I'm sure many have you, especially those of you around the Pacific Northwest, have seen facebook posts, tweets, or even the AP story from today:
Marriage Equality is coming to Washington State.
As of several hours ago, we secured the last (if all goes according to plan) vote necessary in our state senate to pass gay marriage. It came from Senator Mary Margaret Haugen, a Democrat from Camano Island, a small, fairly conservative community in this general area. It was, at least in my opinion, a courageous pledge for her. She will likely face the wrath of many, many very religious constituents. But again, kudos to her, to the two republicans who pledged to support the measure, and to everyone else who tirelessly advocated equality in this state over the years - especially Ed Murray, Frank Chopp, Jamie Pederson, and of course, the late Cal Anderson. I hope to take a road trip to Olympia after the bill passes to watch the governor sign it. (I also hope to make the return trip for a party or four on Captiol Hill here in Seattle)
Just a few short weeks ago this seemed unimaginable. But then our outgoing governor, Christine Gregoire, very vocally pledged support of the marriage equality bill. She has been pilloried a bit by some who claim she took too long to evolve, or her decision was too easy after she had already announced she wasn't running for re-election. I find those criticisms to be fucking stupid, to say the least. Frankly, I could give two shits at a moment like this about past waffling. She did the right thing, and the results have been glorious. In no small part because of her public support, Washington will take its place among the handful of states permitting gays to marry, and will have done so legislatively. An exceedingly impressive feat, IMO.
But this diary is about something different. It is about an opportunity lost in Washington State. You see, but for a single vote in our state Supreme Court, we would have been marrying gays for years here.
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