Same-sex marriage in Washington (state)

In 1997, the Washington State Legislature, in response to events in Hawaii that suggested that the state might legalize same-sex marriage,{{cite news|title=Governor Vetoes Gay Marriage Ban|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1997-02-22-mn-31283-story.html|access-date=September 2, 2014|work=Los Angeles Times|date=February 22, 1997}} passed a bill that would define marriage as the "union of a man and a woman" and deny legal recognition to same-sex marriages established elsewhere. The vote was 63 to 35 in the House and 27 to 19 in the Senate.{{cite news|title=Locke's Veto of Gay Marriage Ban Stands|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=ks0zAAAAIBAJ&sjid=hfEDAAAAIBAJ&pg=448,4028184& |access-date=September 2, 2014|work=The Spokesman-Review |date=February 27, 1997|agency=Associated Press |first=Diane |last=Targovnik}} Governor Gary Locke vetoed the legislation on February 21, calling it "divisive and unnecessary", citing the 1974 state court decision in Singer v. Hara. He wrote in his veto message: "Our overarching principle should be to promote civility, mutual respect and unity. This legislation fails to meet this test."{{cite news|last1=Ammons |first1=David |title=Locke Vetoes Ban On Same-Sex Marriages Flays Bill As Discriminatory; Lawmakers Vow To Send Issue To Voters|url=http://www.spokesman.com/stories/1997/feb/22/locke-vetoes-ban-on-same-sex-marriages-flays-bill/ |access-date=September 2, 2014|work=The Spokesman-Review|agency=Associated Press |date=February 22, 1997}} An attempt to override his veto failed in the Senate on a party-line vote,{{cite news|title=Democrats Plan To Defy Locke On Gay Marriage Even A Veto Override Would Be Better Than A Public Vote, They Say|url=http://www.spokesman.com/stories/1998/feb/05/democrats-plan-to-defy-locke-on-gay-marriage-even/|access-date=September 2, 2014|work=The Spokesman-Review |date=February 5, 1998}} 26 to 20, when seven Democrats who had originally supported the measure changed their position to support Governor Locke. Although Republicans threatened to put the issue to a popular referendum in November, some of their members thought the issue was not urgent enough to risk a contentious public campaign.

In 1998, the State Legislature passed the same legislation, the Defense of Marriage Act, and expected Governor Locke to allow it to become law without his signature. Instead, he vetoed it a second time, saying that "our laws right now prohibit same-gender marriages, and I oppose this legislation because it is trying to make illegal something that is already illegal". Democrats who feared the impact of having the legislation on the November ballot helped override his veto. One Democratic leader in the House, Marlin Appelwick, said: "I'll vote to override. I'll stand up and say it's a bad bill, but it's even worse to have this issue on the ballot." According to The Seattle Times: "Lawmakers, eager to be done with the controversial issue, rushed the ban through in minutes and dumped it in the governor's lap. Locke's veto came within the hour. Then both houses voted summarily to override the veto. No one could remember the last time a bill was passed, vetoed and overridden within hours–with almost no discussion and no debate."{{cite news|last1=Mapes|first1=Lynda V.|title=Gay-Marriage Ban Coasts Into Law–Harried Democrats Help Override Veto|url=https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/19980207/2733005/gay-marriage-ban-coasts-into-law----harried-democrats-help-override-veto |access-date=August 31, 2014|work=Seattle Times|date=February 7, 1998}}

File:Seattle Pride 2012 (7445967814).jpg]]

In 1971, in Seattle, in one of the first same-sex marriage lawsuits in the United States, gay activists John Singer (later known as Faygele Ben-Miriam){{cite news|last=Beers|first=Carole|title=Faygele benMiriam crusaded for rights|url=https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/20000607/4025290/faygele-benmiriam-crusaded-for-rights|access-date=October 31, 2012 |newspaper=Seattle Times|date=June 7, 2000}} and Paul Barwick requested a marriage license from the King County Auditor, Lloyd Hara, to demonstrate the inequality between gay and heterosexual couples.{{cite news| last =McNerthney| first =Casey | title =Seattle gay rights pioneer recalls struggle for marriage equality: Paul Barwick and John Singer were first to apply for same-sex marriage in King County | publisher =Seattle Post-Intelligencer | date =December 13, 2012 | url =http://www.seattlepi.com/local/article/Seattle-gay-rights-pioneer-recalls-struggle-for-4113730.php| access-date = December 13, 2012}} Hara refused, and Singer and Barwick brought suit on the grounds that the denial violated the Equal Rights Amendment of the State Constitution. The Washington Court of Appeals denied the claim in 1974 in Singer v. Hara, and the Washington Supreme Court later refused to review the decision.[http://www.law.seattleu.edu/prebuilt/library/samesexmarriage/section02a.asp "Gay Marriage’s Jewish Pioneer", Eli Sanders, The Tablet, June 6, 2012].Washington Court of Appeals: [https://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=5576229373244357890&hl=en&as_sdt=2&as_vis=1&oi=scholarr Singer v. Hara, May 20, 1974]

{{Main|Andersen v. King County}}

On March 8, 2004, six same-sex couples represented by Lambda Legal filed suit in state court challenging the constitutionality of Washington's Defense of Marriage Act. The four constitutional claims were based on due process, privacy, equal protection and gender equality. On August 4, King County Superior Court Judge William L. Downing issued an opinion in Andersen v. Sims that the state had no rational basis for excluding same-sex couples from the rights and benefits of marriage. The decision concluded that the state law limiting marriage to different-sex couples violated sections of the Constitution that required due process and equal protection of the laws. The court did not require the state to allow same-sex couples to marry, but mandated the creation of a civil union status that would provide all the rights and benefits of marriage to same-sex couples. Downing stayed enforcement of his order pending appeal to the Washington Supreme Court. On April 1, 2004, eleven same-sex couples represented by the American Civil Liberties Union filed suit in state court challenging Washington's laws that banned same-sex couples from marrying. They also sought recognition of marriages performed legally in other jurisdictions. On September 7, Thurston County Superior Court Judge Richard D. Hicks ruled in Castle v. State that the state's marriage laws violated the equal protection of privileges and immunities clause of the State Constitution.

The Washington Supreme Court consolidated the two cases, Andersen v. Sims and Castle v. State, for review as Andersen v. King County. It heard oral arguments on March 8, 2005. On July 26, 2006, it reversed the trial courts' determinations in a 5–4 ruling. The majority opinion focused on the constitutionality of the State Legislature's enactment of the Defense of Marriage Act limiting the privileges of marriage to opposite-sex couples. In October 2006, the court refused to reconsider its ruling.[http://www.lambdalegal.org/in-court/cases/andersen-v-king-county "Anderson v. King County", Lambda Legal]

On January 10, 2007, the Washington Defense of Marriage Alliance, an activist organization that, despite its name, favored marriage rights for same-sex couples, filed a voter initiative, Initiative 957, to incorporate part of the Andersen decision into state statutes by making procreation a requirement for all marriages in Washington. The group's stated rationale was to prompt public examination of the premise that marriage exists for the purpose of procreation and to create a test case in which Andersen would be reversed. The initiative's sponsors withdrew it on July 3, after failing to gather a sufficient number of signatures to qualify for the November ballot.

File:Leaving Seattle City Hall on first day of gay marriage in Washington 2.jpg are greeted by well-wishers on the first day of same-sex marriage in Washington.]]

File:Gay Marriage, Seattle Washington, Dec 9 2012.webm

Advocates of marriage rights for same-sex couples, lacking the votes in the State Legislature to accomplish their objective, instead focused on enacting domestic partnerships that would grant such couples a subset of the rights attached to marriage. A law to this effect was approved by the State Legislature in 2007. This legal status was also made available under certain circumstances to different-sex couples. The legislation took effect on April 22, 2007.{{cite web | url = http://www.governor.wa.gov/news/news-view.asp?pressRelease=551&newsType=1 | title = Governor Gregoire Signs Legislation Giving Legal Rights to Domestic Partners | publisher = Office of the Governor | access-date = March 19, 2010 | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100325070613/http://www.governor.wa.gov/news/news-view.asp?pressRelease=551&newsType=1 | archive-date = March 25, 2010 | df = mdy-all }} A same-sex marriage bill was also introduced in the 2007 legislative session, but failed to make it out of committee.{{cite web|url=https://app.leg.wa.gov/billsummary?BillNumber=1350&Year=2007|title=HB 1350 - 2007-08|work=Washington State Legislature|accessdate=August 24, 2022}}

On January 26, 2012, legislation legalizing same-sex marriage and converting most domestic partnerships not dissolved within two years into marriages passed the Washington State Senate's Committee for Government Operations, Tribal Relations and Elections. Republican Dan Swecker introduced four amendments that failed on a party-line vote of 3–4. Republican Don Benton asked for the legislation to be placed on the November 2012 ballot as a referendum but his motion failed by a 3–4 vote. The bill was reported out of the committee by a 4–3 vote.{{cite news|last1=Salerno|first1=Christina|title=Same-sex marriage bill passes in Senate committee|url=http://www.tvw.org/capitolrecord/index.php/2012/01/same-sex-marriage-bill-passes-in-senate-committee/|access-date=August 31, 2014|work=Capitol Record|date=January 26, 2012|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120919105930/http://www.tvw.org/capitolrecord/index.php/2012/01/same-sex-marriage-bill-passes-in-senate-committee/|archive-date=September 19, 2012|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}} It passed the Senate by a vote of 28–21 on February 1.

The House of Representatives took up the same measure and passed it out of the Judiciary Committee on January 30 by a 7–6 party-line vote.{{cite news |url=http://www.seattlepi.com/news/article/Wash-House-committee-approves-gay-marriage-bill-2848814.php |title=Wash. House committee approves gay marriage bill |publisher=Seattle Post Intelligencer |date=January 30, 2012}} The committee voted on the Senate-approved version of the bill on February 6, passing it by a 7–5 vote, with one Republican committee member absent.{{cite news |url=http://www.oregonlive.com/politics/index.ssf/2012/02/washington_legislature_gay_mar.html|title=Washington Legislature: Gay marriage bill moves through House Judiciary Committee|first=Justin|last=Runquist|publisher=OregonLive.com|date=February 6, 2012}}{{cite web |url=http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/02/01/10294578-washington-state-senate-approves-same-sex-marriage-bill |title=Washington State Senate approves same-sex marriage |publisher=MSNBC |date=February 1, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120202041745/http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/02/01/10294578-washington-state-senate-approves-same-sex-marriage-bill |archive-date=February 2, 2012 |df=mdy-all }} The House passed the legislation on February 8 by a vote of 55–43.{{cite news |url=http://www.cnn.com/2012/02/08/us/washington-same-sex-marriage/index.html |title=Washington state legislature votes to approve same-sex marriage |publisher=CNN |date=February 8, 2012}}{{cite news |url=http://blog.seattlepi.com/seattlepolitics/2012/02/08/house-approves-same-sex-marriage/ |title=Washington state House approves same-sex marriage |work=Seattle Post Intelligencer |date=February 8, 2012 |access-date=February 9, 2012}} The legislation also provided that all domestic partnerships not involving at least one member aged 62 years or older and not dissolved within two years of the date the law would go into effect would automatically become marriages.{{Cite web |url=https://wei.sos.wa.gov/agency/osos/en/initiativesReferenda/Pages/R74-FAQs.aspx |title=Referendum 74: Frequently Asked Questions, Office of the Washington Secretary of State, June 2012 |access-date=November 7, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130130163117/https://wei.sos.wa.gov/agency/osos/en/initiativesReferenda/Pages/R74-FAQs.aspx |archive-date=January 30, 2013 |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all }}{{cite news |last=Turnbull |first=Lornet|title=State to same-sex domestic partners: You're about to be married |url=http://seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2022921079_marriageconversionxml.html |access-date=February 17, 2014 |newspaper=Seattle Times|date=February 16, 2014}} Governor Christine Gregoire signed the bill into law on February 13.{{cite news|last=Turnbull|first=Lornet|title=Gregoire signs gay marriage into law|url=http://seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2017497028_gaymarriage14m.html|access-date=December 6, 2012|newspaper=Seattle Times|date=February 14, 2012}} It was scheduled to take effect 90 days after the end of the legislative session.

{{Main|2012 Washington Referendum 74}}

[[File:2012 Washington Referendum 74 results map by county.svg|thumb|right|300px|Results of Referendum 74 (2012) by county

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Yes

{{legend|#47729E|70–80% |border=1px #AAAAAA solid}}

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{{legend|#B6C8D9|50–60% |border=1px #AAAAAA solid}}

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No

{{legend|#8B8B54|70–80% |border=1px #AAAAAA solid}}

{{legend|#BCBC83|60–70% |border=1px #AAAAAA solid}}

{{legend|#DEDEBD|50–60% |border=1px #AAAAAA solid}}

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Opponents of the legalization of same-sex marriage delayed its implementation by collecting the signatures necessary to put the measure to a popular vote on November 6, 2012, as Referendum 74.{{cite news |url=http://content.usatoday.com/communities/ondeadline/post/2012/06/anti-gay-marriage-measure-qualifies-for-wash-state-ballot/1#.T_FHarWe4j8 |title=Anti-gay-marriage measure qualifies for Wash. state ballot |work=USA Today |date=June 12, 2012 |access-date=July 2, 2012}} In that referendum, voters approved the law by a 54%–46% margin.{{cite web|title=Referendum Measure No. 74 Concerns marriage for same-sex couples|url=http://vote.wa.gov/results/current/Referendum-Measure-No-74-Concerns-marriage-for-same-sex-couples.html|publisher=Washington Secretary of State|access-date=December 6, 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121214021549/http://vote.wa.gov/results/current/Referendum-Measure-No-74-Concerns-marriage-for-same-sex-couples.html|archive-date=December 14, 2012|df=mdy-all}}{{cite news|last=Connelly|first=Joel|title=Washington approves same-sex marriage |url=http://www.seattlepi.com/local/connelly/article/Washington-approves-same-sex-marriage-4018058.php|access-date=December 6, 2012|newspaper=Seattle Post Intelligencer|date=November 8, 2012}} The law took effect on December 6. Because Washington requires a three-day waiting period (excluding the day of issue) before a marriage license may be signed, the first same-sex marriages in the state took place on December 9, 2012.{{cite news|last=Pilkington |first=Ed |title=Washington state kicks off day of gay marriages with midnight ceremonies|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/dec/09/washington-gay-marriages-midnight-ceremonies|date=December 9, 2012|access-date=December 9, 2012|newspaper=The Guardian |location=London}}{{cite news|last=La Corte|first=Rachel|title=Washington Gay Marriage Law Takes Effect|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/09/washington-gay-marriage-law_n_2266574.html|work=The Huffington Post|access-date=March 15, 2013|date=December 9, 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924171539/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/09/washington-gay-marriage-law_n_2266574.html|archive-date=September 24, 2015|df=mdy-all}} Among the first couples to obtain marriage licenses were Lisa Brodoff and Lynn Grotsky in Olympia, the state capital, early on Thursday morning, December 6. In Seattle, about 150 same-sex couples lined up outside Seattle City Hall shortly before midnight, "waiting in a festive atmosphere for the doors to open" to obtain marriage licenses.{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/dec/06/washington-state-same-sex-marriage|title=Washington state begins issuing same-sex marriage licences|date=December 6, 2012|work=The Guardian}} Jane Abbott Lighty and Pete-e Petersen were the first couple to obtain a license in King County.{{cite web|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/british-columbia/matriarchs-of-same-sex-movement-seal-their-union-with-a-kiss/article6186054/|title=Matriarchs of same-sex movement seal their union with a kiss|first=Gary|last=Mason|date=December 10, 2012|work=The Globe and Mail}}

The definition of marriage in the state of Washington is now the following:[http://apps.leg.wa.gov/rcw/default.aspx?cite=26.04.010 Title 26 Chapter 26.04]

{{blockquote|Marriage is a civil contract between two persons who have each attained the age of eighteen years, and who are otherwise capable. [RCW 26.04.010(1)]}}

Three years after legalization in Washington, the U.S. Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage nationwide with its Obergefell v. Hodges ruling on June 26, 2015. State Senator Jamie Pedersen welcomed the decision, "There's a great sense of peace that this is finally over after all these years. [...] There's a lot more work to do both here in our state and even more nationally. We know a hugely disproportionate number of homeless youth are LGBT." Mayor of Seattle Ed Murray said "[he had] never imagined this day", while Tom Rasmussen, a member of the Seattle City Council, said, "This day is a dream. It seems like an impossible dream."{{cite web|url=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/same-sex-couples-from-washington-could-see-some-changes/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151230075643/https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/same-sex-couples-from-washington-could-see-some-changes/|archive-date=December 30, 2015|date=June 26, 2015|work=The Seattle Times|title=Gays in state celebrate recognition of their marriages nationwide|first1=Evan|last1=Bush|first2=Bob|last2=Young}}

In 2024, while running for governor, Dave Reichert told a group of Republicans that, "Let me make this very clear. I will not take any steps as Governor to restrict same-sex marriage. Every individual has the right to decide who they choose to marry. People have free will—it's their body, their life, their belief system." However, when answering questions from the audience, he said, "Number one, my wife is a woman and I am a man. You're a woman and I'm a man. There's only man and woman. I was raised with that as a Christian. And marriage is between a man and a woman."{{cite web|url=https://www.thestranger.com/elections-2024/2024/04/16/79471627/dave-reichert-to-pierce-county-republicans-marriage-is-between-a-man-and-a-woman|title=Dave Reichert to Pierce County Republicans: "Marriage Is Between a Man and a Woman"|first=Rich|last=Smith|date=April 16, 2024|work=The Strangler}}

Same-sex marriage is legal on the reservations of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, whose Tribal Council voted unanimously to legalize same-sex marriage in September 2013,{{cite web|url=http://www.wenatcheeworld.com/news/2013/sep/07/colvilles-recognize-same-sex-marriage/|title=Colvilles recognize same sex marriage|website=Wenatcheeworld.com|date=September 7, 2013 |access-date=December 27, 2015}} the Port Gamble Band of S'Klallam Indians, the Puyallup Tribe of Indians,{{efn|The Domestic Relations Code of the Puyallup Tribe of Indians states that a "same sex marriage may be validly contracted within the Puyallup Indian Reservation either by following the laws of the State of Washington or by meeting the requirements herein: (a) One of the persons who wishes to marry must be a member of the Puyallup Tribe of Indians; and (b) Must be 18 years of age or older; and (c) Must obtain and sign a certificate of marriage in front of witnesses."{{cite web|url=https://www.codepublishing.com/WA/PuyallupTribe/html/PuyallupTribe07/PuyallupTribe0708.html|title=Chapter 7.08 Domestic Relations Code|work=www.codepublishing.com|access-date=August 19, 2024}} Previously, the code only permitted marriages between a "husband" ({{langx|lut|sč̓istxʷ}}) and a "wife" ({{lang|lut|čə́gʷəš}}).{{cite web|url=https://www.puyalluptriballanguage.org/resources/GibbsFinal4.pdf|title=A Lushootseed Analysis of a 1877 Dictionary by George Gibbs|work=Puyallup Tribe of Indians|access-date=August 19, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240803114335/https://www.puyalluptriballanguage.org/resources/GibbsFinal4.pdf|archive-date=August 3, 2024}}}} whose Tribal Council voted unanimously to legalize in July 2014,{{cite news |last=Nagle |first=Matt |url=http://www.tacomaweekly.com/news/view/puyallup-tribe-recognizes-same-sex-marriages/ |title=Puyallup Tribe Recognizes Same-Sex Marriages |publisher=Tacoma Weekly |date=July 16, 2014 |access-date=July 21, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924112858/http://www.tacomaweekly.com/news/view/puyallup-tribe-recognizes-same-sex-marriages/ |archive-date=September 24, 2015 |url-status=dead }} the Suquamish Indian Tribe of the Port Madison Reservation, which was the first tribe to do so in August 2011,{{cite news |last= Gardner |first= Steven |title= Suquamish Tribe approves same-sex marriage |newspaper= Kitsap Sun |date= August 1, 2011 |url= http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2011/aug/01/suquamish-tribe-approves-same-sex-marriage/ |access-date= August 2, 2011 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110803201749/http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2011/aug/01/suquamish-tribe-approves-same-sex-marriage/ |url-status= dead |archive-date=August 3, 2011}} and the Tulalip Tribes of Washington. The Tulalip Board of Directors amended the Tribal Code on May 6, 2016 to state: "'Marriage' means the legal union of two persons, regardless of their sex, created to the exclusion of all others."{{cite web|url=http://www.codepublishing.com/WA/Tulalip/html/Tulalip04/Tulalip0420.html#4.20.020 |title=Tulalip Tribal Codes |website=Codepublishing.com |access-date=July 25, 2016}} The Port Gamble S'Klallam Tribe announced in the wake of Referendum 74 in December 2012 that they would allow same-sex couples to marry on their reservation, including at the Heronswood Botanical Gardens in Kingston.{{cite web|url=http://pugetsoundblogs.com/peninsular-thinking/tag/port-gamble-sklallam-tribe/ |title=Port Gamble S'Klallam Tribe | Peninsular Thinking |website=Pugetsoundblogs.com |date=December 4, 2012 |access-date=December 27, 2015}} Some tribal codes use gender-neutral language with regard to whom may marry, including the Skokomish Indian Tribe and the Cowlitz Indian Tribe;{{efn|The Skokomish Codes and Ordinances and the Tribal Code of the Cowlitz Indian Tribe do not explicitly ban same-sex marriage or define marriage as being exclusively between a "husband" ({{langx|twa|kʷtabac}};{{cite web|url=https://www.skokomish.org/Twana/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Tuwaduq-Twana-Language-Project-EDictionary.pdf|title=The Twana Language E-Dictionary Project|work=Skokomish Indian Tribe|access-date=August 19, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240723031225/https://www.skokomish.org/Twana/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Tuwaduq-Twana-Language-Project-EDictionary.pdf|archive-date=July 23, 2024}} Cowlitz: {{lang|cow|xə́n}}){{cite web|url=https://dictionary.cowlitzsalish.org/|title=Cowlitz Coast Salish Dictionary|access-date=August 19, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240604182037/https://dictionary.cowlitzsalish.org/|work=Cowlitz Indian Tribe|archive-date=June 4, 2024}} and a "wife" ({{langx|twa|čuw̓aš}}; Cowlitz: {{lang|cow|kə́wɬ}}).{{cite web|url=https://www.skokomish.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/S.T.C.-3.03.pdf|title=Skokomish Child Protection And Family Preservation Ordinance|work=Skokomish Indian Tribe|access-date=August 19, 2024}}{{cite web|url=https://cowlitz.tribal.codes/CTC/26.25|title=Title 26, Cowlitz Tribal Criminal Codes, Chapter 26.25 Offences Against The Family|access-date=August 19, 2024|work=Cowlitz Indian Tribe}}}} however, it is unclear if same-sex marriage is explicitly allowed on their reservations.

While there are no records of same-sex marriages as understood from a Western perspective being performed in Native American cultures, there is evidence for identities and behaviours that may be placed on the LGBT spectrum. Many of these cultures recognized two-spirit individuals who were born male but wore women's clothing and performed everyday household work and artistic handiwork which were regarded as belonging to the feminine sphere. This two-spirit status allowed for marriages between two biological males or two biological females to be performed in some of these tribes.{{cite book|title=Men as women, women as men: changing gender in Native American cultures|url=https://archive.org/details/menaswomenwomena0000lang|url-access=registration|author=Sabine Lang|publisher=University of Texas Press |year=1998 |isbn=0-292-74701-2}} The Sahaptin refer to two-spirit individuals as {{lang|uma|wáƛ̓uks}} ({{IPA|uma|wátɬʼuks|pron}}).{{cite web|url=https://dictionary.ctuir.org/uma/wa%c6%9b%cc%93uks/|title=Umatilla Dictionary: wáƛ̓uks|accessdate=August 19, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220819115538/https://dictionary.ctuir.org/uma/wa%C6%9B%CC%93uks/|archive-date=August 19, 2022}} The Quileute, who live in the present-day Quileute Indian Reservation in La Push, call them {{lang|qui|yá·x̣ʷa}}.{{cite web|url=https://quileutelanguage.com/quildict.html|title=English to Quileute Dictionary|access-date=August 18, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240619192930/https://quileutelanguage.com/quildict.html|archive-date=June 19, 2024|work=Quileute Language Dictionary}} Among the Syilx, two-spirit people are known as {{lang|oka|st̓ámyaʔ}} ({{IPA|oka|ˈstʼamjaʔ|pron}}).{{cite book|title=Colville-Okanagan Dictionary|page=317|publisher=University of Montana|date=1987|last=Mattina|first=Anthony}} In some Coast Salish languages, two-spirit individuals may also be referred to by translations of the term "twin-spirit".{{efn|The term "twin-spirit" is notably used in Halkomelem.{{cite journal|title= Twin-Spirited Woman|last=Wesley|first=Saylesh|date=2014|journal= Transgender Studies Quarterly|volume=1|issue=3|pages=338–351|doi=10.1215/23289252-2685624}} The translation in Klallam is {{lang|clm|sč̕ələyáyə səlí|italics=yes}}.{{cite book|title=Klallam Dictionary|date=2012|isbn=9780295992075|first=Timothy|publisher=University of Washington Press|last=Montler}}}}

In 2006, a study from the University of California, Los Angeles estimated the impact of allowing same-sex couples to marry on Washington's state budget. The study concluded that allowing same-sex couples to marry would result in a net gain of approximately $3.9 million to $5.7 million each year for the state. This net impact would result from savings in state expenditures on means-tested public benefits programs and from an increase in sales tax revenue from weddings and wedding-related tourism.{{cite web|url=http://repositories.cdlib.org/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1042&context=uclalaw/williams |title=eScholarship: The Impact of Washington's Budget of Allowing Same-Sex Couples to Marry |publisher=Repositories.cdlib.org |date=June 1, 2006 |access-date=January 20, 2012|last1=Badgett |first1=M. V. Lee |last2=Sears |first2=Brad |last3=Kukura |first3=Elizabeth |last4=Lau |first4=Holning S. }}

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By September 2013, nine months after same-sex marriage was legalized in Washington, 7,071 same-sex couples had legally entered into a marriage, 3,452 of them in highly populated King County.[http://blog.seattlepi.com/seattlepolitics/2013/12/05/thousands-of-gay-couples-tie-the-knot-here/ Thousands of gay couples tie the knot in Washington state] Same-sex marriages accounted for 17% of all marriages, and 62% of those were between women.{{cite web|url=http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2013/12/5/gay-weddings-17-percentofwashingtonmarriages.html|title=Gay weddings make up 17% of Washington state marriages in year|work=Al Jazeera|date=December 5, 2013}} By December 31, 2015, approximately 15,750 same-sex marriages had been performed in Washington, a significant proportion of which occurred in the first 12 months of legalisation.{{cite news|url=http://www.seattlepi.com/local/article/gay-marriage-Seattle-Washington-5-years-12336215.php#photo-4761789|title=Legal gay marriage marks 5 years in Washington|date=8 November 2017|work=SeattlePI.com |last1=Demay |first1=By Daniel }} 2,091 same-sex marriages were performed in 2016, 1,915 in 2017, 1,884 in 2018, 1,690 in 2019, and 1,747 in 2020, with most being between lesbian couples. These figures do not include conversions from domestic partnerships.{{cite web|url=https://doh.wa.gov/sites/default/files/legacy/Documents/Pubs/422-099-2020-2010-VitalStatHighlights.pdf|title=Washington State Vital Statistics|work=doh.wa.gov|access-date=18 May 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220217221250/https://doh.wa.gov/sites/default/files/legacy/Documents/Pubs/422-099-2020-2010-VitalStatHighlights.pdf|archive-date=February 17, 2022}}

Between 2012 and 2016, most same-sex marriages were performed in King County (8,144), followed by Clark (2,170), Pierce (1,466), Snohomish (903), Spokane (759), Thurston (695), Kitsap (572), Whatcom (378), Island (326), Benton (216), Skagit (207), San Juan (174), Yakima (169), Jefferson (157), Clallam (152), Chelan (145), Grays Harbor (137), Mason (129), Cowlitz (124), Skamania (106), Walla Walla (95), Lewis (88), Kittitas (70), Klickitat (67), Pacific (64), Whitman (61), Grant (52), Franklin (47), Okanogan (43), Asotin (30), Stevens (29), Pend Oreille (19), Columbia (15) and Douglas (15), Lincoln (9), Wahkiakum (7), Adams (5), Ferry (3), and Garfield (2) counties.{{cite web|url=https://www.doh.wa.gov/DataandStatisticalReports/HealthStatistics/Marriage/MarriageTablesbyYear|title=Marriage Tables by Year|work=Washington State Department of Health|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220127140222/https://www.doh.wa.gov/DataandStatisticalReports/HealthStatistics/Marriage/MarriageTablesbyYear|archive-date=January 27, 2022}}

The 2020 U.S. census showed that there were 21,659 married same-sex couple households (9,825 male couples and 11,834 female couples) and 13,693 unmarried same-sex couple households in Washington.{{cite web|url=https://data.census.gov/table?q=PCT15&d=DEC+Demographic+and+Housing+Characteristics|title=PCT1405 Couple Households, By Type|access-date=11 December 2023|work=United States Census Bureau|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230609204706/https://data.census.gov/table?q=PCT15&d=DEC+Demographic+and+Housing+Characteristics|archive-date=9 June 2023}}

Various polls have been commissioned by participants in the same-sex marriage debate. The poll results reflect different question wording and sampling. The October 2011 University of Washington poll found that 55% of Washington voters would vote to uphold a legislatively approved same-sex marriage bill if it were put to a referendum, while 38% would oppose it and 7% were undecided. A separate question on the same survey found that 43% of respondents thought that gay and lesbian couples should have the same right to marry as straight couples, 22% thought that gay and lesbian couples should have the same rights as straight couples without the word "marriage", 15% thought that gay and lesbian couples should have domestic partnerships with only some of the rights of marriage, while 17% opposed all legal recognition, and 3% did not know.{{cite web|url=http://www.washingtonpoll.org/results/103111.pdf |title=2011 Washington Poll |access-date=January 20, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111203154320/https://washingtonpoll.org/results/103111.pdf|archive-date=December 3, 2011}} The February 2012 Public Policy Polling (PPP) survey found that 50% of Washington voters would vote to uphold a same-sex marriage law, while 46% would vote to repeal it and 4% were not sure. In addition, 32% believed that same-sex couples should be allowed to enter civil unions but not marriage and 20% were opposed to all legal recognition of same-sex relationships.[http://www.publicpolicypolling.com/pdf/2011/PPP_Release_WA_222.pdf Voters Support Gay Marriage] According to the Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) survey conducted between March 11 and December 14, 2022, 83% of Washington respondents supported same-sex marriage, while 15% were opposed.{{cite web|url=http://ava.prri.org/#lgbt/2022/States/lgbt_ssm/m/US-WA|title= PRRI – American Values Atlas 2022: Washington|work=Public Religion Research Institute|accessdate=25 April 2022}} This was the highest level of support recorded in the country, tied with Massachusetts (83%), and followed by New Hampshire (82%), Connecticut (81%), and Rhode Island (80%).

• LGBT rights in Washington (state)
• Domestic partnership in Washington state
• History of the LGBT community in Seattle
• Law of Washington (state)
• Washington United for Marriage

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• {{cite web|url=http://www.leagle.com/decision/197425811WnApp247_1228.xml/SINGER%20v.%20HARA|title=Singer v. Hara|work=Washington Court of Appeals|date=May 20, 1974|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230522022013/https://www.leagle.com/decision/197425811wnapp2471228.xml|archive-date=May 22, 2023}}
• {{cite web|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041013151046/http://www.metrokc.gov/kcsc/docs/Andersen%20v.%20Sims.pdf|title=Andersen v. Sims|work=King County Superior Court|date=August 4, 2004|archive-date=October 13, 2004|url=http://www.metrokc.gov/kcsc/docs/Andersen%20v.%20Sims.pdf}}
• {{cite web|url=http://www.courts.wa.gov/newsinfo/content/pdf/759341opn.pdf|title=Andersen v. King County|work=Washington Supreme Court|date=July 26, 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230218080957/https://www.courts.wa.gov/newsinfo/content/pdf/759341opn.pdf|archive-date=February 18, 2023}}
• {{cite web|url=http://www.courts.wa.gov/newsinfo/?fa=newsinfo.internetdetail&newsid=707|title=All decisions in Andersen v. King County|work=Washington Supreme Court|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140326233829/http://www.courts.wa.gov/newsinfo/?fa=newsinfo.internetdetail&newsid=707|archive-date=March 26, 2014}}

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