A bill has been passed in Washington State’s house to legally recognize same-sex marriages performed elsewhere as valid domestic partnerships in the state. This past Friday, that bill was approved 58-39, and now moves to the senate.
In 2009, Washington approved a measure to give domestic partners in the state all the rights and protections of married couples, but didn’t take into consideration same-sex marriage licences issued elsewhere, so this new bill corrects an unfairness in the law—it’s not an extension of new rights.
We’re still waiting for full marriage equality in the Washington and watching Senate Bill 5793 and House Bill 1963, which aim to give gays and lesbians access to the one marital right they are currently denied: the right to legally define their relationships using the word “marriage.”
