Gov. Chris Gregoire signed into law the bill authorizing civil marriage for same-sex couples, SB6239, Valentine’s Day making Washington the seventh state with such a law.  It may not take effect on June 7, as scheduled, however, as a referendum challenge is in the wind.

If 120,577 valid signatures are turned in, the new law will be suspended from taking effect as scheduled. If the challengers qualify for the ballot, then the law would stay on hold until the Nov. 6 election and certification on Dec. 6.

Gregoire said it was a proud and defining moment for civil rights in Washington, and predicted that if the measure is placed on the ballot as a referendum, voters will uphold the bill, as they did R-71, the “everything but marriage” law in 2009.

“As governor for more than seven years, this is one of my proudest moments,” Gregoire said. “And most surely today is a proud day in the history of the Legislature and the state of Washington. It is a day historians will mark as a milestone for equal rights. A day when we did what was right, we did what was just, and we did what was fair. We stood up for equality and we did it together – Republicans and Democrats, gay and straight, young and old, and a variety of religious faiths. I’m proud of who and what we are in this state.”

Read more of her statement at http://tinyurl.com/7dkxcnh.