The action comes a day after a federal appeals court declared California’s ban on gay marriage unconstitutional, saying it was a violation of the civil rights of gay and lesbian couples.
The Washington House passed the bill on a 55-43 vote. The state Senate approved the measure last week. And Democratic Gov. Chris Gregoire is expected to sign the measure into law next week.
However, gay couples can’t begin walking down the aisle just yet.
The proposal would take effect 90 days after the governor signs, but opponents have promised to fight gay marriage with a ballot measure that would allow voters to overturn the legislative approval.
If opponents gather enough signatures to take their fight to the ballot box, the law would be put on hold pending the outcome of a November election.
Otherwise gay couples could wed starting in June.
Washington state has had domestic partnership laws since 2007, and more than a dozen other states have provisions, ranging from civil unions to gay marriage, supporting same-sex couples.
Gay marriage is legal in New York, Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont and Washington D.C.
Lawmakers in New Jersey are expected to vote on gay marriage next week, and Maine could see a gay marriage proposal on the November ballot.
Proposed amendments to ban gay marriage will be on the ballots in North Carolina in May and in Minnesota in November.
The San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Tuesday ruled against California’s voter-approved same-sex marriage ban, known as Proposition 8.
The three-judge panel gave gay marriage opponents time to appeal the 2-1 decision before ordering the state to allow same-sex weddings to resume. The judges also said the decision only applies to California, even though the court has jurisdiction in nine western states.
Lawyers for the coalition of conservative religious groups that sponsored Proposition 8 said they have not decided if they will seek a new 9th Circuit hearing or file an appeal directly to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Washington state’s momentum for same-sex marriage has been building and the debate has changed significantly since 1998, when lawmakers passed Washington’s Defense of Marriage Act banning gay marriage. The constitutionality of that law ultimately was upheld by the state Supreme Court in 2006. But earlier that year, a gay civil rights measure passed after nearly 30 years of failure, signaling a change in the Legislature.
The quick progression of domestic partnership laws in the state came soon after, with a domestic partnership law in 2007, and two years of expansion that culminated in 2009 with “everything but marriage” expansion that was upheld by voters.
In October, a University of Washington poll found that an increasing number of people in the state support same-sex marriage. About 43 percent of respondents said they support gay marriage, up from 30 percent in the same poll five years earlier. Another 22 percent said they support giving identical rights to gay couples, without calling the unions “marriage.”
If a challenge to gay marriage law was on the ballot, 55 percent said they would vote to uphold the law. And 38 percent said they would vote to reject a gay marriage law.
The gay marriage bill also has the backing of several prominent Pacific Northwest businesses, including Microsoft, Nike and Starbucks. (AP)
<한글 기사>
美 워싱턴 주에서 동성결혼 법안 통과
미국 서부 워싱턴 주 의회에서 동성간의 결혼을 합법화하는 법안이 8일(현지시간) 통과되었다.
AP통신은 이 날 열린 주 하원의회 표결에서 해당 법안이 55-43으로 통과되었다고 보도했다.
동성결혼 지지자들로서는 전날 연방법원이 캘리포니아의 동성결혼 금지 법안에 대해 내린 위헌 결정에 이어 연이은 낭보이다.
하지만 동성결혼이 바로 가능해지는 것은 아니다.
다음주 주지사 크리스 그레고어가 최종승인을 한 후에 90일이 지나야 법안이 적용된다.
법안이 최종승인이 된다면 워싱턴은 미국 내에서 동성결혼을 합법화한 7번째 주가 된다.
현재 동성결혼을 허용하고 있는 지역은 뉴욕, 코네티컷, 아이오와, 메사추세츠, 뉴햄프셔, 버몬트, 이렇게 6개 주와 수도 워싱턴 D.C.뿐이다.
