Domestic Partnerships Advance in Washington

Yesterday, the Washington State Senate passed a bill that would provide limited domestic partnerships for same-sex couples, and different-sex couples who are age 62 or older. It looks good to make it into law.

Although this bill is clearly not equal marriage, we give a nod to our friends at Equal Rights Washington for all their work to illustrate the harms that marriage discrimination causes to same-sex couples and their families. Our friend Josh Friedes, formerly from the Freedom to Marry Coalition of Massachusetts, puts it like this:

Josh Friedes, advocacy director for Equal Rights Washington, which promotes rights for gay and transgender people, said the group considers the bill an “emergency family protection act.”

“Our goal is full marriage equality,” he said. “Only marriage equality will meet the legal needs of gay and lesbian families and only marriage equality will represent social equality.”

Friedes said the bill provides “limited but important protections while we continue the struggle for full marriage equality. The domestic partnership bill is going to provide peace of mind for gay and lesbian families and emergency protections for families who are in crisis.”