Governor Christine Gregoire is easily one of my least favorite Democrats. Her lack of leadership in local transportation issues and her inaction as the Sonics left town last year... those two things have soured me quite a bit on her skills. But at least she knows her civil rights.
Today she signed Senate Bill 5688, which grants gay couples joined by civil union ALL the same rights as married couples. And it's about time.
To dust off a rancid phrase and rebrand it a little, this bill ensures that gay partners are separate but equal to their straight counterparts. Truly equal -- in all but name. Only one separation remains between united gay couples and straight ones: the latter get to call themselves married and fill out some fancy forms to get their fancy certificate to put in their fancy frame.
Today's step is not enough, but I'm a pragmatist, and this is more than a small incremental victory for the respect and observation of civil rights in our state. At least now we all have the same rights, which gives me a little more hope for the future of the nation. If I were gay, I'd probably pop a bottle of champagne, but not the expensive stuff: I'd save that one for in two or three or four years, when same-sex marriage is legalized here.
(Gregoire is in my camp. She likes big incremental victories, a series of crisp 15-yard passes, if you will, rather than a 70-yard heave down the field. But if you read this mininterview, you'll see I'm also right about her complete lack of initiative.)
The Faith and Freedom Network -- which is exactly what it sounds like, an organization seeking to shame Jesus Christ and hinder freedom at the same time -- will attempt to gather enough signatures to put the issue on the November ballot so it can be OVERTURNED. They'll need 120,577 signatures between May 25 and July 25 to get their hate on the ballot. Please tell your family and friends that we don't need a referendum on whether or not to grant the same set of civil rights to all Washingtonians.
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