First of two parts
Marrying couples will be listed as Person A and Person B on state forms issued by the state Department of Health on Thursday in preparation for the day next week that gay marriage becomes legal in Washington state.
Couples also can elect to be brides and grooms or simply spouses on the new forms released last Thursday after a scramble to get the paperwork finished in time for next Thursday’s deadline.
“It gives them a full range of options,” said Donn Moyer, spokesman for the state Department of Health, which created the forms.
The state department initially proposed changing marriage and divorce documents from “bride and groom” or “husband and wife” to the gender-nonspecific options of “Spouse A” and “Spouse B.”
But after receiving more than 100 public comments, officials elected to keep some elements of the present licenses.
“There is a lot of support to change the certificate, but we also heard input that people wanted to see us retain the terms bride and groom,” said Tim Church, department director of communications.
Added Moyer: “It leaves it up to the couple to define themselves in a way that feels right to them.
“It’s a special occasion, and everybody gets to do it the way they want to do it.”
The form asks the gender of each partner in the marriage so the state can keep statistics on same-sex marriages.
This Thursday is the first day the gender-neutral forms will be available.
Each couple that applies for a marriage license also will receive a document specific to the county that is less bureaucratic and suitable for framing.
Clallam County Auditor Patty Rosand said she was uncertain Friday what the language would be on the county document it provides to couples for framing as a keepsake.
Jefferson County Auditor Donna Eldridge said her office provides “a pretty little thing with a rhododendron flower” and nonspecific language.
In both Jefferson and Clallam counties, both people must be present to apply for the license, and both must provide photo identification.
The process is completed in one visit.
In Jefferson County, a marriage license costs $49 at the Auditor’s Office in the County Courthouse at 1820 Jefferson St., Port Townsend.
In Clallam County, the cost is $58, cash or check, at the office at the county courthouse, 223 E. Fourth St., Port Angeles.
Neither auditor has had many inquiries about the upcoming date, and neither expects a rush at her office Thursday.