Another small step for mankind. Or not.

May 18, 2009 by Pastor Dan.

Washington state is a curious thing. Home to Starbucks, whom we love, and to Microsoft, whom we love to hate, it falls in the blue state category, at least in the last three presidential elections. Yet it has a “defense of marriage” law that keeps gay marriage at bay.

But in reaction to that act being upheld in the courts, a couple of years ago the Washington legislature created a domestic partnership act very similar to what California did, and largely for the same reason – to even the score a bit for lesbian and gay couples (and heterosexual couples over 62).

Today, according to 365Gay.Com, Governor Chris Gregoire signed into law a bill which expanded the rights and responsibilities of domestic partnership in Washington —again very similar to what California has done.

Domestic partnership is “separate and therefore not equal” from civil marriage. But it is movement in the direction of equality and justice. It offers legal protections for lesbian and gay families which are far stronger than they were in 2006.

And like California, Washington might be stuck with this two-status system for awhile and again for the same reasons. The Washington Values Alliance filed papers two weeks ago to deprive lesbian and gay couples of even these rights (”Washington Values Alliance seeks to overturn ‘Everything But Marriage legislation“). (Here are their flimsy and mean-spirited reasons to defeat marriage equality.) If WAVA (”God Family Country”) gathers enough signatures in the next 70 days, voters in Washington will be able to knock down the new rights.

So here the similarity with California ends. Washington did not have legal same-sex civil marriage by order of the state Supreme Court. And the drafters of California’s Proposition 8 smartly did not try to erase or roll back the almost-as-good-as-marriage rights of domestic partners here. The Values Alliance is likely betting on backlash to take away even similar rights (less than equal), not marriage rights, so Washington voters would have to really be motivated to do so by, well, bigotry.

If they fail, of course, by July 25 or in November, this small step for Washington is another step toward the tipping point on same-gender marriage.

—Pastor Dan Hooper, Los Angeles

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