There was a time in this country when schools had to deal with that misfit, that aberrant child, that freak who insisted on trying to write with his left hand. Misguided educators did all they could to wipe out such sinister (the Middle English word for “left”) behavior by forcing left-handed students to be right-handed like everyone else.

Those narrow-minded days are pretty much over. But narrow-mindedness lives on.

So let’s give the Washington Legislature credit for lowering the barriers that keep equal opportunity beyond the reach of some citizens just because they aren’t like everyone else. This week, lawmakers sent Gov. Chris Gregoire a bill extending same-sex couples many of the rights that married couples receive automatically.

This is a fitting add-on to last year’s passage – after two decades of trying – of legislation that added sexual orientation to the list of considerations that can’t be used for discrimination in housing, hiring and financial affairs.

As it happens, the Oregon Legislature is making headway on both of those human rights fronts, too. Social attitudes are showing welcome signs of maturation that transcend state lines.

Still, closed-minded opposition persists, as demonstrated by Rick Forcier, the director of the Christian Coalition of Washington, when he conceded ruefully that the domestic partnership bill would pass. He said he and his associates would be praying for “earthquakes, famines or lightning strikes” if those things would have any chance of heading the bill off.

And what causes Forcier such dread that he must appeal for divine intervention? Perhaps it’s the opportunity for committed same-sex couples to avoid the anxieties that arise when a loved one is hospitalized or injured and someone needs to make critical care decisions. Or the simple ability to buy a house jointly, or to count on inheritance laws to protect ownership rights over mutually acquired possessions.

Married couples take all that for granted. Now, pending Gregoire’s expected signature, same-sex couples will enjoy similar rights.

Fortunately, lawmakers in Washington, Oregon and elsewhere are coming to realize that same-sex couples shouldn’t have to hire a lawyer to draw up a thick sheaf of legal documents just to secure the same rights that heterosexual couples obtain when they marry.

The simplest way to correct the inequity would be to allow gays and lesbians to enter a true marital relationship that honors their emotional as well as economic commitment to each other.

That should be the next step.

And if the earthquakes, famines and lightning fail to materialize, maybe Forcier will conclude that there’s more support for equal rights than he thought.