Washington State to Remove Terms "Husband" and "Wife" from Marriage Certificates

With a week until same-sex couples can register to be married in Washington, state workers are scrambling to get the right paperwork approved so there is no confusion when gay couples file to marry.

Next Thursday, gay couples can go to their county auditor's office and fill out the forms for marriage, but the forms will likely be different from those that are currently available.

The Department of Health is taking public comment Wednesday to make the current forms more gender neutral.

Jill Mullins drove from Seattle to Olympia Wednesday morning so she could say what she thinks about the proposed change to marriage and divorce certification forms.

The current forms ask for the bride’s name and signature and the groom’s legal information.

But with the legalization of gay marriage, the Department of Health is proposing to make the forms more generic, using instead “spouse A and spouse B.”

“I like it much better than having bride and groom and having that gender denomination,” said Mullins.

But Mullins said the form is not perfect for her.

"People across the board don't like taking away the terms husband and wife,” she said.

Mullins said gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender citizens worked hard to get access to the terms “husband and wife.” NomBlog