Good News for Vancouver

And even better news for same sex Oregon couples:

Gay couples are still legally banned from getting married in Oregon, but, effective immediately, their marriages will be recognized in the state if they choose to get hitched elsewhere in the country.

In an interesting half-step toward marriage equality, Oregon’s chief operating officer Michael Jordan issued a memo stating that all state agencies are required to recognize the unions of gay couples who wed outside the state.

“Oregon agencies must recognize all out-of-state marriages for the purposes of administering state programs,” reads the memo. “That includes legal, same sex marriages performed in other states and countries.”

It is welcome news even as it shows that there is more work to do. I suspect that it will be good for the wedding industry in Southern Washington and Northern California as couples come here to get legally hitched back home. I welcome the economic activity and the spread of love. And those of us who voted for marriage equality in Washington will have helped couples from the other side of the Columbia get married.

Still, for people in parts of Oregon that aren’t near the border, getting access to those rights might be tough. A couple farmers in Southeastern Oregon, or some college kids in Eugene who money is tight for might not be able make the trip.