Seattle Times: Faith leaders raise their voices to address social-justice issues
January 19, 2005
Another newly formed organization of faith leaders — Religious Coalition for Equality — will hold a rally at the state Capitol in Olympia on Feb. 14 to urge passage of a law banning discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation in matters such as housing and employment. The state currently bans discrimination based on race, religion and other factors. Those in favor of adding sexual orientation to the list have been trying to pass such legislation for about 28 years.
Leaders of the Religious Coalition for Equality — a lobbying group supported by 200 mainly local Christian and Jewish religious figures — said they are encouraged by having a Democratic governor and Democrats in control of both chambers of the Legislature.
Leaders of the Religious Coalition for Equality — a lobbying group supported by 200 mainly local Christian and Jewish religious figures — said they are encouraged by having a Democratic governor and Democrats in control of both chambers of the Legislature.
Seattle Weekly: The Rationale for Love
Is there a rational reason to prohibit gays from getting married? That's a question that hasn't been answered very well, judging by the briefs in the history-making gay-marriage case to be heard by the state Supreme Court on March 8. Under many circumstances, rationale is all that's needed to defend a law in court; if there is a rational basis, courts are supposed to defer to legislators. It's the very least the state needs to defend the Defense of Marriage Act, which limits marriage to a union between a man and a woman and was declared unconstitutional in two stunning lower-court rulings only weeks apart last summer.
