Gregoire Proposes Making Gay Marriage Legal in Washington
OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) -- Gov. Chris Gregoire said Wednesday she wants Washington to become the seventh state in the nation to make gay marriage legal.
She said at a news conference she'll introduce legislation that, if passed, would allow same-sex marriage in Washington state.
In November, a coalition called Washington United for Marriage announced it would lobby the Legislature to approve a gay marriage this year. In 2009 the Legislature passed, and voters later upheld, a bill that greatly expanded the rights of same-sex domestic partners. That measure was known as the "everything but marriage" bill. Nearly 19,000 people in Washington state are registered as domestic partners.