Voting one’s conscience is not always the politically expedient thing to do. Often it is done with great risk – personally and professionally. Each of you who courageously voted for Marriage Equality in Washington State did so because you believe that it is the fair thing to do. Each of you voted your conscience despite pressure from many of your colleagues and your constituents.
I am proud of each and every one of you. The civil rights of the minority should never be put to the vote of the majority – you resisted the temptation to take the easy way out and put it on the ballot this November. Many of you gave poignant speeches in support of treating all of the citizens of Washington equally that were moving and brought some who watched the debates on the floor to tears.
Your actions in the Senate and the House will reverberate throughout our nation and past her borders. Your vote was a vote for fairness and justice. It was a vote against discrimination. It makes me proud to be an American. Thank you for standing on the Right Side of History.