Sen. Ed Murray, D-Seattle, will become just the second openly LGBT person to lead a state senate chamber after his Democratic colleagues tonight chose him as majority leader of the Washington State Senate.  Murray, 57, was first elected to the Senate in 2006 after serving 11 years in the Wash. House of Representatives.  He was a leading voice in favor of passage of the state’s marriage equality bill, which voters affirmed last week.

“We have work to do in Olympia – prioritizing education, creating jobs for the middle class, and ensuring Washingtonians have the health care they need. And one of our challenges in a closely divided chamber is to ensure that the Senate is able to fulfill its obligation to govern the state, in tandem with Gov.-elect Jay Inslee and the House. These are not simple challenges, but they are solvable. We can find solutions that work for all of Washington,” Murray said in a release tonight.

“We congratulate Sen. Murray for this wonderful recognition of his leadership skills and dedication to the people of Washington.  He has proven that openly LGBT Americans have much to offer their communities as leaders and representatives, and his commitment to open and honest public service has set an example for LGBT youth,” said Chuck Wolfe, president and CEO of the Victory Fund.

Murray joins Assembly Speaker John Perez in California, House Speaker Gordon D. Fox in Rhode Island and incoming House Speaker Mark Ferrandino in Colorado as the only currently serving openly gay legislators to land their chambers’ top jobs.  In Oregon, out lesbian Rep. Tina Kotek is expected to be elected Speaker of the House this week after Democrats won control in last week’s elections.

The first openly gay State Senate leader was the late Allan Spear of Minnesota.  He was first elected to the Minnesota Senate in 1972 and came out as gay in 1974.  Spear served a total of 28 years in the senate, retiring in 2000. He was President of the Senate from 1992 to 2000.

The Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund tonight congratulated openly gay State Sen. Edward Murray and his colleagues in the Washington State Senate on the passage of Senate Bill 6239, which would end marriage discrimination in the state. The bill now moves to the Washington House of Representatives, where five openly gay and lesbian lawmakers will ask their colleagues to follow the Senate and vote to give them the right to marry. Gov. Christine Gregoire has vowed to sign the bill.

“Tonight’s vote is a victory for fairness in Washington, and for Senator Ed Murray, who has worked so hard for so long to make life better for LGBT Washingtonians,” said Chuck Wolfe, president and CEO of the Victory Fund. “When this bill is finally signed into law, Ed and Michael, his partner of 20 years, will finally have realized the equality under state law Ed has fought for since he was first elected to the legislature in 1995. The Victory Fund is proud to support all six openly LGBT members of the Washington State Legislature, and we offer our deepest congratulations and thanks to Ed and to everyone in the Washington United for Marriage coalition that made tonight’s vote possible,” said Wolfe.

In the House, openly gay and lesbian lawmakers who are leading efforts to pass the measure include State Reps. Jamie Pedersen, Laurie Jinkins, Marko Liias, James Moeller, and David Upthegrove.

“Ending marriage discrimination in Washington will take the courage of many individuals, groups and allies, but we are especially proud of the openly gay and lesbian lawmakers whose honesty and example helped inspire their colleagues to support this bill. From the late Sen. Cal Anderson to the six who serve today, all have educated their colleagues, introduced their partners, authored legislation and spoke passionately about their own lives on the floors of the State House and Senate, and that has made a tremendous difference,” said Wolfe.

Photo:  Sen. Ed Murray and his partner, Michael Shiosaki, testifying in favor of SB 6239.  (Washington Senate Photo Services / Northwest News Network)

Out state legislators in Washington are celebrating the State Senate’s passage of two LGBT rights bills — one of which expands the rights granted to same-sex couples under the state’s existing domestic partnership law, while the other expands the state’s hate crimes statue to include transgender people. Both bills were introduced by openly gay legislators — Sens. Ed Murray and Joe McDermott, respectively.

According to the Associated Press, the first bill builds upon previous domestic partnership laws by adding reference to partnerships alongside all remaining areas of state law where currently only married couples are mentioned, statutes ranging from labor and employment to pensions and other public employee benefits.

The AP reports:

The underlying domestic partnership law, which Murray spearheaded two years ago, provided hospital visitation rights, the ability to authorize autopsies and organ donations, and inheritance rights when there is no will.

Last year, lawmakers expanded that law to give domestic partners standing under laws covering probate and trusts, community property and guardianship.

As of Tuesday, 5,112 domestic partnership registrations had been filed since the law took effect in July 2007.

In addition, out Sen. Joe McDermott passed a bill that adds transgender people to the state’s Malicious Harassment Statute. The bill passed the Senate by a vote of 36-12 with broad bipartisan support.

“When ’sexual orientation’ was added to our Hate Crimes law years ago, transgendered was not included in the definition,” McDermott wrote on his blog. “Three years ago when we passed the Anti-Discrimination Statute we included transgendered in that definition of sexual orientation. I am exceptionally proud of this progress for transgendered persons tonight.”

Both bills now move to the Washington state House of Representatives.

Openly gay Washington state legislators Sen. Ed Murray and Rep. Jamie Pedersen have both introduced legislation that would offer same-sex couples within the states all the benefits of a civil marriage.

“This is everything but marriage,” Pedersen told The Seattle Times.

Murray sponsored the state’s domestic partnership law in 2007. That law provides same-sex couples with hospital visitation rights, the ability to authorize autopsies and organ donations and inheritance rights when there is no will. Currently, nearly 5,000 couples have become registered through the law.

The Seattle Times reports:

The 110-page bill makes changes to all remaining areas of state law where currently only married couples are addressed. The bill would add same-sex domestic partners to state statutes ranging from labor and employment to pensions and other public employee benefits.

“Although we view this as an improvement that provides real and concrete protections to same-sex partners, it’s an inadequate substitute for marriage,” Pedersen said. “Our hope is that the continuing success of this legislation helps people understand what marriage is, and that it gets them more comfortable with treating all families with equality dignity and respect.”

Pedersen and Murray said that a same-sex marriage measure, also introduced Tuesday, is unlikely to go anywhere this year, but is meant to spark further discussion.

“It’s entirely possible that next year, enough things might have changed that we feel like it’s time to make a run at the marriage bill,” Pedersen said. “We’re not there now. But it’s not out of the question.”

Washington Gov. Chris Gregoire signed Washington’s new domestic partnership law yesterday, giving gay couples a total of 170 new rights. The bill, sponsored by openly gay state Rep. Jamie Pedersen and openly gay state Sen. Ed Murray, still only provides gay couples with a quarter of the rights their heterosexual counterparts do, according to The Washington Blade.

“This bill strengthens Washington by strengthening families,” Gregoire said. “It strengthens families by providing domestic partners with rights and responsibilities they need to maintain stable, loving relationships for them and their children.”

House Bill 3104 adds additional rights and responsibilities relating to issues such as dissolutions, community property, estate planning, taxes, court process, conflicts of interest for public officials and guardianships.

“Lesbian and gay families lack financial security because we don’t have the basic legal and financial protections that married couples are provided,” said Sen. Ed Murray, D-Seattle, sponsor of the Senate’s version of the bill. “With Governor Gregoire signing this bill today, we’re taking another important step in giving financial equality and fairness to loving families. This work is not about more rights, it’s about equal rights.”

Since Washington’s domestic partnership registry was introduced in 2007, more than 3,000 couples have signed up.