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Sunday, Nov 22, 2009
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SENATE VICTORY IN OLYMPIA!
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| SENATE VICTORY IN OLYMPIA! | ||
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Senate passes Domestic Partnership Expansion bill, 30-18 by Nick Ardizzone - SGN Staff Writer Senate Bill 5688, which grants domestic partners all of the rights and responsibilities associated with marriage in Washington State, passed through the Senate Tuesday, March 10 with a vote of 30-18. The additional benefits granted by the passage of the bill which had previously been denied same-sex couples include pension benefits, workers' compensation coverage, and the right to use sick leave to care for a partner. Sen. Ed Murray, primary sponsor of the bill, was satisfied with the bill's passage and the addition of the final rights that had been denied domestic partners. "It completes the list [of rights], as we now have full domestic partnership in Washington State, similar to what they have in Oregon and California," he said. "I think it's a strong showing that, the more the state comes to know Gay and Lesbian people, the more accepting the state is, and the more supportive they are of our issues." The bill was hard-fought on the Senate floor. "It took a lot of work on a lot of people's parts, both the organizations involved and the legislators," Murray said. "It wasn't as hard as passing the civil rights bill in 2006, but it was still a struggle." "It'll go to the House, where it's expected to pass easily," he said confidently. "The votes are there in the house." "WE NEED EVERY PROTECTION WE CAN GET" Sen. Joe McDermott, one of the bill's sponsors, was enthusiastic when he spoke with the Seattle Gay News the morning after the passage of the bill through the Senate. "The step we took last night is fantastic," he said. "The bill gives domestic partners all the rights of marriage under state law. Our relationships need to be treated just like married couples in the state, and so I think last night's steps here on the Senate floor were fantastic." McDermott was understandably pleased by the 30-18 vote, which he felt showed an increasing understanding in the legislature of the trials that all families face. "More and more people are realizing that we're looking for the same rights other couples have," he said, "and how vulnerable our families can be, and how much we need the same protections from the state that other couples have." "Particularly at this time," he added, "when families have lost jobs and suffered in this economy, we need every protection we can get." "I expect that the House will pass the bill," he said, adding that he worked carefully with Rep. Jamie Pedersen to ensure the bill addressed all the concerns they could think of so that no amendments would need to be added. UNPRECIDENTED CIVILITY ON THE SENATE FLOOR Josh Friedes, advocacy director for Equal Rights Washington, was impressed with how readily legislators embraced the expansion bill. "We're extremely pleased by the support for the bill in the legislature," he said. "We had three Republicans support the bill, and we had every legislator who was targeted by the radical right support the bill. Discourse on the floor of the Senate was incredibly civil. Senator [Adam] Kline pointed out that several years ago, this would have been a very nasty conversation, but today we see even legislators who oppose legal recognition for Gay and Lesbian families and marriage equality talking in a voice that is much more polite and respectful of Gay and Lesbian people, and that really bodes well for the future." THE POWER OF STORIES Friedes believes the sea change in attitudes toward same-sex families was brought about by simply bringing the reality of Gays and Lesbians to the attention of legislators. "There's a phenomenal humanization of the issue; what was once a political issue can now be understood as a human issue. & Hats off to two groups of people," he said. "The first are legislative allies, especially openly Gay legislators at the state capitol who have really educated their colleagues and really put their own lives under a microscope. One of the things that I very commonly hear legislators say to me is they're supporting the domestic partnership bill and thinking about marriage equality because they realize their Gay colleagues have families that are no different from their own. "The other group who deserves a large amount of credit are constituents who are sharing their stories with legislators. Not only Gay and Lesbian constituents, but straight constituents as well - mothers talking about their desire to have their children have equal rights, neighbors talking about their hope that people they care about and interact with will be able to protect their families. Everybody has a story to tell, and it is vitally important." "What our opponents don't have are any stories," Friedes said, laughing. "There is not one example about how allowing a Gay and Lesbian family to have legal recognition in Washington State has hurt any other family." As close as the domestic partnership bill is to ending its journey, Friedes cautions against declaring victory just yet. "There's still a lot of work that needs to be done. What we're seeing now is an energized radical right, and they're clearly feeling panicked. That was clearly demonstrated by the really nasty advertisements that they ran & they were full of blatant lies and mistruths, and we have to be ready for that," Friedes said, emphasizing once again the power of putting a human face to the issues. "Our best defense against the lies is for everybody to talk to their friends and legislators about why the domestic partnership bill and marriage equality is in the best interest of Washington State and Washington families." |
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