County couples get long-coveted licenses to wed

EVERETT — Thirteen years ago Kevin and Keith Arnett formalized their relationship with a weddinglike ceremony blessed by friends yet ignored by the state.

They plan to exchange vows again this Sunday. And this time they’ll have the state’s blessing.

That became possible Thursday after the Lynnwood couple obtained the first marriage license issued to a same-sex couple by the Snohomish County Auditor’s Office. Because the state has a three-day waiting period, they can’t wed until this weekend.

“I’ve been waiting for this day for a long time,” Kevin Arnett, 57, said after paying a $64 fee with a credit card and getting a license. “I want to celebrate.”

Keith Arnett, 61, choked back tears when he walked away from the counter with not only the license, but also a marriage certificate.

“I’m pinching myself. I didn’t think I would see it in my lifetime,” he said.

Thursday opened a new chapter in state history in which gay and lesbian couples can legally marry. Voters brought the change by approving Referendum 74 last month.

The Arnetts and their friends, Molly Lloyd-Wilson and Corine Schmidt, found themselves alone in line when they arrived at the county building at 7:40 a.m. Thursday. The two couples plan a double wedding at Trinity Lutheran Church in Lynnwood.

Schmidt, 72, and Lloyd-Wilson, 73, held a commitment ceremony 27 years ago in Eastern Washington and welcome the legal recognition of their relationship.

Still, filling out forms and paying a fee didn’t sit well with Schmidt.

“In a way it makes me angry because we’ve been married 27 years,” Schmidt said as she completed her portion of the application. “But you jump through the hoops you have to.”

By the end of the day, marriage licenses were issued to 24 same-sex couples in Snohomish County and 25 couples in Island County. By 4 p.m. Thursday, 769 same-sex couples around the state obtained them. Auditors in 32 of the state’s 39 counties reported handing out at least one license.

Last month, Washington, Maine and Maryland became the first states to make same-sex marriage legal by popular vote. They joined the District of Columbia and six states that already enacted laws or issued court rulings permitting same-sex marriage: New York, Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Vermont.

Referendum 74 in Washington asked voters to either approve or reject a law legalizing same-sex marriage passed by the Legislature and now signed by Gov. Chris Gregoire. That law had been on hold since the summer, pending the outcome of the election.

“For many years now we’ve said one more step, one more step. And this is our last step for marriage equality in the state of Washington,” Gregoire said Wednesday afternoon before signing a proclamation certifying the election results.

The law doesn’t require religious organizations or churches to perform marriages, and it doesn’t subject churches to penalties if they don’t marry gay or lesbian couples.

Same-sex couples previously married in another state that allows gay marriage, like Massachusetts, will not have to get remarried in Washington. Their marriages will be valid here as soon as the law takes effect.

Under the new law, any same-sex domestic partnership registered with the state that is not ended by June 30, 2013, will automatically convert to a marriage.

Thursday morning, state Rep. Marko Liias, D-Edmonds, who is gay, greeted couples applying for a license. He recalled how as soon as the state formally recognized same-sex domestic partnerships in 2007, the talk turned to legalizing marriage.

“I remember discussions about how long (it would) take to get to marriage equality,” Liias said. “I don’t think I could have imagined we’d be at this point. Clearly our strategy of having a conversation with the public is what got us here today.”

Jill Ryan of Everett also came down to congratulate those getting licenses.

“I’ve been married 21 years,” she said. “I just wanted to come down and tell people I support them and I am proud they will be able to show their commitment (to each other) as my husband and I have been able to.”

In line, Vonnie Jones, 30, and Harpreet Gill, 22, found themselves standing between couples a generation older than themselves that had been waiting years to be able to legally consummate their relationship with marriage.

“I’m glad we didn’t have to wait 27 years,” Jones said, referring to Lloyd-Wilson and Schmidt. “These people have a lot of patience.”

While Jones and Gill could have waited, they said they wanted to be part of the historic day. And they do plan to wed Sunday.

“Our grandkids will read about this, and we’ll have stories to tell,” Gill said.

Lucy Gonzales and Elizabeth Joy of Bothell didn’t need to come in Thursday because they don’t plan to wed until later this month.

“It just happens to be my day off,” said Joy, a city of Everett employee, with a laugh.

The two had a commitment ceremony in 1999 and desired to be among the state’s first wave of license recipients.

“I’m very proud,” said Gonzales, 70. “I never thought I’d live to see this.”

In Island County, Col. Grethe Cammermeyer and Diane Divelbess of Coupeville picked up the first license just after 8 a.m. Cammermeyer, a nurse who served in the Vietnam War, earned national attention after her discharge in 1992 because of her sexual orientation.

Fourteen couples followed over the ensuing two hours, according to county Auditor Sheilah Crider.

“We are truly thrilled to have been a part of this historic day,” she said. “How many times do you get to come to work and know you’ve had such a positive impact on someone’s life? It’s been a really good day.”

Jerry Cornfield: 360-352-8623; jcornfield@heraldnet.com.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Local News

A firefighter stands in silence before a panel bearing the names of L. John Regelbrugge and Kris Regelbrugge during the ten-year remembrance of the Oso landslide on Friday, March 22, 2024, at the Oso Landslide Memorial in Oso, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
‘Flood of emotions’ as Oso Landslide Memorial opens on 10th anniversary

Friends, family and first responders held a moment of silence at 10:37 a.m. at the new 2-acre memorial off Highway 530.

Julie Petersen poses for a photo with images of her sister Christina Jefferds and Jefferds’ grand daughter Sanoah Violet Huestis next to a memorial for Sanoah at her home on March 20, 2024 in Arlington, Washington. Peterson wears her sister’s favorite color and one of her bangles. (Annie Barker / The Herald)
‘It just all came down’: An oral history of the Oso mudslide

Ten years later, The Daily Herald spoke with dozens of people — first responders, family, survivors — touched by the deadliest slide in U.S. history.

Victims of the Oso mudslide on March 22, 2014. (Courtesy photos)
Remembering the 43 lives lost in the Oso mudslide

The slide wiped out a neighborhood along Highway 530 in 2014. “Even though you feel like you’re alone in your grief, you’re really not.”

Director Lucia Schmit, right, and Deputy Director Dara Salmon inside the Snohomish County Department of Emergency Management on Friday, March 8, 2024, in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
How Oso slide changed local emergency response ‘on virtually every level’

“In a decade, we have just really, really advanced,” through hard-earned lessons applied to the pandemic, floods and opioids.

Ron and Gail Thompson at their home on Monday, March 4, 2024 in Oso, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
In shadow of scarred Oso hillside, mudslide’s wounds still feel fresh

Locals reflected on living with grief and finding meaning in the wake of a catastrophe “nothing like you can ever imagine” in 2014.

The view of Mountain Loop Mine out the window of a second floor classroom at Fairmount Elementary on Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
County: Everett mining yard violated order halting work next to school

At least 10 reports accused OMA Construction of violating a stop-work order next to Fairmount Elementary. A judge will hear the case.

Imagine Children's Museum's incoming CEO, Elizabeth "Elee" Wood. (Photo provided by Imagine Children's Museum)
Imagine Children’s Museum in Everett will welcome new CEO in June

Nancy Johnson, who has led Imagine Children’s Museum in Everett for 25 years, will retire in June.

Kelli Littlejohn, who was 11 when her older sister Melissa Lee was murdered, speaks to a group of investigators and deputies to thank them for bringing closure to her family after over 30 years on Thursday, March 28, 2024, at Snohomish County Superior Court in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
‘She can rest in peace’: Jury convicts Bothell man in 1993 killing

Even after police arrested Alan Dean in 2020, it was unclear if he would stand trial. He was convicted Thursday in the murder of Melissa Lee, 15.

Ariel Garcia, 4, was last seen Wednesday morning in an apartment in the 4800 block of Vesper Dr. (Photo provided by Everett Police)
Everett police searching for missing child, 4

Ariel Garcia was last seen Wednesday at an apartment in the 4800 block of Vesper Drive. The child was missing under “suspicious circumstances.”

The rezoned property, seen here from the Hillside Vista luxury development, is surrounded on two sides by modern neighborhoods Monday, March 25, 2024, in Lake Stevens, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Despite petition, Lake Stevens OKs rezone for new 96-home development

The change faced resistance from some residents, who worried about the effects of more density in the neighborhood.

Rep. Suzan DelBene, left, introduces Xichitl Torres Small, center, Undersecretary for Rural Development with the U.S. Department of Agriculture during a talk at Thomas Family Farms on Monday, April 3, 2023, in Snohomish, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Under new federal program, Washingtonians can file taxes for free

At a press conference Wednesday, U.S. Rep. Suzan DelBene called the Direct File program safe, easy and secure.

Former Snohomish County sheriff’s deputy Jeremie Zeller appears in court for sentencing on multiple counts of misdemeanor theft Wednesday, March 27, 2024, at Snohomish County Superior Court in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Ex-sheriff’s deputy sentenced to 1 week of jail time for hardware theft

Jeremie Zeller, 47, stole merchandise from Home Depot in south Everett, where he worked overtime as a security guard.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.