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Tuesday, Jul 08, 2008
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Domestic Partnership bill blasts through Senate |
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| Domestic Partnership bill blasts through Senate | ||
| by Nick Ardizzone -
SGN Staff Writer The Domestic Partnership Expansion bill, which passed effortlessly through the House last month, maintained its momentum and tore through the Senate this week by a vote of 29-20. Its next and final stop is the office of long-time supporter Governor Gregoire, where the bill - which will provide security for domestic partnerships by extending rights in areas of property and finance as well as granting several benefits to couples - will be signed into law. "We sent this bill to the governor's desk today as an important step in giving financial equality and fairness to loving families," said Senator Ed Murray, author of the domestic partnership legislation, in a celebratory press release. On Thursday, the Seattle Gay News spoke with Senator Joe McDermott and Josh Friedes, Advocacy Director for Equal Rights Washington, about the bill's success. "It feels great," McDermott said. "It's a real validation of how the hearts and minds of people across the state are changing regarding these issues and their understanding of the LGBT community." He explained how social progress over the last few years has been mirrored in the Senate. "Four years ago, the Senate voted to adjourn rather than take up the civil rights bill. Three years ago, the bill failed by one vote. Two years ago, the civil rights bill finally passed, and now, two years later, we're expanding the Domestic Partnership bill, and we see 29 'yes' votes on the bill. That shows significant progress for the Senate." He attributed the changing attitudes to the increased visibility of Gays and Lesbians. "I think primarily it's because more people have felt safe to come out, and in doing that, more people know openly Gay and Lesbian people - and once you know us, we're not that scary." It seems even the opposition was swayed by the upstanding GLBT community. "The opposition was certainly of a different tone than it was last year," McDermott said. "It's hard to argue that Western civilization is going to fall apart when we implemented domestic partnerships last year, and the state still seems to be doing quite well." Friedes agreed that opponents of the bill have done little to hinder its passage. "The civility of the debate was fantastic," he said. "We can see there are still serious new questions in the minds of many legislators concerning marriage equality," he continued. "Many legislators still see marriage equality & as somehow undermining what they perceive as the traditional institution of marriage. Our job is to help these legislators understand that marriage equality is an affirmation of the values of commitment. & As marriage equality nears, our opposition becomes panicked, and they become more vocal and more visible. We have to counteract the surfacing of this opposition." Friedes explained that the best way for the GLBT community to reach the legislators is by remaining calm and focused in the face of attacks. "Backlash is part of the process of moving forward & one of the problems with the process of social change is that our opponents' demeanor becomes increasingly inappropriate, and there is a tendency on the part of people responding to inappropriate behavior to, similarly, respond inappropriately." "One of the things that we need to do is - no matter what our opponents say or how they behave - remain civil and calm and articulate and remember that our primary audience in our lobbying and education efforts are not our opponents, but the fair-minded members of the legislature and of the electorate, who desperately want to do what is right by the Gay community." "So this really is an opportunity for us to explain to people why marriage equality is in the best interest of Washington," Friedes continued. "Backlash does create an opportunity to move forward, and in some ways what we're seeing & is backlash to the Domestic Partnership bill, and really a 'frontlash' to securing marriage equality. & There's a real sense of inevitability in the legislature that marriage equality will be achieved in the near future." With the bill's success, Friedes stressed that existing Gay and Lesbian couples need to be aware of the enhanced rights and responsibilities that the bill will grant, as they might be drawn to registration by some of the new coverage. Alternately, if a couple is unprepared for sharing certain financial rights, they must dissolve their registration before the new bill passes, as the new laws will take effect immediately. "It's not something that they opt into," he said. Although the bill passed the Senate with a large majority - including support from Republicans Shirley Hankins, Maureen Walsh, Dale Brandland, Curtis King, and Ceryl Pflug - it was voted against by Democrats James Hargrove, Tim Sheldon, Mark Miloscia, James Kastama, Skip Priest, Sen. Marilyn Rasmussen and Rep. Brian Hatfield, as well as a baffling 'nay' from State Senator Paull Shin, who sponsored the bill in the Senate. Friedes, almost at a loss for words, described Shin's actions as "highly unusual." |
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| pictures above: Ed Murray, below: Joe Mcdermott | ||
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