Olympia, Wash.
Dozens of gay and lesbian couples thronged the offices of the Washington secretary of state this week, seeking a chance to be among the first same-sex couples to register under the state’s new domestic-partnership law. Seattleites Jim Malatak, 64, and Rick Sturgill, 53, were the first to do so. Same-sex couples do not have all the rights of married couples, but now are entitled to visit each other in the hospital, authorize autopsies and organ donations, and get an inheritance if their partner dies without a will. Six other states—California, Maine, New Jersey, New Hampshire, Connecticut, and Vermont—also recognize domestic partnerships or civil unions. Only Massachusetts permits same-sex marriages.
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