WA State Comprehensive DP Law Now In Effect!

The Approval of Referendum 71 was made official Thursday December 3rd. From the official blog of the Washington State Secretary of State:

Referendum 71, placed on the ballot by foes of same-sex marriage, was approved by a margin of more than 110,000 votes, or more than 6 percentage points. National media describe it as the country’s first voter-approved domestic partnership or “everything-but-marriage” law.

The new law had been on hold pending the public vote, and will now go into effect at 12:01 a.m. Thursday, 30 days after the Nov. 3 General Election. The law is Senate Bill 5688 and applies to state-registered domestic partners, both same-sex couples and opposite-sex couples where at least one partner is 62 or older.

Congratulations, Washington! Now California (2005), Oregon (2008), Nevada (2009), and Washington (2009), as well as Vermont, Connecticut, New Jersey and New Hampshire have eliminated as many disparities between how the state treats opposite-sex couples and same-sex couples under state law. On the west coast we tend to call these laws "comprehensive domestic partnership" statutes. On the east coast they call them civil unions. Connecticut, New Hampshire and Vermont have now passed marriage equality laws (NH's goes into effect January 1) and New Jersey may join them very soon.

WA Heterosexual Supremacists Likely To Qualify Referendum

It is looking more and more likely that Washington State will be voting on Referendum 71 on Tuesday November 3rd to approve or reject that state's comprehensive domestic partnership law.

WA Governor Christine Gregoire signed the bill into law on May 18, 2009 but heterosexual supremacists collected signatures and submitted 137,689 on July 25th. This is a mere 17,112 signatures more than the required 120,577 to qualify their referendum on the new law. However, signature submission places the law on hold from going into effect and if the measure qualifies (which appears increasingly likely) then it remains on hold until the results of the Tuesday November 3rd election (which is conducted by mail).

I have already discussed what the question on the ballot will look like . The organization working to defend the law is Washington Families Standing Together (WAFST.org). Here is what YOU can do to help:

VOTE APPROVED on Ref. 71 to preserve our Domestic Partnership Law in Washington State.

DONATE to Washington Families Standing Together online or mail a contribution with this form.

VOLUNTEER on a phone bank or in the office.

Circulate PLEDGE FORMS at your church or synagogue social hour, farmers markets, and other events. Return forms to Washington Families Standing Together, PO Box 12216, Seattle, WA 98102.

PRINT A PLACARD for your window. B&W ink-saver version here.

PRINT FLIERS and hand them out wherever you go.

E-MAIL your friends and family telling why they should take the Pledge to Approve Ref 71. Forward form here.

JOIN the Faith Coalition.

WRITE a letter to the editor using this nifty letter-writing tool.

ADD A REMINDER to approve Referendum 71 in your email signature. Here is a sample message: Protect all Washington State Families - Approve Referendum 71! WAFST.org

ASK ORGANIZATIONS you belong to to endorse our campaign or become coalition partners.

REGISTER TO VOTE!

FRIEND the Approve Ref. 17 Facebook group.

FOLLOW WAFST on Twitter

We lost a big one in 2008 with Proposition 8. There is a huge debate going on about whether to repeat that fight in 2010 or 2012 but our community faces two huge battles in 2009: Maine's Question 1 and Washington's Referendum 71.

WA-Gov: Gregoire Statement on Signing DP Bill

Rich Roesler / The Spokesman-Review

As expected, Washington Governor Chris Gregoire signed Senate Bill 5688 into law on Monday, and released the following statement:

SEATTLE – At a ceremony in Seattle today, Gov. Chris Gregoire signed Senate Bill 5688, which ensures that under state law state-registered domestic partners are treated the same as married spouses.

“Today we are strengthening Washington by strengthening families,” Gregoire said. “From the first bill I signed in 2007 to today’s bills, we have proudly made immeasurable strides on behalf of LGBT individuals and families. This represents the culmination of incredible work to treat all Washingtonians equally.”

In 2007, Substitute Senate Bill 5336 created the state domestic partnership registry. The legislation allows individuals to enter into a state domestic partnership if they meet established criteria. Some of the powers and rights of spouses were granted to domestic partnerships in that legislation.

The Legislature passed, and Gregoire signed, House Bill 3104 in 2008, which added additional rights and responsibilities relating to issues such as dissolutions, community property, estate planning, taxes, court process, conflicts of interest for public officials and guardianships.

“Many brave families have come forward to share their lives, their struggles and their moments of joy – hard-working men and women who are in committed relationships, raising children, attending their places of worship, and volunteering in their communities,” Gregoire said. “After meeting these families, people have come to know that lesbian and gay families are no different than their own. And what has naturally followed is the unsettling notion that despite the sameness of straight couples and gay and lesbian couples, there are, in fact, legal barriers that prevent the same treatment.”

This new legislation requires state agencies to ensure that all privileges, immunities, rights, benefits, or responsibilities granted to married individuals are granted to an individual who is or was in a state registered domestic partnership.

“There can be no question that the landscape of equality for gay and lesbian families is changing, here and across the nation,” said Sen. Ed Murray (D-Seattle), who sponsored the bill in the Senate. “Today, eleven years after our state established the intolerance of DOMA into law, Washington law will finally treat gay and lesbian families the same as married couples. Recently, Iowa and Vermont have legalized full marriage equality. Of course, marriage equality is the final goal for gay and lesbian families here in Washington too. We will pursue full equality, but with our full but cautious commitment.”

“This bill is about protecting families – mine and over 5,300 others in 278 cities and towns across Washington state,” said Rep. Jamie Pedersen (D-Seattle), who sponsored the bill in the House. “Making sure that all Washington families enjoy the full and equal protection of the law strengthens our whole community.”

Gregoire also signed House Bill 1445, which permits domestic partners to receive the survivor and death benefits available to spouses from the Washington State Patrol Retirement System and House Bill 1616 to provide qualified domestic partners the same pension and Public Employees’ Benefits Board reimbursement benefits available to spouses of members of Law Enforcement Officers' and Fire Fighters' Retirement System Plan 2. These include retirement and disability survivor benefits, military service credit benefits, and withdrawal and annuity benefits paid upon a member’s death.

Congratulations to Washington state!

Gregoire To Sign Comprehensive DP Bill Into Law Today

Today, Democratic Governor Chris Gregoire of Washington will sign her state's comprehensive domestic partnership bill into law today. Heterosexual supremacists led by professional homophobe Gary Randall have launched a referendum campaign to prevent SB. 5688 from becoming law and forcing a vote on the measure in November 2009.

WA Domestic Partnership Bill Passes Legislature

A comprehensive domestic partnership bill passed the Washington state legislature's lower house Wednesday by a vote of 62-35.

Previously, the bill had passed the upper house by a vote of 30-18.

Democratic Governor Christine Gregoire has announced that she will happily sign the measure into law.

Two year ago, Governor Gregoire signed another domestic partner bill into law which conveyed limited benefits to the 5,712 couples that have registered in the interim. The new comprehensive bill provides all rights and responsibilities that state law affords to married couples to registered domestic partners.

Washington will join California, Oregon, Connecticut, Vermont, New Jersey, New Hampshire and the District of Columbia with significant recognition of same-sex couples. Subsequently, Connecticut and Vermont have enacted marriage equality for same-sex couples.

Maine, Colorado, Hawaii and Maryland have limited domestic partnership laws in effect also.