Seattle P-I: Court ruling may affect chances of gay rights bill
August 29, 2005
An imminent state Supreme Court decision about same-sex marriage adds a new dimension to the civil rights bill that has languished in the statehouse for more than 30 years.
This year's narrow defeat of legislation that would have added gays and lesbians to those protected under Washington's Civil Rights Act was among the biggest and most bitter losses for Democrats who control the House, Senate and governor's office.
For the first time ever, they forced a full Senate vote on the bill -- only to see a unified Republican caucus bolstered by two recalcitrant Democrats defeat it.
This year's narrow defeat of legislation that would have added gays and lesbians to those protected under Washington's Civil Rights Act was among the biggest and most bitter losses for Democrats who control the House, Senate and governor's office.
For the first time ever, they forced a full Senate vote on the bill -- only to see a unified Republican caucus bolstered by two recalcitrant Democrats defeat it.
Seattle Times: Tempest brews over quotes on Starbucks cups
Starbucks says it was hoping to inspire old-fashioned coffee-house conversations when it introduced a campaign this year featuring the words of notable Americans on its coffee cups.
But at least a few of those words are sparking more discord than discussion.
A national Christian women's organization is accusing the Seattle-based coffee maker of promoting a homosexual agenda because of a quote by author Armistead Maupin, whose "Tales of the City" chronicled San Francisco's homosexual community in the 1970s and 1980s.
But at least a few of those words are sparking more discord than discussion.
A national Christian women's organization is accusing the Seattle-based coffee maker of promoting a homosexual agenda because of a quote by author Armistead Maupin, whose "Tales of the City" chronicled San Francisco's homosexual community in the 1970s and 1980s.
Seattle P-I: Editorial: Family Law: The best interest
August 28, 2005
The California Supreme Court unanimously decided on Monday that gay and lesbian couples raising children are lawful parents.
We hope that the Washington Supreme Court applies the same standards to a similar case before it. In Sue Ellen Carvin v. Page Britain, the couple had a daughter via artificial insemination. After they split up six years later, one parent is denying the other any contact with the child. Things could get messy: The 2000 Census shows that more than a million children are being raised by same-sex couples in the United States. In this state, same-sex couples have the right to adopt children.
We hope that the Washington Supreme Court applies the same standards to a similar case before it. In Sue Ellen Carvin v. Page Britain, the couple had a daughter via artificial insemination. After they split up six years later, one parent is denying the other any contact with the child. Things could get messy: The 2000 Census shows that more than a million children are being raised by same-sex couples in the United States. In this state, same-sex couples have the right to adopt children.
Seattle P-I: Saturday Chat: Matt Foreman, National Gay and Lesbian Task Force executive director
August 13, 2005
Sometime in the next six months, gay rights advocates expect a decision from the state Supreme Court that would, in effect, decide whether same-sex marriage is legal in Washington.
If the justices decide in favor of gay unions, Washington would join Massachusetts as the only states to grant legal standing to homosexual marriage, though lawsuits aiming for the same result are pending in New York, New Jersey and California.
Conservative backlash, however, has been strengthening. At least 10 states plan to include anti-gay marriage initiatives on their ballots in the 2006 election, said Matt Foreman, executive director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, who spends much of his time jetting around the country, lobbying for gay rights in places such as Topeka, Kan., and Kalamazoo, Mich.
If the justices decide in favor of gay unions, Washington would join Massachusetts as the only states to grant legal standing to homosexual marriage, though lawsuits aiming for the same result are pending in New York, New Jersey and California.
Conservative backlash, however, has been strengthening. At least 10 states plan to include anti-gay marriage initiatives on their ballots in the 2006 election, said Matt Foreman, executive director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, who spends much of his time jetting around the country, lobbying for gay rights in places such as Topeka, Kan., and Kalamazoo, Mich.
