Referendum 74, legalizing gay marriage in Washington State, went into effect Thursday, Dec 6. Hundreds of gay couples lined up to get their marriage licences at midnight, but 85-year-old Pete-e Petersen and 77-year-old Jane Abbott Lighty were chosen to be the first gay couple of the Evergreen State because they are well-known community leaders who have fought tirelessly for marriage equality.
“It’s very humbling to be chosen first,” Petersen said. “We feel like we’re representing a lot of people in the state who have wanted this for a long time. It’s hard to explain the thrill that we are really going to get married. We waited a long time. We’ve been together 35 years, never thinking we’d get a legal marriage. Now I feel so joyous I can’t hardly stand it!”
The couple has come a long way from the blind date that ignited the flame between them more than three decades ago and will be wed this Sunday.
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