It’s a new era for same-sex rights
Just 11 years ago, Washington state lawmakers barred same-sex marriage with the passage of the Defense of Marriage Act. This week, that law is on the edge of becoming irrelevant.
Today, Gov. Chris Gregoire is set to sign an “everything but marriage” bill that gives gay and lesbian couples all the state-provided benefits that married heterosexual couples have. A referendum effort to overturn the law has already ramped up.