( CNN ) -- Shortly after the clock struck midnight , two Seattle women legitimized their 35-year love affair early Thursday by becoming the first same-sex couple to receive a marriage license in King County , Washington . The two women met on a blind date in 1977 , when homosexuality was highly taboo and gay people socialized privately in homes , never in public . Now Pete-e Petersen is 85 and Jane Abbott Lighty is 77 , and they have lived to see the world transformed . In the twilight of their lives , they thought they would die without being legally married , though they had a church wedding in 2005 . But Washington voters approved Referendum 74 , legalizing same-sex marriage , last month , allowing the first licenses to be issued on Thursday . `` Oh , my goodness ! '' Lighty said . `` We 've been together 35 years and seen all kinds of change . '' `` It 's been a long journey , '' Petersen said . `` We 're so excited to know we 'll get a license and then get married on Sunday . '' Voters approve same-sex marriage for the first time . Washington Gov . Chris Gregoire and Secretary of State Sam Reed certified Referendum 74 Wednesday , surrounded by the marriage equality bill 's supporters . `` This is a very important and historic day in the great state of Washington . For many years now , we 've said , 'One more step . One more step . ' This is our last step , '' Gregoire said . `` To the couples that are here today that will finally be treated with the equality they 've deserved for many years , congratulations to each of you . '' This year has been historic on many levels for the marriage equality movement . High court takes no action yet on same-sex marriage appeals . After years of saying no at the ballot box , American voters for the first time said yes to same-sex marriage this fall in Washington , Maryland and Maine . Marriage licenses for same-sex couples will begin being issued on December 29 in Maine and January 1 in Maryland . Voters in Minnesota rejected a measure that would have banned same-sex marriage . How has LGBT life changed over the years ? Share your story . Those approvals contrast with the 38 states that have passed bans on marriages between people of the same sex , mostly by amending their constitutions to define marriage as a union between a man and a woman . In six states -- Massachusetts , Connecticut , Iowa , Vermont , New Hampshire and New York -- and the District of Columbia , gays and lesbians have previously won marriage rights because of actions taken by judges or legislators , not voters . A milestone also occurred this year in the nation 's executive branch : President Barack Obama became the first president to openly support same-sex marriage . These political trends emerged as a majority of Americans say they support legally recognizing same-sex marriage at a time when the public demonstrates increasing comfort with gays and lesbians , according to a CNN/ORC International survey in June . With 162 years between them , Petersen and Lighty can recall the dark days of being gay in America . `` Of course , we were in the so-called closet , '' Petersen said . `` Fortunately , we 're blessed by nice looks so people did n't know right off the bat we were gay or homosexuals . '' They can leverage the unpleasant moments into humor . After gay marriage successes , activists look to build on new faith outreach techniques . For example , Petersen was an Air Force nurse in the Korean War . Stationed in Japan , she flew all kinds of air missions to retrieve wounded troops in Korea and take them to Tokyo -- similar to what television 's `` M*A*S*H '' depicted . She was eventually promoted to captain in the Air Force and also was put in charge of a clinic in San Antonio , Texas . During that time , she recalls the military hunts for gay men and women . Military brass never suspected her , she said . Lighty enjoyed the same illusion as a young woman . `` I was fortunate , '' Petersen said . `` We passed . `` People would come up in the hospital , and they were always hunting for gay people , '' she continued , talking about the military . Captain , the investigators asked , `` Do you have any ... people being gay here ? '' `` I said , 'Not a one , ' '' she recalled . `` It was just awful . It was a witch hunt , just really trying to oust people . If a military person , like an airman first class ( woman ) , had short hair or walked like a tough person , they were questioning them and always quizzing them , '' Petersen said . `` I told them to leave them alone . '' A preacher , a teacher , a soldier 's parents , a GOP leader : Allies in marriage votes . Still , the couple honor Petersen 's five years of military service every November 11 . `` Yes , '' Lighty interjected , `` on Veterans Day , I have to stand up very straight and say , 'Ma'am ! ' all day long . '' Petersen added : `` She has to say , 'Good morning , captain ! ' Lots of respect , and that has gone on for 35 years . '' On their blind date at 5 p.m. on January 13 , 1977 , the couple rendezvoused for supper at an old town restaurant in Sacramento , California . A mutual friend arranged the date . Lighty cheated that evening : `` I stayed in the parking lot to see what she looked like as she got of the car , '' she said . `` I said she 's cute and she 's short . '' Dinner was a success . `` Boy , we just hit it off , '' Petersen said . Two weeks later , they moved in together . Lighty had earlier been married to a man for two years . Petersen had adopted and was raising her sister 's 10-year-old daughter . Their home also had two dogs and a cat . Victory for lesbian , years after her longtime partner 's death . The couple wondered what they had gotten themselves into . At the time , Petersen and Lighty were nurses . In fact , Petersen was working in public health nursing , and was California 's first nursing home ombudsman for the state Department of Public Health under then-Gov . Ronald Reagan , she said . By 1986 , they had moved to Seattle , where they slowly came out of the closet in the late 1990s . First , they supported a gay men 's choral group called the Seattle Men 's Chorus . By the early 2000s , they started a lesbian counterpart , the Seattle Women 's Chorus . In 2005 , they announced to the world that they were longtime partners by participating in the documentary `` Inlaws & Outlaws , '' which examines the lives of straight and gay couples . On Sunday , the couple will marry onstage before the Seattle Men 's Chorus and Seattle Women 's Chorus at Benaroya Hall , home to the Seattle Symphony Orchestra . Two men who have been together for 23 years will also marry onstage , the two women said . When Petersen and Lighty tie the knot , the Women 's Chorus will be singing from `` One Hand , One Heart '' from `` West Side Story . '' As they approach the 36-year mark of being a couple , Petersen observed : `` We 're just blessed with the people we 've met and the opportunities we 've had . '' Federal appeals court strikes down Defense of Marriage Act .
Washington begins issuing same-sex marriage licenses Thursday . A lesbian couple who have been together since 1977 received the first license in King County . Voters in Maryland and Maine also approved same-sex marriages last month .