The Associated Press reported that Washington will legalize same-sex marriage now that the state legislature has enough votes to pass the measure. If the bill passes, gay and lesbian couples will be permitted to get married as early as June 2012.
Opponents of gay marriage vow to file a referendum to challenge the bill once it is signed into law by Gov. Chris Gregoire. They will need to gather 120,577 signatures by July 6, 2012. The National Organization for Marriage has pledged to fight same-sex marriage laws in Washington state by announcing it will spend $250,000 "to help fund primary challenges to any Republican who crosses party lines to vote for same-sex marriage in Washington state."
However, a recent University of Washington poll revealed that support for same-sex marriage has increased in the state, with 43 percent of respondents supporting gay marriage, while 22 percent support "giving identical rights to gay couples but just not calling it marriage." The poll found that if the same-sex marriage bill passed, 55 percent of respondents said "they could vote yes to uphold the law" while 38 percent would vote to against it.
Washington will join Massachusetts, New York, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Iowa, Vermont and the District of Columbia as the seventh state to allow same-sex marriage.
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