As many of you noted, Ken Hutcherson doesn't always give the most coherent testimony.

So. Did anything more compelling come out of the mouths of gay marriage opponents at yesterday's hearing in front of the House Judiciary Committee?

Hit play and you'll get it all, eventually. But just in case you don't have time to sit through every last bit of the post-Hutch testimony, I've condensed the "best" arguments for you right here:

John Geis of the Family Policy Institute of Washington: "Before you tear down a fence, you should have an understanding of why it was put up.”

Kennon Forester, citizen and farmer: “In farmers' terms, when we put two bulls in a pen we don’t get a calf.”

Allison Vance, 13, who said she'd decided to testify on her own, but would be reading testimony “partly written" by her father: “In order to walk properly, you must wear one left shoe and one right shoe." (Trying to make a same-sex family work, Vance said, is "like trying to walk with two left shoes.”)

Jennifer Morris, citizen: “Today my main message is that specific tools are for specific purposes… If you were going to build a skyscraper, you would not be putting bolts with bolts and nuts with nuts, because the structure wouldn’t go up. And if it did it would probably fall apart, probably destroying many lives… I feel very demeaned by the fact that roles don’t seem to matter."

Here's what Ken Hutcherson, official spokesman for Washington's anti-gay-marriage movement, said this morning before the House Judiciary Committee.

Spoiler alert: In addition to calling Representative Jamie Pedersen (D-43) "the worst" for bringing his children to Olympia, Hutch talks about how long he's been black, love, the children, and the limits of Michael Jackson's powers.

Happening now, streaming right here, and at this very moment featuring the testimony of Ken Hutcherson.

• From his testimony: "Representative Pedersen, you are the worst."

Wondering how it's all going to go down in the house, and what happens after that? Right here.

On Wednesday night in Olympia, right after Democratic Senator Kevin Ranker's moving speech about his gay father, Democratic Senator Jim Hargrove rose to explain his vote against gay marriage:

So, that happened. Hooray!

Now what?

According to Zach Silk, spokesman for Washington United for Marriage, the Washington State House will be taking its turn to vote on the gay marriage bill sometime next week.

No one expects anything other than easy passage in the house, where plenty of yea votes were secured long ago. The only question is procedural: Will the house consider the somewhat friendly-amended bill the senate passed last night, or will it keep working on the version of the bill it already has? Depending on what's decided, a vote could take place either Wednesday (if the house sticks with its current version of the bill) or Friday (if it goes with the senate's version, which would require another public hearing along the way to a vote). Either way, Silk says, "That puts it on the governor's desk the following week."

Once the governor receives the bill—not once the house passes it, but once the governor receives it, a small but meaningful distinction that can add a couple of days to this process—the governor then has five days to sign it into law.

"And then," Silk says, "as soon as this bill is signed, the opponents can file a referendum, which we expect they will do because they'll want as long as possible to gather signatures."

The rule is that referendum-filers get 90 days from the end of a legislative session to gather 120,000 valid signatures. If they can file their referendum and get its language approved before the scheduled March 8 end of the current session—well, if they can do that, then they end up with a bit more than 90 days to find signers.

You might ask: Who gets to decide what the ballot language should look like?

The answer is very interesting: Attorney General Rob McKenna.

"We're watching Rob McKenna closely," Silk says. "As we all should."

This was absolutely the best speech of the night. Republican State Senator Cheryl Pflug of Maple Valley—one of the first Republican state senators to announce support for gay marriage—calmly and earnestly takes her conservative colleagues on a tour of American history, reminding them why the Bill of Rights was created in the first place, how this country's founders came here to escape governments that tried to dictate what was true and holy, and how "tradition" is often kind to the majority and not to the minority.

There is an almost Biblical cadence to the way Pflug delivers her remarks: "And many of our forefathers came to this land...", "And so our Bill of Rights was born...," "And then it grew...", "And so I commend this bill to you today because it is part of our struggle..."

There is also something wonderfully devastating in the way Pflug dismisses Republican Senator Don Benton's talk about how few gay people there are.

"I don't know how many gay couples there are," Pflug says, in a voice that has the almost whispered quality of a timid individual, but is in fact speaking words meant to flay. "It makes no difference."

A lot of powerful speeches were delivered last night. None was more quietly eloquent and perfectly sharpened than this.

Here is Sen. Pflug's contact info.

Also speaking last night against an unfriendly amendment that would have immediately put gay marriage up for a popular vote: Senate Majority Leader Lisa Brown:

Yet another great clip from last night. This one begins with Senator Don Benton (R-17) promoting an unfriendly amendment to the marriage bill that would have immediately put the bill up for a vote of the people. After Benton launches into a rambling discourse on how gay people are only .5 percent of the population—and therefore it should be fine to put their rights up for a vote of the people, and also something about the laws of gravity—Senator Ed Murray (D-43) rises to remind Senator Benton what representative democracy is all about:

Another great speech from last night, this one by State Senator Debbie Regala (D-27):

Sen. Regala's contact info.

A few of last night's senate floor speeches were so great that I want to revisit them as video clips today. First up: State Senator Kevin Ranker, D-40, who I'm told never shared this story before last night:

Sen. Ranker's contact info.

They look like a pretty bland bunch. But based on last night's wonderful, heartfelt gay marriage vote speeches, I now know that our state senators include:

- a son of a gay man

- a woman in an interracial marriage

- a majority leader whose sister is in a big gay relationship

- a straight Republican who thinks gay marriage is conservative

- a conservative Democrat who loves his gay army buddies so much that he'll vote against the will of his district for them

- a gay Roman Catholic in an LTR without children

- and a straight pot activist who can't figure out how the gays could possibly hurt her marriage

I love sharing time in the state senate!

(And I know I'm not an elected official or anything, but here's an idea: Maybe if you state legislators opened up about your families—and your feelings, and your lives as they're actually lived—more often, we wouldn't have to wait so long for this kind of progress.)

The proceedings are streaming here, and showing in Seattle at this bar.

6 p.m. The senate was called to order, members of both parties immediately recessed to their private caucus rooms to strategize, and Lieutenant Governor Brad Owen (who presides over the senate) reminded everyone up in the packed galleries that there are strict rules of decorum that should be observed. We'll see how that goes, but so far everyone's on their best behavior. Sen. Ed Murray promises that this will be over before the sun comes up... and hopefully it won't come to that. But just in case I have a nice seat here in the corner of the senate floor. Spotted watching intently from the wings: State Representative Jamie Pedersen, D-Seattle.

• E.S.

6:10 p.m. State Senator Brian Hatfield of Longview, one of four remaining undecided senators, announces that he'll vote for gay marriage. "After months of thought and prayer, I have decided that I will offer my vote in support of Senate Bill 6239," Hatfield says in a statement. "I believe this will not be the final word on this issue, as it is almost certain the voters of this state will have a chance to weigh in with our collective, 'yea' or 'nay'. I now hope that the Legislature can return to the business of the state, including balancing the budget, creating jobs and moving toward a full economic recovery.”

6:37 p.m. Back in session. First order of business: Rule suspended to allow the senate to meet until after 10 p.m. today—get comfy. (However, the senate also agreed to limit members' remarks to three minutes.)

• E.S.
• State Senator Joe Fain, R-47, offering his amendment.

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• Republican Senator Cheryl Pflug (R-5), one of two Republicans who have said they will vote for gay marriage.

• E.S.
• Senator Debbie Regala (D-27) choked up while talking about her interracial marriage.

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• Applause and cheers from the gallery as soon as the bill passed.

• E.S.
• Sen. Ed Murray and his partner, Michael Shiosaki, speaking to reporters ahead of the senate marriage vote.

State Senator Ed Murray (D-43), briefing reporters a few minutes ago in the capitol's many-chandeliered reception room, said that for much of his career he didn't believe he'd be around for this moment.

"A lot of people are just stunned, particularly people in my age group," Murray said. "I don't think we thought this would come about in our lifetimes."

He applauded the guts of pro-marriage senators—both Democrats and Republicans—who come from districts that aren't as supportive of gay rights as Seattle's 43rd.

"I just am so moved by their courage," he said. "There really aren't words to describe it."

He noted that half a dozen amendments to the marriage bill have already been filed, and said he expected more—not all friendly. But he maintained that the senate will pass the measure tonight.

"We'll be finished tonight, even if we're here when the sun comes up."

Asked why marriage is so important when same sex couples in Washington State already have many of the rights of marriage via domestic partnership, Murray responded quickly and succinctly: "This is how society says you're a family."

Assuming the gay marriage bill passes the legislature, is signed by the governor, and survives a repeal effort at the polls in November, Murray and his partner, Michael Shiosaki, plan to take advantage of the new law.

"We will get married," Murray promised.

But for now, strong memories from the past were mixing with his plans for the future.

Murray recalled "a lot of angst" and "a lot of anger" in recent conversations with his senate colleagues leading up to today. He recalled earlier years when gay rights efforts produced "unfortunate, unfortunate debates that should never happen again to any group of people in these chambers." And he recalled his close friend and mentor, the late Cal Anderson, Washington's first openly gay state legislator, who died of AIDS in 1995. "He would be very proud," Murray said. "He would be very excited."

If you're unable to make it down to Olympia and looking for a public place to drink and cheer (and, probably, boo along the way to more cheering), Slog's Lobby Bar correspondent, Kara, says the bar will be showing the senate debate tonight starting at 6 p.m.

Current drink special: The Marriage Martini. "Gin, amaretto, orange-pineapple juice, and cream," says Kara. "It's $7."

I had to put on a jacket and tie to get in this fancy place, but Slog is now present on the floor of the Washington State Senate—where, at 6 p.m., the gay marriage speechifying and voting is set to begin. Already, gay rights supporters have out-hustled the foes of equal rights by showing up early to pack both senate galleries. If you were hoping to get a seat from which to fume about gay marriage passing... too late.

• E.S.

While we wait for 6 p.m., Slog reader Kara writes to ask:

Hi Eli,

I'm so sorry to bug you about this, I know you're not even in Seattle, but have you, or anyone else at The Stranger, heard of any bars in Cap Hill that are planning on streaming the debates and votes?

Thanks!

Kara

Anyone?

Remember: While there are 25 committed state senate votes for gay marriage—enough to pass the measure—there are still four state senators who remain officially undecided on this issue. Let's meet them again:

Find out how to contact these fence sitters (and learn which one of these guys is just 31 years old) right here.