Endorsement for Referendum 71: Approve (Duh.. next)
This year Governor Gregoire signed into law Senate Bill 5688 - expanding the protections offered to State Registered Domestic Partners. Coined the “Everything but Marriage” bill (although there’s still so much missing), this bill provides all the protections to State Registered Domestic Partners (of which there are approximately 6,000) that Washington State provides to married couples.
The bill is still unable to provide the benefits awarded federally to married couples, such as the right to immigrate to this country or not pay income taxes on shared health benefits, etc.
I was at the hearing for both Senate Bill 5688 and its house equivalent 1727. We were all surprised to see how many bigots showed up to protest the bill (see my coverage here), I think past years gains in gay rights gave us all a false sense of security.
There was pushing, shoving, name-calling, as well as out-and-out lying. This front-and-center bigotry hasn’t changed much as it transitioned into the Referendum, and here we are today, asked to codify a slightly lesser disparity in gay rights through popular vote.
In effect, vote yes on this Referendum to provide some level of equality. We’re already letting the religious nut-jobs who believe marriage is a straight person right set the bar, and after conceding that we wouldn’t ask for Gay Marriage in this state, they’re now trying to push us back even further.
I’m personally sick of this debate. There are a lot of more important things to worry about, but each year we have to defend these rights is another year we can’t work on more pressing issues. Fix it and forget it.
http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/why-do-you-hate-me/Content?oid=2156227
http://approvereferendum71.org/
http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/how-they-lie/Content?oid=1930457