When was gay marriage legalized in washington
Midnight party: Pot, gay marriage become legal in Washington state
Updated at 4:51 a.m. ET: SEATTLE – When the clock struck midnight here on Thursday, hundreds of gay couples were lined up outside the county courthouse to obtain marriage licenses, while a hundred or so pot-lovers gathered across town beneath the Space Needle to light up.
They could carry out this because last month, on Nov. 6, Washington state voters approved marriage for same-sex couples and legalizing marijuana. Both laws went into effect at midnight.
The King County Recorder's Office opened its doors to couples at 12:01 a.m. At the front of the line were Kelly Middleton, 24, and Amanda Dollente, 29. They had arrived at 4 p.m., worried they wouldn't get a spot in line.
They had gone through three cups of blazing chocolate and countless cigarettes, worried they weren't prepared and anxious that the law might suddenly modify – as it did in California in 2008.
"I ran around the building asking people, 'Are we in the right place? Will you look at my paperwork?'" Dollente said.
There was concern last week that the marriage licenses would still carry the words "bride" and "groom," but officials came through in time.
Gay Marriage Now Legal In Washington
This celebration comes after gay marriage opponents challenged the state's marriage equality law with Referendum 74. In November, voters upheld the law by nearly a seven-point margin.
“That is such a change," said Dan Savage, Seattle writer and longtime gay-rights advocate. "It's such a sea change, such a one-eighty. There aren’t words for how far we’ve reach and how fast.” Savage and his partner, Terry Miller, were also among the first to receive a license.
Outside the King County Administration Building, a church choir entertained the hundreds of people still waiting their turn. Some faced wait times of four or five hours. Volunteers handed out free coffee.
People inched forward in line, many holding flowers or champagne. Kim Hardy was toward the front and says a guy just started handing out champagne to everyone in line until he ran out.
As couples left the building, licenses in hand, a cheering crowd greeted them. The whole bedtime left Tacoma resident Teri Bednarski overcome and overjoyed. "When we see him signing, all the sudden you just start shaking. This is real. This is it."
People in line said they wanted to spend this historic ni
Date Same Sex Marriage Legalized By State
All 50 states in the United States have legalized same-sex marriage. Below are the dates when each state did so. On June 26, 2015, the Supreme Court ruled that same-sex marriage is a right guaranteed by the Constitution, thus making same-sex marriage legal in the 13 states that have not legalized same-sex marriage up to that point.
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