just out T march 1 , IM O ? 1 3
he anti-gay marriage campaign is no
lo n g e r k n o c k in g on the P acific
Northwest’s door. With the Washing
ton House’s recent approval of a bill
barring same-sex marriages, it’s got
that door firmly ajar.
“We as a community need to be on guard,”
warns Carol Sterling, executive director of the
Seattle-based Privacy Fund of Washington, which
promotes the civil and political rights o f lesbians
and gay men. Privacy Fund lobbied against the
restrictive measure.
'Hiough Senate leaders say the bill will be al
lowed to die, Sterling says it is critical that the gay
and lesbian community get acquainted with the
marriage issue.
“We don’t even really know where the gay and
lesbian community stands on the whole marriage
question,” she says. “We need to start talking about
that.”
Despite the Senate roadblock, albeit a large one,
opponents o f equal marriage for same-gender
couples are declaring victory following the 66-30
vote on House Bill 2262 in the Republican-domi
nated House.
The bill stated, in part: “It is a compelling
interest of the state o f Washington to reaffirm its
historical commitment to the institution o f marriage
as a union between a man and a woman and its
fundamental role in the procreation and develop
ment of children.”
The Feb. 10 vote generally fell along party lines.
Only one Republican, Rep. Don Carlson (R-
Vancouver), joined Democrats in opposing the bill.
Five Democrats banded with the majority of GOP
representatives in voting in favor o f the legislation.
The bill was sent to the Senate Law and Justice
Committee, where Democratic leaders said it would
not receive a hearing, effectively killing the mea
sure.
“We have been monitoring the situation very
closely and our coalition members across W ashing
ton have been calling their lawmakers to voice their
opposition to the bill,” said Jan Bianchi, immedi
ately following House passage o f the bill. She is a
Seattle attorney and president o f Hands-Off W ash
ington, a grass-roots organization committed to
combating discrimination.
“We feel confident that the bill w on’t even get a
hearing and will be killed in committee,” said
Bianchi, who nonetheless admitted it was “frustrat
ing that right-wing zealots have taken over our
House.”
HB 2262 was sponsored by Rep. Bill Thompson
(R-Everett) as an effort to head off a pending
Hawaii court ruling that could lead to legalized
marriages for same-gender couples.
Earlier this session, HB 2262 simply prohibited
same-sex marriages. Gov. Mike Lowry, a liberal
Democrat, vowed to veto the measure, and in re
sponse proponents amended the bill to add a refer
endum clause. That meant if the bill had gained full
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The only way to shake a drug
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An emotional issue
The battle for sexual minority rights flares up
on the marriage front
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by Inga Sorensen
legislative approval, it would have automatically
bypassed a gubernatorial veto and been placed
before voters in November.
Lowry, who recently announced he would not
seek re-election, heralded the Senate’s decision to
kill the bill.
Prior to the Senate’s action— or inaction, as the
case may be— Sterling said: “We are pretty confi
dent the bill will not make it through the Senate— I
say that with every part o f my body crossed. If it
somehow does pass, then it’s
all hands on deck [because]
w e’re talking about another
intense and costly campaign.
If it doesn’t pass, I believe the
bill will be back next session.”
She added: “This is a tough
issue. Unlike job or housing
p ro te c tio n s, w hich m any
people support for gays and
lesbians, marriage strikes a
certain emotional chord. Many
, j
o f those folks who typically
support our civil rights draw
the line at sam e-sex m ar
y,dk ((
riages.”
\
Still, there appears to be
support out there— at least if
the d ebate am ong H ouse
members is any indication.
“Does love between a man *
and a man offend us more
than hatred between a man
and a man?” Rep. Mary Lou
Dickerson (D-Seattle) asked
during the debate. “This is a vote between love and
hate...betw een courage and fear.”
“Think how you would feel if there was a law
prohibiting you from marrying the person you love,”
added Rep. Debbie Regala (D-Tacoma).
Regala married a Filipino man three decades
ago. At one time, she noted, it would have been
illegal for her to marry him.
Some lawmakers said the bill was unnecessary
because state law does not currently recognize same-
sex marriages, while several House members said
the bill’s language sounded much like religious
doctrine. Dickerson, who was raised aCatholic, said
during the debate: “It’s none o f the state’s business
whether people marry for the purpose of procre
ation.”
Rep. Brian Hatfield (D-Montesano), meanwhile,
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left the debate in tears, saying the issue brought back
a painful memory of a cousin who committed sui
cide several years ago. Hatfield, who voted against
HB 2262, says he had refused to be a pallbearer at the
funeral when he learned that his cousin was gay.
“I’m so sad when I look back and see what kind
o f a person I was,” he says. “And I think, hey, if a
redneck like me can see the kind o f pain discrimina
tion causes, anybody should be able to.”
That is the hope o f John Wilkinson, coordinator
o f the Legal Marriage Alli
ance o f Washington. LMA,
w hich was founded three
months ago, functions as a lo
cal resource for information
on same-sex marriages and
assists existing organizations
by sharing information and
coordinating strategies.
W ilkinson says LM A ’s
immediate focus is to prepare
the sexual minorities commu
nity and general public for the
impact of the Hawaii marriage
decision, which is expected in
July. In anticipation of that
ruling, nearly 20 states have
proposed measures to prohibit
equal marriage rights for gay
and lesbian couples.
“What we try and do is
work to educate in concentric
circles, starting first with our
own com m unity, and then
moving outward to our tradi
tional nongay allies, and then to what I would call
the persuadables,” he says.
“Persuadables are people like my co-workers,”
explains Wilkinson, who has been with his partner
for a quarter century. “I’ve worked at Eastman
Kodak for 21 years and many o f my co-workers vote
Republican. They are not the types o f people you
would think would be supportive of my right to
marry, yet they are, because they’ve gotten to know
me personally.
“ I think one o f the things the gay and lesbian
community doesn’t do enough is ask for support.
We have a tendency to assume someone is ‘for us’
or ‘against us.’ We can’t afford to make those
assumptions.”
As for the House’s recent action, Wilkinson says
he’s pleased by the 66-30 vote.
1
“ I’m amazed we got as many votes as we did,”
he admits. “If you think about how little this whole
issue has been discussed—by anybody— then 30
votes is something to be thrilled about and build
upon.”
According to Wilkinson, LMA is also attempt
ing to build support within the queer community.
LMA sent an estimated 150 notices to gay and
lesbian groups throughout Washington asking if
they’d like further information about same-sex
marriages.
“The response has not been very good,” he says,
quickly adding, “I think that has a lot to do with the
timing. We sent out the notices right before the
holidays, and [HB 2262] was nowhere in sight. I
think interest will greatly increase in light of what
has happened.”
Wilkinson will be the first to admit, however,
that same-sex marriage remains a somewhat contro
versial topic within the queer community.
“There are those who say that marriage is a failed
patriarchal institution, so why should we want any
part o f it,” he says. “I say that this is about equal
access and equal rights. I also firmly believe that
same-sex marriages— and the love and commit
ment we bring to our relationships— can strengthen
the institution for everyone.”
BonnieTinkerof the Portland-based Love Makes
a Family Inc. agrees.
“We are very clear that marriage is not for
everyone. But I adamantly believe that this is a
matter of equal access. Same-gender couples should
have the same right as heterosexual couples to
marry,” she says.
Love Makes a Family, which promotes the rights
and visibility o f lesbian and gay families, is part of
a fledgling coalition whose goal is to educate Orego
nians around the marriage issue.
It is a dialogue that has been woefully lacking in
Oregon, even though initiatives poised for the No
vember 19% ballot call for a prohibition on same-
sex marriages. The Oregon Citizens Alliance is
sponsoring ballot initiatives that bar civil rights
protections based on sexual orientation, as well as
the recognition of “homosexual marital status [and]
spousal benefits.”
Meanwhile, in Washington, Bianchi says Hands
O ff Washington has no plans to take a proactive
stance on same-sex marriages.
“Certainly if this gets on the ballot we will
oppose it,” she says. “But otherwise this is not part
of our agenda. I think there are many people in the
gay and lesbian community who are more con
cerned with employment protections, for instance....
W e’ll leave it up to the Legal Marriage Alliance to
handle the marriage discussion.”
For more information about the Legal
Marriage Alliance o f Washington, call
(206) 689-6280; to contact Love Makes a
Family, call (503) 228-3892.
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