Newsmaker

Every Friday, we choose an alum who has been making headlines—for better or for worse.
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Jamie Pedersen ’90, ’94JD: An ex-Boy Scout helps win gay marriage in Washington State.

By the staff | 11:21am February 16 2012

Jamie Pedersen ’90, ’94JD, is a clean-cut, boyish-looking legislator in Washington State. A former Boy Scout and current church treasurer. An advocate of toy safety and bicycle safety. A father of four (Trygve, Leif, Erik, and Anders) and a devoted husband—almost.

Married in the Lutheran church eight years ago, Pedersen and his partner, Eric, are not legally married in the eyes of their state. But on February 13, Governor Christine Gregoire signed a bill—of which Pedersen was the prime House sponsor—legalizing same-sex marriage. The law takes effect June 7, unless opponents gather enough signatures to put a referendum on the November ballot.

Pedersen, who chairs the House Judiciary Committee, testified for the bill at a January hearing, with a pair of tow-headed toddlers on his lap grabbing at the microphone and occasionally squealing. Though not as loud as the cheers when Gregoire raised her hands and declared: “It’s signed!”

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