EVERETT, JUNE 20: An exhibit commemorating the passage of marriage equality legislation in Washington will be displayed in downtown Everett.
Love, Equally: The Journey to Marriage Equality was created in 2023 by Legacy Washington, a program within the Washington State Archives and Office of the Secretary of State, to recognize the people, history, and stories who stood at the forefront of LGBTQIA+ civil rights in Washington state, according to a press release.
The exhibit will be displayed at the Everett Municipal Building, 2930 Wetmore Avenue, and is open to the public. In honor of Everett Pride’s Annual Block Party, the exhibit will also be open from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. Saturday, June 21.
“The City of Everett is honored to host Love, Equally – a moving tribute to resilience and love. This exhibit tells the story of people who refused to be silent, who stood up and spoke out, and who helped bend the arc of our history a little closer to justice,” Mayor Cassie Franklin said.
The exhibition features a series of oral-history profiles, a printed book, and a photographic exhibit and will be open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Friday and remain in Everett until September.
As recently as 2006, state law did not prohibit job discrimination against queer people, and the state Supreme Court banned same-sex marriage. Marriage equality appeared on the Washington State ballot in November 2012.
“Instead of arguing about discrimination and privacy, advocates stressed that gay couples wanted the same white-picket fences, homey routines, and devoted commitments as heterosexuals,” the press release said.
“The success of the marriage equality movement stunned even its advocates at the time,” Secretary of State Steve Hobbs said. “The transformation from ‘outlaws to in-laws’ was one of the swiftest turnarounds in U.S. civil rights history.”
The passing of Referendum 74 in 2012 marked the first time marriage equality was approved by voters, rather than judges or politicians. Three years later, the U.S. Supreme Court followed suit.
The exhibit was originally displayed in the Washington State Capitol Building in the Office of the Secretary of State for two years before moving to the Karshner Museum and Center for Culture & Arts in Puyallup in February 2025.
Based on a press release from the Office of the Secretary of State.
