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Gay community and allies expresses hurt, hope after state Supreme Court decision

Gay community and allies expresses hurt, hope after state Supreme Court decision
"The people will be victorious, no matter how long it takes," said King County Councilmember Larry Gossett. by Liz Meyer - SGN Contributing Writer The several hundred people assembled Wednesday evening at First Baptist Church in Seattle had hoped their 'Decision Day' gathering would be under more joyous circumstances. Some came wearing rings in anticipation of being wed as early as this weekend. Others talked of watching their young children walk down the aisle as the flower girls and ring bearers at their weddings. Many said, quite simply, that they had begun their day confident that their friends, families, and co-workers would wake up to news of the state's official recognition of their relationships. But in the wake of the Washington State Supreme Court's 5-4 decision upholding the 1998 ban on marriage for same-sex couples, LGBT advocates and allies spoke mostly of the need for perseverance. "Let's pick up the gauntlet," said Larry Gossett, an African-American King County Councilmember and long-time ally to the region's LGBT community. His words echoed a common refrain coming from the 19 plaintiffs, their lawyers, and countless others urging Washington's LGBT community and their allies to continue the struggle for marriage equality. "This is one defeat," Gossett said. "The people will be victorious, no matter how long it takes." Like the wide range of the LGBT and allied community represented at the gathering, the reactions to the Court's ruling varied greatly. A handful of speakers lashed out at the ruling and the judges who issued it. Rep. Dave Upthegrove, an openly Gay member of the Washington State Legislature from the 33rd Legislative District, quoted Franklin Roosevelt in saying he could "carve out of a banana a judge with more backbone" than Justice Richard Sanders. Justice Sanders was described by the Seattle Times as having a "long-standing position that often makes him the voice against deference to the Legislature." However, his assertion that the Legislature could define marriage has made that position much less stable, at least in the eyes of LGBT advocates. Despite the occasional displays of frustration and bewilderment at the decision, though, the mood in the Church seemed generally hopeful. Several speakers testified that the ruling, though painful and disappointing, did not diminish the strength of their actual relationships. "We are a family. Her life matters, our life together matters," said Roger Leishman, an attorney with the ACLU, about his partner and their daughter. Similarly, some used the Court's decision as an opportunity to strengthen their resolve. Lambda legal lawyer Jamie Pederson and his partner Eric Cochran announced their engagement, but said they, too, would wait to marry until it was legal in Washington state. Others who spoke insisted that the LGBT community had come too far to give up now. Beth Reis, surrounded by her partner Barbara Steele and a large number of their family members, said, "We honor those whose shoulders we stand on tonight. People like Harvey Milk, Cal Anderson, who knew and named what we deserved&We will not shame them by giving up. We will never give up." Rep. Ed Murray's definitive pledge to file a marriage equality bill in the Legislature in January seemed to bolster these comments, although even he acknowledged that the likelihood of passing the bill this year would be slim. "I know it probably won't pass in the first several years, but we have to move forward," said Murray of the bill. Said Heather Andersen, another of the plaintiffs, of the possibility of one day achieving marriage equality: "Justice and love, in the long run, will never, ever, ever lose."