Wash. counties set to provide same-sex marriage licenses
OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) - Ten same-sex couples were selected in a lottery Monday to receive some of the first licenses issued under the new Washington state law allowing gay marriage.
Thurston County Auditor Kim Wyman held the lottery involving 15 couples that sought to receive their license at 12:01 a.m. Thursday.
In Clark County, the marriage license department will open at 8 a.m. and also have special extended hours on Saturday accommodate the influx of people expected to get same-sex marriage licenses.
Clark County has also added an extra two staff members to the schedule to help people get marriage licenses.
King County, which includes Seattle, also plans to start issuing licenses at that time but did not stage a lottery. Couples there will begin lining up at 10 p.m. Wednesday, and the county will issue licenses from 12:01 a.m. until 6:30 p.m.
Thurston County will close its office after the first 10 licenses are issued at 12:01 a.m. but will reopen for extended hours from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Thursday.
"This is a historic event in Washington," Wyman said. "We're very excited and we want to commemorate that event, and we look forward to giving all of these couples a license."
Last month, 54 percent of voters approved Referendum 74 regarding a state law passed by legislators earlier this year that legalized same-sex marriage. The law had been signed by Gov. Chris Gregoire but was on hold pending the outcome of the referendum.
Secretary of State Sam Reed will officially certify the election, and Gregoire will again sign same-sex marriage into law at a ceremony on Wednesday in Olympia.
The law doesn't actually take effect until Thursday, when gay and lesbian couples can start picking up their wedding certificates and licenses. Because the state has a three-day waiting period, the earliest that marriage certificates could be signed at a wedding or ceremony is Sunday.
Lynn Grotsky and Lisa Brodoff of Lacey were the first couple selected in the Thurston County lottery.
Washington is now one of nine states that have legalized gay marriage. Maine and Maryland approved same-sex marriage with public votes last month as well.
Six other states - New York, Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont - and the District of Columbia had already enacted laws or issued court rulings that permit same-sex marriage.
Remember when people looked at interracial marriage with the same amount of disgust and lack of acceptance as all of the bigots on this board? It wasn't that long ago. Isn't it amazing that interracial marriage is now perfectly legal and the world didn't end?
Congrats to my neighbors to the north!
Happy to see some equal rights being awarded. I, for one, am not opposed to a little of my tax money being appropriated for a small gesture of goodwill (or apology) towards same sex couples. I am not gay nor am I blind to the fact that homosexual behavior has been around, and occasionally accepted, for centuries. For you over zealous christians I say look to your own church before passing judgement. I also believe in God, perhaps just a different version than some. The changes and reinterpretations being made to Biblical scripture and canon by the Vatican alone suggest that ancient laws may not be applicable to modern society.
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That's all fine and dandy that it passed. However, we taxpayers should NOT have to pay the government for extended hours so these people can take advantage of the new law. They can go through the process during normal business hours just like heterosexual couples looking to get married do.
@wondering People pay to obtain the licenses, the extended hours are akin to stores opening at 8:00 p.m. on Thanksgiving day. Couples pay $64 in King County for one example, Iâm sure the gay couples would say âyouâre welcomeâ.
Zecharial and Sortbait there is still HOPE in this sinful world with people like you!! People like noneofourbizzness has to always put down Christians because they are so busy living a sinful life that they are fearful of anything that would judge them at the end of their life.
 @BlessedLife that's so funny. hope Huh? For telling things straight. I'd say your mind is reprobate.  But, who needs to judge the reality of matter? It's self evident.
 @Zechariah @BlessedLife Um, I don't know noneofourbizzness personally, but I haven't known them to live a sinful life based just on the dialogue on here.
One day, long in the future, we're going to look back and laugh at the terrible irony of this entire situation. In their history textbooks, children will read about how during the early 21st century, the 'righteous' Christians fought in defense of discrimination against the 'evil' homosexuals. The children will be astonished that such a backward ideological system was ever allowed to take control of such a powerful country, but will then laugh quietly to themselves as they make an ultimate realization: The 'good,' 'righteous' Christians were actually evil manipulators all along.
@noneofyourbizzness Actually sodomites like you cannot procreate, thus reducing human births on earth thus one day the classrooms will be completely enpty as a result of their stupidity. Its a pure Selfdestructive logic, but I expect you to be like you are about it. BTW, Sodome & Gamorrah is a real place or Was..You;re just the second wave of it. BTW, you cult ure is still a pithy 1% minority that really means Nothing. Most of the world still enjoys Normal healthy legitimate reraltionships. You obviously have no comcept of.
 @Zechariah If a husband and wife have intimacy in the butt region, or orally, does that make them Sodomites?
@Zechariah If you mean "You sodomite" to being gay,you have the wrong person here.I'm not gay.You have your panties so knotted up over the recent election victories that your vitriolic words are seething out of you.Your claim that the human race will die out because of the gays is complete idoicy.Furthermore besides your belief and faith in god,you have absolutely no concrete evidence of this supernatural entity in the sky somewhere.Also,There is no archaeological evidence of sodom or gomorrah. Nor is there any archaeological evidence that the Israelites attacked and destroyed walled cities, as described in the O.T., nor has Solomon's temple ever been found, and the historical record doesn't jibe with the N.T.'s description of events that took place in Judea. And those rock formations don't defy natural causes at all. There are similar rock formations in Arizona, in Chiricahua National Park.
@Zechariah âSodomitesâ can and do procreate just like everyone else. Besides, if they are only 1%, their non-procreating ways wouldnât lead to âreducing human births on earthâ. You didn't think that one through very well did you?
@Zechariah....Well stated and a big THANK YOU!
 @Bdou Welcome.Â
Heterosexual marriage is falling out of favor, birth rates are declining across the board yet these people want to jump headfirst into the legal insanity that is called marriage. Â Marriage is not a contract between two lovers - it is a contract between you and the government. Â Suckers!
@UtterReality looks like the sodomites have your thuroughly brainwashed about the realities of things.
 @Zechariah Who's brainwashing who? I'm sure Christians such as the Bachmann's and their "pray away the gay" programs aren't trying to brainwash people, nor was Dumbya Bush trying to brainwash the public into hating all Muslims after 9/11.
@Zechariah The reelection of Obama and the gay victories over nutjobs like you is obviously affecting you in a bad way.Sorry about all of your election defeats.
A sad day for the state of Washington when this happens.
 @sortbait Says you. The people of Washington voted for it, so now you can shut it.
 @sortbait..... AMEN!
@sortbait Why is it a sad day? Because the vote didn't go your way? Folks that were against gay marriage were saying that this should be put to a vote and now that it was and passed, it's a sad day? Sounds like for the majority of Washington, it is a happy day.
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Too bad all those heterosexual couples won't be able to get married now because gay people can. Oh, wait, I guess that didn't happen.
@Arguendo pithy 1% sodomites are just a scab entity on society. The entire planet was Procreated by Male & female making your childish presumptions mute. when it goes bad for your kind it goes bad HUH? Like sodom & gomorrah did.
@Zechariah When it goes bad for my kind? I'm a married heterosexual thinking person. Why do you assume just because I stand up for gay people's right to get married that I am part of some group?
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By the way, the word is moot, not mute, you ignoramus.
 @Zechariah Well, sodomy consists of oral and anal sex, which from what I understand can be quite popular among married heterosexuals, guess they better prepare for the wrath, right?
@Zechariah Wow! what a rage filled Christian .Who in their right mind would want to spent eternity around such a angry,mean,nasty person like yourself? I know I wouldn't.
 @Zechariah you know for a religious person, you sure are a hypocrite. God says love everyone, hate the sin. I guess you weren't paying attention when that was mentioned. Gay people have been a part of society since the beginning of time and will continue to exist regardless of your hate. Time to adjust or become a simple dinosaur.
@sortbait I Agree!!