What are the laws regarding gay marriage in my state?

In Washington, same-sex marriage is legal and recognized since December 2012. After the US Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage, Washington formally replaced its laws prohibiting same-sex marriage with new laws allowing it. Washington’s same-sex marriage laws provide that same-sex couples can marry and have the same recognition and protections that heterosexual couples acquire through marriage. Same-sex couples wishing to get married in Washington must obtain a marriage license from a county auditor’s office and have the marriage solemnized by a qualified officiant. This includes clergy, judicial officers, and certain public officials. Washington’s marriage laws also provide that couples may enter a domestic partnership and obtain the same legal rights and benefits regardless of same-sex or opposite-sex. The laws regarding same-sex marriage in Washington also recognize same-sex marriages that were performed in other states. This means that couples who previously married in another state will have their marriage recognized in Washington. Also, couples who get married in Washington will have their marriages recognized in other states, even if those states do not recognize same-sex marriages. Finally, Washington law provides that if two people of the same-sex were married in a country in which same-sex marriage is legal and recognized, the marriage will either be recognized or given effect in Washington. This is true even if such marriages may not be recognized in other US states.

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What are the laws regarding gay marriage in my state?

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