Gay marriage bills introduced in WA state!

Can't wait to post some bleating of the wingnuts - stay tuned!

The strategy of our lawmakers is interesting to say the least. It would appear that these two bills are designed to not actually succeed but to further the debate and education of the public. It will be interesting to see if the strategy works (knocking on wood).

Bill Would Legalize Gay Marriage In Washington State

The [two] bills introduced Thursday would correct a longstanding wrong the five lawmakers said at a morning news conference.

Senator Ed Murray, D-Seattle, prepared the legislation along with four colleagues in the House: Representatives Joe McDermott, D-Seattle; Jim Moeller, D-Vancouver; Jamie Pedersen, D-Seattle; and Dave Upthegrove, D-Des Moines.

"Our goal is marriage equity, and we will work for that," said Rep. McDermott. "In the meantime, our effort is to provide immediate relief, immediate benefits, to same-sex couples."

Murray has introduced same-sex marriage measures before, the first in 1997, but none has ever received a hearing.

Murray said he wants to make sure at the very least that benefits are extended this year.

"This is not about domestic partnership; this is about marriage," said Murray. "The only reason we are introducing the domestic partnership bill is to further the cause of educating the public."

Senate Majority Leader Lisa Brown, D-Spokane, said she would co-sponsor the domestic partnership bill in the Senate.

Gov. Chris Gregoire (D) supports "marriage-like civil rights" but a spokesperson said the governor had not seen either bills.

Lambda Legal, one of the groups involved in last year's lawsuit, applauded the legislation.

"Without offering even basic protections, the state of Washington currently holds same-sex couples as strangers under the law," said Jennifer C. Pizer, Senior Counsel in Lambda Legal's Western Regional Office.

" We believe that the right way to fix this injustice is by treating all of us equally - by changing the law to allow devoted same-sex couples to marry just as different-sex couples can. As states like Washington move toward that goal, we welcome the passage of intermediate laws that recognize our families, offer some critical legal protections, and help the state care better for Washingtonians."

Republicans say they will oppose both bills.

Sen. Dan Swecker, R-Rochester, is promoting a constitutional amendment that would bar same-sex marriage. He said any attempt to legalize gay marriage should be put to voters as a referendum.

Just once I would like the religious conservatives (not all Republicans oppose marriage equality!) to put their relationships to a public vote! They screech about big government and about invasion of privacy and yet they put forth these bills in the form of constitutional amendments that create larger government and greater intrusion into our personal lives! Yeesh.