%. However, the referendum did not go into effect until midnight on December 9—and the State of Washington was ready.
Same-sex marriages across the state began promptly at midnight and continued throughout Sunday. Marriage licenses became available beginning on Thursday, which made couples eligible for marriage three days later. The Oregonian is reporting that four marriages took place in the midnight hour at First Congregational United Church of Christ in Vancouver, WA alone. The outlet is also reporting marriage licenses were signed with the same pen used by Washington Governor Christine Gregoire to sign the bill, which is a nice flourish. Across the state, hundreds of other ceremonies were reported on Sunday.
It was a great day for many long-term couples, and Washington joins eight other states and the District of Columbia in allowing same-sex marriages. Regardless, another big battle is yet to come, with the Supreme Court set to weigh in next year, which will look into California’s banning of same-sex marriage. Additionally, the Supreme Court has announced it will to take a look at an appeal to end the Defense of Marriage Act legislation. With support from several states, and President Obama himself, the Supreme Court’s stance on former governmental decisions could very well change, making some couple’s across the United States very happy, indeed.
