A lot of folks deserve credit for the defeat passage of Referendum 71, but when it comes to the underlying strategy that got us this far, it’s hard to argue that anybody has played a bigger role than state Sen. Ed Murray.
Murray says the state’s organizing networks now are stronger as a result of the R-71 campaign. “The vote affirms that the strategy we tried in Washington state was the right one,” he says, referring to passing three incremental domestic partnership bills, each one granting more marriage rights to same-sex couples. “We engage citizens in conversions about what it means, survivor benefits and funeral arrangements, instead of just focusing on one word.”
And it wasn’t just this vote in Washington that proved the strategy right, but the failed vote in Maine that would have approved full blown same-sex marriage there. Maine voters just weren’t quite ready to approve gay marriage, and most likely voters aren’t quite ready to do the same here. But by acting incrementally and forcing a public conversation about marriage equality, our voters have been willing to go further toward marriage equality than voters in any other state.
In fact, ironically, by forcing the issue onto the ballot, the opponents of R-71 have likely advanced the cause of marriage equality in Washington state by accelerating the conversation, and by reassuring legislators that they have the support of the people. In a few years, after more voters have grown comfortable with the new status quo, Washington will be ready to take that last step.
It took a couple decades for Washington to finally pass legislation extending our state’s anti-discrimination laws to gays and lesbians, but only a few more years to achieve “everything but marriage.” And Murray deserves a hearty congratulations for a legislative strategy well executed.
Ending discrimination of all types and shoving bigots to the marginal fringes of society where they belong is an idea whose time has come. It’s been a long road since the beginnings of the civil rights movement in the 1950s, but a fruitful one …
On a somewhat related topic, the fishwrapper has a couple of news stories today about President Obama’s meeting with Native American representatives. The president promised the tribal representatives that the federal government would turn over a new leaf in its dealings with them. If it happens, that will have been 150 years in coming … it’s more than overdue.
Our uneducated trolls, of course, have no understanding of what the issues are. It has to do with things like tribes having no say in which contractors are hired to extract natural resources from tribal lands and the royalties from those operations getting diverted within the federal bureaucracies before making their way back to the tribes, among other things.
yes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
We need Ed
I want Ed in Congress
“Defeat” of R-71?
Defeat of the rejection of R-71?
I hope more stupid christian bigots die off so gays can have equal rights.
Maybe Ed could replace Jay in Congress if Inslee becomes governor?
I bet it didn’t hurt that older straight couples could register as domestic partners along with same-sex couples of all ages.
Congrats not just to Ed but to the voters too! A job well done.
To quote Blazing Saddles: “All right… we’ll give some land to the niggers and the chinks. But we don’t want the Irish!”
It’s a LAUGH that throughout history the dumb angry people have ALWAYS had a ‘them’ that must be stopped. It shifts constantly. From Jews, to blacks, to gypsies, to Irish, to Italians, to Polish, to Asians, to Hispanics, to Catholics, etc etc etc etc.
THAT fact alone should be a HUGE HUGE HUGE clue. That the ‘them’ to be stopped changes every few years. EVERY time the dumb angry people claim it’s OBVIOUS that ‘they’ are destroying our way of live and if ‘they’ get in and are given rights or land or voting, then our “way of life” and our very children and women will be in DANGER! The fact that’s they’re ALWAYS wrong…every single time…and they just jump to a new group…should be a HUGE CLUE that they’re just f**king nuts!
It’s funny how they can be wrong time after time after time….but EACH time they’re taken seriously again as if no one remembers the last 7 groups that were going to destroy “our way of life” and very society. (sigh)
Yellowpup @5,
Yeah… yeah… even I sometimes get turned around over the whole referendum thing, where we have to be against it before we are for it.
Murray deserves the credit.
In Maine and California people don’t have the equal rights they have in Washington because advocates in those states bit off more than voters were willing to chew. The rancor that characterized the campaigns in Maine and California did not happen here.
A similar strategy is necessary on global warming. Zealots who want everything now are undermining support for doing anything.
New climate change policies need to take the same incremental approaches that Murray led with on equality. That will ultimately be the quickest path to doing what will be necessary.
@11: LOL. Given the intent of the proposal and the folks trying to block release of their signatures, I kept reviewing the text of it to make sure I was voting to affirm partnership rights.
@12 (Thor): California does have domestic partnerships or civil unions that are
“equivalent to marriage.” I believe that Maine does, too.
This McGinn and R-71 supporter would also like to say thanks to those homophobes who got R-71 on the ballot. The electoral victory for R-71 will encourage other states to follow in our lead. The McGinn campaign wouldn’t have had a chance to get the turnout we needed on Capitol Hill to make Mike the mayor without your help.
As it turns out, reality is not nearly as scary as the bigots rhetoric or bigots themselves.
For many years, the votes did not exist in the legislature even for ending discrimination and violence. Then, once the first bill made it through, some pushed for all or nothing. This has been proven wrong though and rather than a fleeting period of progress we now have lasting progress. I don’t know if we are now headed to court, but that issue aside, my sense is that the climate here will be ready for a lasting next step toward marriage equality within a few years. Some will push again for progress without delay and the result could be to set us back for years, as has occurred in other states.
Ed Murray is a smart personable guy.
A real talent. Higher office is waiting for him if he wants it.
and ignorance and fear does not impede. Still plenty of that around.
Loved how the “Seattle” Times had a map showing how voters voted on R-71 by county and percentage – but forgot to say how few folks live (and voted) in the counties that rejected R-71.
Ed for any office he wants!
Irony @ 10 said: “It’s a LAUGH that throughout history the dumb angry people have ALWAYS had a ‘them’ that must be stopped. It shifts constantly. From Jews, to blacks, to gypsies, to Irish, to Italians, to Polish, to Asians, to Hispanics, to Catholics, etc etc etc etc.”
James Webb, in his book on the Scots-Irish experience in America, discusses the conflicts between the Scots-Irish descendents and blacks. It’s his theory that the largest conflict between racial groups occurs not between the top and the bottom, but at the very bottom – where groups are fighting for space on the very bottom rung of the ladder.
I’ve always thought it ironic that the Irish, who struggled against prejudice for the better part of a century in America, finally gained political power in Boston, New York, and Chicago. In those cities (and a handful of others) that power was translated into a virtual monopoly in employment at the police and fire departments – jobs which were considered “beneath” those in the Anglo middle-class of the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. But when affirmative action tried to force open employment for blacks in those departments, the Irish were the most resistent to change.
But let’s not forget that there are those who profit when those on the bottom fight among themselves for the crumbs of economic and political enfluence which might be within their grasp. It keeps them from noticing who REALLY controls the economic and political pwer in the country.
It should be pointed out that SEN Murray lives in CONG McDermott’s District – not CONG Inslees – and would have an easier time being elected in that district than Inslee’s. He would also provide a nice change – if that change will ever happen anytime soon.
I’m especially proud to be a native of this state right now.
And 1033 at 57% No and pulling away!