Washington group primed to roll-back newly won rights
With Governor Chris Gregoire's signature on Senate Bill 5688 yesterday, Washington now offers every "privilege, immunity, right, benefit, and responsibility" of marriage to registered same-sex domestic partners. However, according to Seattle PI, conservative anti-gay group Washington Values Alliance has already filed Referendum 71, a measure allowing Washington voters to overturn the new domestic partnership bill. The group will have until June 25 to collect the more than 120,000 signatures necessary to place the referendum on the November ballot. Should they succeed, the new law will be suspended until after the vote, affecting 5,395 Washington couples already in a registered domestic partnership.
Some in the state's legislature have indicated interest in sponsoring a legislative push for full marriage equality, and Governor Gregoire herself has been quoted as saying that she "want[s] to see a bill on [her] desk." However, given Washington's preference for a slower, incremental approach to gay rights, it is likely that the state's leaders are waiting to see the results of Referendum 71 before seriously considering such a bill.
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