Seattleâs Pete-e Petersen, 85, and Jane Abbott Lighty, 77, have been together for over 35 years and thought they would die without getting legally married. But at midnight on Thursday, they became the first same-sex couple to receive marriage licenses in the state of Washington.
The two women met on a blind date, set up by a mutual friend, on January 13, 1977.
Before they sat down for dinner at an old town restaurant in Sacramento, Jane snuck a peak of her date from the parking lot. She thought Pete-e was âcuteâ and âshortâ and the two, as Petersen put it, âjust hit it off.â
Debunking that myth of lesbian courtship, they moved in together two weeks later.
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Almost overnight they had a full house, with two dogs a cat and a 10-year-old girl â Petersen had adopted and was raising her sisterâs daughter. Lighty had baggage of her own, having been previously married to a man for two years. Still, they found domestic bliss together and in 1986 moved to Seattle.
âOf course, we were in the so-called closet,â Petersen said. âFortunately, weâre blessed by nice looks so people didnât know right off the bat we were gay or homosexuals.â
They slowly came out in the late 90s, initially supporting a gay menâs choral group, the Seattle Menâs Chorus. Then in the early 200s, they started the lesbian equivalent, the Seattle Womenâs Chorus. In 2005, the same year they appeared in the documentary, Inlwaws & Outlaws, Lighty and Petersen were married in a church wedding.
This Sunday they will do it all over again, but with that all-important piece of paper between them, when they marry before the Seattle Menâs Chorus and Seattle Womenâs Chorus onstage at Benaroya Hall, home to the Seattle Symphony Orchestra.
âItâs been a long journey,â Petersen said. âWeâre just blessed with the people weâve met and the opportunities weâve had.â
1EqualityUSA
Congratulations. Some day we’ll be recognized Federally. Enjoy married life. Thanks for being out and proud.
John Doe
They were the first same-sex couple in KING COUNTY, Washington (Seattle) to get a marriage license, not the first in Washington State. Another county was also handing out licenses at 12:01am last night.
Either way, about 300 couples have received marriage licenses thus far. Most of these people were at the 12:01am openings to get them. We’ll probably see another 100 – 200 couples pick up licenses during the day today. Weddings will begin on Sunday.
Daniel-Reader
Awesome.
Lyceius
Good for them. It’s great that they were able to finally get married after all those years together :). I live in Maine so I hope to have one myself soon… Hoping to get the question popped on Christmas đ
WayDifferent
Now set an example. Don’t wind up on Judge Judy in 9 months.