Referendum 74

Washington state’s historic marriage equality law took effect Sunday, and beginning just one minute past the stroke of midnight, the first same-sex couple took their vows.

At just one minute after midnight Thursday, Washington state began issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couple, becoming the first of three states to do so in the coming weeks after voters approved marriage equality measures on Nov. 6.

In a sweep of election night victories for marriage equality, voters in Washington state approved Referendum 74, affirming the state’s same-sex marriage law, and granting gay and lesbian couples the freedom to marry.

In an email to it 56,000 employees, Seattle-based retailer Nordstrom on Thursday announced its support for marriage equality, and the Washington state ballot initiative, Referendum 74, that would legalize same-sex marriage.

YAKIMA, Wash. — Same-sex marriage “jeopardizes freedom rather than expands it,” and “endangers our religious liberty and the right of conscience,” according to Bishop Joseph Tyson, the Catholic bishop of Yakima, Wash.

SEATTLE — In an unprecedented move, The Seattle Times on Monday declared its support for same-sex marriage, and launched a social media campaign aimed at gaining voter support for Referendum 74, the November ballot initiative that will allow voter to approve or reject the state’s new marriage equality law.

SEATTLE — Washington United for Marriage (WUM), the broad coalition working to defend the state’s marriage law, this week began airing its first television advertisement aimed at gaining voter support for marriage equality.

BELLEVUE, Wash. — Online travel company Expedia.com on Tuesday announced its support for marriage equality and the efforts to approve Referendum 74 in Washington state, November ballot initiative asking voters to approve or reject the state’s new marriage equality law.

OLYMPIA, Wash. — The state of Washington has advised the Catholic diocese in Yakima, Wash., that its plans to conduct a special collection to benefit the campaign to defeat the state’s marriage equality law is illegal under the state’s campaign finance laws.

OLYMPIA, Wash. — Supporters of same-sex marriage in Washington state announced Monday they had raised more than $952,000 in June, bringing total contributions to more than $2 million in its campaign to uphold the state’s new marriage equality law, which is on hold pending the outcome of a November ballot measure.