KENNEWICK — After 36 years of celebrating anniversaries and Valentine’s Days, of arguments and make-ups, of raising children and growing old, Larry Gettmann and Jack Frisch, of Kennewick, can’t think of themselves as anything other than “married.”

It doesn’t really matter to them how the state or any church describes them. The only validation they need for their relationship comes from each other.

But soon, Washington likely will confirm in law what Gettmann, 69, and Frisch, 71, already know in their hearts. They are one of almost 10,000 couples registered as domestic partners whose relationships will be redefined as marriage under a bill pending in the state Legislature.

“It’s huge. It’s great,” Gettmann said. “Coming from a place where the public didn’t know anything about gay people to where we’re talking about marriage for gay people is a big thing. I had no idea it would come around in 30 years or less.”

The legislation is inspiring a spectrum of reactions across the state and in the Mid-Columbia — joy, excitement, fear, anxiety, hope, distaste, anger.

Supporters see it as an affirmation of equality and human rights, while opponents believe they are fighting to preserve the moral fabric of society.

“Redefining marriage has serious other consequences,” said Father Richard Sedlacek of St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Kennewick. “It opens the door to polygamy. It opens the door for all kinds of things, all different types of relationships. I just think it’s a bad sign. I think it’s a sign of a declining culture.”

If the bill passes, Washington will become the seventh state in the nation, plus the District of Columbia, to allow gay couples to legally use the word “marriage” to define their relationships.

The bill passed 28-21 in the state Senate on Wednesday, and Olympia insiders say it has enough votes to pass in the House.

It will be heard in the House Judiciary Committee today and could come to a House floor vote in a matter of days.

And with an endorsement by Gov. Chris Gregoire, it seems all but certain that the way marriage is defined in Washington state law is about to undergo a significant change — unless voters decide otherwise in November. Opponents have promised to collect petition signatures toward putting a referendum on the November ballot to let people decide whether they want to legalize same-sex marriage in the state.

“I hope the people will rise up and vote against this,” said Rep. Brad Klippert, R-Kennewick. “It goes back to my faith. God is promised in our Scripture to bless the nation for those who follow him. For those who do not, there are curses. I think we could really use God’s help right now.”

As recently as 1998, Washington joined most of the nation in passing a Defense of Marriage Act defining marriage as between one man and one woman.

The state Legislature in 2007 passed a law allowing gay couples to register as domestic partners, then expanded the legal rights of domestic partners in 2009 to include “everything but marriage.”