Gov. Chris Gregoire (photo courtesy of Creative Commons).

"It's time, it's the right thing to do, and I will introduce a bill to do it," Gregoire said in a press release. "I say that as a wife, a mother, a student of the law, and above all as a Washingtonian with a lifelong commitment to equality and freedom. Some say domestic partnerships are the same as marriage. That's a version of the discriminatory 'separate but equal' argument."

The six states with legalized gay marriage are Massachusetts, Connecticut, Iowa, New Hampshire, Vermont and New York. Gay marriage is also legal in the District of Columbia.

According to Gregoire's statement, she signed legislation banning discrimination based on sexual orientation in employment, housing among other areas in 2006. Substitute Senate Bill 5336 created the state domestic partnership registry in 2007. Reuters reported that she signed a bill in 2009 granting domestic partners the same rights as married couples as long as they didn't conflict with federal law.

Gregoire is a Democrat in the final year of her second term. According to Reuters, Gregoire said in June that she would decline to run for a third term.

Zach Silk, campaign manager in Seattle for the group Washington United for Marriage spoke in support of the legislative effort and said, "The governor is a long-time support of equality and fairness."

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Reach executive producer Agnus Dei Farrant here.