Our View: Efforts to squash same-sex rights are unwarranted
In the debate over gay marriage, there are two kinds of opponents: those who support equal rights as long as there isn’t a ceremony called marriage, and those who oppose granting equal rights because that’s seen as a slippery slope to gay marriage. The former are in the firm majority; the latter belong to a distinct minority, but in Washington state they will attempt to reverse an equal-rights law anyway.
According to an April Quinnipiac University poll, American voters oppose (55 percent to 38 percent) a law in their state allowing same-sex couples to marry, but support (57 percent to 38 percent) allowing same-sex couples to form civil unions. The poll notes majority support for same-sex couples being able to adopt, garner employee benefits and other rights. It also shows support for allowing openly gay people to serve in the military.
The “everything but marriage” law was signed Monday by Gov. Chris Gregoire. It adds registered domestic partnerships to all statutes that apply to married couples. This means that registered same-sex couples will now have the same legal rights that opposite-sex couples assumed by virtue of getting married. The law is a culmination of efforts to end the longtime discrimination against gays and lesbians when it comes to housing, hiring, hospital visitation, child custody and many other legal matters.
The new law will take effect July 25, unless opponents can collect 120,577 signatures, which would put a referendum on the November ballot aimed at rescinding it. Unfortunately, the religious Faith and Freedom Network is spearheading an effort to do just that.
To most people, civil unions or state registries like Washington’s make sense, because so many rights are attached to marriage. While we think gay marriage is the simplest answer, there’s no denying that many people, including President Barack Obama, have misgivings. But at the same time, they don’t want to deny basic rights to same-sex couples.
Referendum supporters aren’t concerned about discrimination. Their single-minded focus is on reserving marriage for a man and a woman, and anti-discrimination laws are deemed to be stepping stones to marriage for all.
However, it will be the opponents’ indifference to discrimination that will be their undoing. Many pastors in the state don’t want to take on this law, because they’re not interested in protecting discriminatory statutes in the name of protecting marriage.
The Rev. Joe Fuiten, of Bothell, who has been at the forefront of the gay-marriage battle, recently released a memo in which he urges conservative Christians to skip this fight. That doesn’t mean he supports the new law, but he can see that trying to reverse it is a losing cause.
If enough people see the light and refuse to sign the referendum, the unfairness will end much sooner.