Olympian: Same-sex rights at issue in pamphlet
October 23, 2005
OLYMPIA -- In a voter guide put out by a Christian group, City Council candidate Ira Knight is listed as opposed to the city giving benefits to same-sex partners and requiring the same of its contractors.
The statement calls into question whether Knight, running for seat 5, would try to repeal a 10-year-old city ordinance that gives benefits to same-sex partners of city employees and a second ordinance passed last year requiring that contractors provide benefits to domestic partners if they give them to married spouses.
Knight, a 63-year-old retired military veteran, declined to comment Saturday on whether he wants to repeal those laws.
"I do not condone discrimination in any way, shape or form," he said. But he did not answer questions about the positions stated in the Christian Coalition of Washington's guide.
Christian Coalition field director Rusty Howell is Knight's campaign manager. Howell was one of 14 applicants seeking to fill a council vacancy last summer when Jeanette Hawkins resigned; the opening went to Joe Hyer.
The statement calls into question whether Knight, running for seat 5, would try to repeal a 10-year-old city ordinance that gives benefits to same-sex partners of city employees and a second ordinance passed last year requiring that contractors provide benefits to domestic partners if they give them to married spouses.
Knight, a 63-year-old retired military veteran, declined to comment Saturday on whether he wants to repeal those laws.
"I do not condone discrimination in any way, shape or form," he said. But he did not answer questions about the positions stated in the Christian Coalition of Washington's guide.
Christian Coalition field director Rusty Howell is Knight's campaign manager. Howell was one of 14 applicants seeking to fill a council vacancy last summer when Jeanette Hawkins resigned; the opening went to Joe Hyer.
Seattle Gay News: The Path to Marriage Equality
October 21, 2005
It's a messy business, fighting for our rights. Our opponents are panicked, watching public opinion shift with the generations, and witnessing the greater acceptance of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender individuals and families.
In their struggle to deny us full equality, the anti-Gay crowd have had to get a bit creative. When the Vermont Supreme Court ordered the state's legislature to provide equal rights and responsibilities to same-sex couples, the legislature had two options: rewrite the marriage statutes to include same-sex couples or create a parallel, separate status for same-sex couples. Out of fear and ignorance, they opted to create a new bureaucracy that imitated marriage but that denied same-sex couples the dignity of the term. Civil unions did not placate the right, nor did they satisfy those who sought marriage equality. Legislators who voted for civil unions faced tight races and angry crowds. And couples who entered into civil unions faced legal uncertainties.
In their struggle to deny us full equality, the anti-Gay crowd have had to get a bit creative. When the Vermont Supreme Court ordered the state's legislature to provide equal rights and responsibilities to same-sex couples, the legislature had two options: rewrite the marriage statutes to include same-sex couples or create a parallel, separate status for same-sex couples. Out of fear and ignorance, they opted to create a new bureaucracy that imitated marriage but that denied same-sex couples the dignity of the term. Civil unions did not placate the right, nor did they satisfy those who sought marriage equality. Legislators who voted for civil unions faced tight races and angry crowds. And couples who entered into civil unions faced legal uncertainties.
Seattle Gay News: Same-sex couples wait for Washington State Supreme Court ruling
The Washington State Supreme Court is pondering a case that will make history for Gay and Lesbian families here and across the nation. Andersen v. King County and Castle v. State of Washington have been combined into a single case which challenges this state's so-called Defense Of Marriage Act (DOMA). DOMA was rushed through the legislature in February 1998 to define marriage as solely between one man and one woman. This act mirrors a similar DOMA at the federal level that was signed into law in 1996.
No one knows when the Supreme Court will make its decision or what that decision will be. Whenever and whatever it is, Don't Amend.com and a host of other organizations are sponsoring a protest/celebration at First Baptist Church (on Harvard at Union on Capitol Hill) at 5 p.m. the day the decision comes down (see the SGN ad or visit www.dontamend.com for full details).
No one knows when the Supreme Court will make its decision or what that decision will be. Whenever and whatever it is, Don't Amend.com and a host of other organizations are sponsoring a protest/celebration at First Baptist Church (on Harvard at Union on Capitol Hill) at 5 p.m. the day the decision comes down (see the SGN ad or visit www.dontamend.com for full details).
Stranger: Just Say No to Civil Unions
October 20, 2005
Marriage offers an incomparable—and irreplaceably broad—array of protections and responsibilities under state, federal, and international law. This safety net affects every area of life from birth to death, with taxes in between. The rules relating to marriage have been worked out through courts and legislatures to cover an astonishing array of contingencies, and cannot be replicated by any other contract, statute, or new invention by the state. No separate status—whether called civil union, domestic partnership, or shmarriage—provides economic justice to same-sex couples and their kids. Around the world, everyone knows what marriage entails. No newly invented status brings what comes, tangibly and intangibly, with a legal marriage license and the two words, “I do.”
Seattle Gay News: Bigots offer ex-Gay therapy at Lake Washington High School; concern grows over Eastside church
October 14, 2005
Concerned about "ex-Gay therapy" being offered on Lake Washington High School property, staff from the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) Puget Sound testified before the district's five member school board on Monday, October 10.
GLSEN's Executive Director Robert Raketty and Education and Training Director Joe Bento, M. Ed., spoke out against the school district's rental of space to the Antioch Bible Church. Under the leadership of openly homophobic Rev. Ken Hutcherson, the church provides "ex-Gay therapy" on school property every Sunday and is planning to host Exodus International's Groundswell 2005 conference - intended to teach clergy and youth how to proselytize to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender youth - at its Redmond offices.
GLSEN's Executive Director Robert Raketty and Education and Training Director Joe Bento, M. Ed., spoke out against the school district's rental of space to the Antioch Bible Church. Under the leadership of openly homophobic Rev. Ken Hutcherson, the church provides "ex-Gay therapy" on school property every Sunday and is planning to host Exodus International's Groundswell 2005 conference - intended to teach clergy and youth how to proselytize to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender youth - at its Redmond offices.
Seattle Gay News: United We Win
October 7, 2005
Equal Rights Washington is partnering with Inland Northwest Equality and the Pride Foundation to bring together LGBT activists from Eastern and Western Washington in Spokane this weekend. Participants will learn more about the state's political landscape and what to expect in the coming months; they'll also attend workshops on fundraising, volunteer recruitment, building a base of support, and more.
We're excited about this conference, called United We Win, because we know that the LGBT community in Spokane has some momentum. Originally, the conference was intended to help them defeat an anti-Gay referundum that would have reversed the Spokane City Council's decision to provide domestic partner benefits to city employees. That referendum failed to get enough signatures to make its way to the ballot, so we're able to help the folks in Spokane and other Eastern Washington communities plan ahead for the statewide battles - and any other local contests that come up.
We're excited about this conference, called United We Win, because we know that the LGBT community in Spokane has some momentum. Originally, the conference was intended to help them defeat an anti-Gay referundum that would have reversed the Spokane City Council's decision to provide domestic partner benefits to city employees. That referendum failed to get enough signatures to make its way to the ballot, so we're able to help the folks in Spokane and other Eastern Washington communities plan ahead for the statewide battles - and any other local contests that come up.
