Washington Senate votes for gay marriage

The Washington state Senate passed a bill Wednesday night that would legalise same-sex marriage.

The bill will now go to the state's lower house, where it is expected to pass, The Washington Post reports. If it does so, Washington will be the seventh US state to allow same-sex couples to wed.

Washington state's Governor Chris Gregoire has said she supports the bill and will sign it into law if passed. Opponents have threatened to challenge the law with a referendum, as happened with California's notorious Proposition 8 which overturned same-sex marriage legislation there.

Democratic Senator Ed Murray, the bill’s sponsor, said those who voted against the bill should bot be accused of bigotry.

“[Likewise] Those of us who support this legislation are not, and we should not be accused of, undermining family life or religious freedom,” he said.

“Marriage is how society says you are a family.”

Australian Marriage Equality spokesperson Alex Greenwich welcomed the news, saying it should send a message to Australian MPs on the issue of marriage equality versus civil unions.

"Since 2009 Washington state has had a domestic partnership scheme which has not given same-sex couples full equality and which legislators now see was a half-measure," Greenwich said.

"This sends a clear message to Australian legislators: deeming same-sex couples as de facto partners or civil partners is not a substitute for the full legal equality that can only come with equality in marriage."

Greenwich also pointed out that conservative Republicans had crossed the floor to vote for the bill, which he said should send a message to the Coalition.  
 
"The message for the Coalition out of Washington State is that marriage equality is an issue that is being embraced by conservative politicians throughout the world, from Washington Republicans to UK Prime Minister David Cameron," he said.