When we last checked in on the referendum that would ratify a marriage equality law passed in Washington’s legislature earlier this year, the vote was close with only half of the ballots counted. On Thursday opponents of the referendum conceded, allowing same-sex couples in Washington to start getting hitched in December. The vote makes the 2012 election a full sweep for marriage equality. In Maryland and Maine voters approved gay marriage, and in Minnesota voters rejected a constitutional amendment that would have banned same-sex marriage. Gay marriage is now legal in nine states, plus the District of Columbia.
