Gov. Chris Gregoire on Wednesday said she'll put forward legislation to legalize marriage for gay and lesbian couples.
The proposal will be introduced during the legislative session that starts Monday. If it's approved, Washington would become the seventh state to legalize gay marriage.
"Today, I'm announcing my support for a law that gives same-sex couples in our state the right to receive a marriage license in Washington - the same right given our heterosexual couples," Gregoire said before a crowd of gay marriage supporters at her office. "It is time, it is the right thing to do, and I will introduce the bill to make it happen."
The governor spoke for 20 minutes, laying out what she sees as the moral and legal reasons for the move, as well as the evolution of her personal views over the years.
"I have been on my own journey. I will admit that. It has been a battle for me with my religion," said Gregoire, who is Catholic. "I have always been uncomfortable with the position that I have taken publicly. And then I came to realize the religions can decide what they want to do, but it is not OK for the state to discriminate."
Ding ding ding!
So refreshing to hear an opinion that matches my own on this issue. Ironically, the opposite of that is not Rick Santorum or Rick Perry, but Ron Paul, who wants to fight for the right of states to discriminate all they want to. It would be another step on the road to equality for sure, but the real battle is of course at the federal level.
Let's remember the kind of justices any Republican president would appoint in the next four years when the Supreme Court would hear California's Prop 8 case, too.
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