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Domestic Partnership Laws In Washington

A Summary of Domestic Partnership Laws in Washington

By , About.com Guide

Status: Domestic Partnerships
  • 11/4/09: Washington's voters approved the Everything but Marriage Bill (Senate Bill 5688) granting same-sex couples the same rights and benefits granted to heterosexual married couples. The takes effect on December 3, 2009.

  • 4/15/09: The Washington State Legislature expanded domestic partnership laws to cover "everything but marriage."

  • 4/21/07: Washington's domestic partnership bill, State Registered Domestic Partnerships (SRDP), was signed into law. The measure succeeded by a vote of 65-35 only a year after the state Supreme Court upheld Washington's Defense of Marriage Act banning same-sex marriage.

    "It is an important step, I believe, for turning back the horrendous law that this Legislature passed in 1998, to deny gay and lesbian families the right to marry," openly-gay state Sen. Ed Murray told The New York Times.

  • Which states allow gay marriage? Explore same-sex marriage laws by region.
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