CNS PHOTO | ROBERT SORBO, REUTERS Members of the Knights of Columbus protest outside the Capitol in Olympia, Wash., Feb. 8 to protest a bill that would legalize same-sex marriage in the state.

Members of the House of Representatives in Washington state voted Feb. 8 to legalize same-sex marriage, and Gov. Christine Gregoire was expected to sign the bill into law by mid-February.

The vote came one day after a federal appeals court in California struck down that state's voter-approved ban on same-sex marriage.

Once it becomes law, Washington will be the seventh state in the nation, along with the District of Columbia, where same-sex marriage is legal.