For one Washington state lawmaker, the question of whether to approve a marriage equality bill boiled down to a devastatingly honest answer — one accompanied with touching humor so rarely seen in politics.

Following the Senate, the Washington House voted 55-43 today to approve marriage equality and send the bill to the governor, who has said she will sign it.

Nearly three years after Kristin Perry, Sandra Stier, Paul Katami, and Jeff Zarrillo sued California state officials after they were denied marriage licenses, a three-judge panel with the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals will rule Tuesday on whether Proposition 8 violated the U.S. Constitution by stripping gay Californians of the right to marry.

The Washington legislature is poised to send a marriage equality bill this week to the desk of Gov. Chris Gregoire, who has vowed to sign it.

Washington state senator Ed Murray called historic passage of a marriage equality bill in the chamber late last evening a “stunning event” — and one that likely faces heated right-wing opposition in the form of a referendum.

Washington state senator Ed Murray, lead sponsor of a bill to legalize marriage rights for same-sex couples in the state, believes that the senate is poised for a Wednesday floor vote on the matter.