Labels: action alert, DP

The Governor signed it April 21st. This is a truly historic moment for the LGBT community and the allies, clergy, and people of faith who supported the legislation. More about the Domestic Partnership bill and what it does for LGBT couples. Read ERW's press release on this momentus event. [clip courtesy of David Rothmiller, LD Thompson, trick dog films]

Labels: DP, video

The Domestic Partnership bill is scheduled to be signed by Governor Gregoire at 9:30 a.m. Saturday, in the State Reception Room located on the third floor of the Capitol Building in Olympia. This is a historic day for the LGBT community in Washington State. This bill will provide emergency protections for many LGBT couples and families until the full rights and responsiblities of marriage are secured.

Thank you to the legislators, coalition partners, allies, and activists who worked to help make this day possible. A special thank you to ERW's supporters, who donated their time and money. We can't do our work without your help. The emails and letters you sent and the conversations you had with your legislators, friends, and families made a huge difference. We look forward to continuing our partnership with you as we move toward marriage equality.

“We appreciate the support ERW stakeholders gave us throughout our search process. We are confident our extensive search has enabled us to find the right person to lead ERW. Connie is a passionate advocate for social justice and will be a huge asset to the organization,” said Thomas Zambito, ERW Board Chair.

Connie hails from Utah, but most recently lived in Washington, D.C., where she worked as National Field Director for Planned Parenthood Federation of America for seven years. Connie and her partner are the proud parents of an 18-month-old son. "The opportunity to work with ERW and the Washington State LGBT community is both exciting and humbling,” Watts said. “I'm thrilled to work with so many passionate and committed activists and volunteers. Together, we will build on our history to grow a powerful equal rights movement."

Thomas Zambito, who led the search committee, said, "Connie Watts brings tremendous experience to ERW. We are really excited she is taking the helm of ERW and we look forward to working with her. Her level of passion for this work is palpable." Barbara Green, ERW's Interim Executive Director, said, "With her fundraising and leadership skills--not to mention her political savvy--I am confident Connie will help ERW grow into a stronger, more powerful organization."

Connie will spend two weeks working with Interim Executive Director, Barbara Green, before her official start date of June 4.

Please join us in giving Connie a warm welcome!

Labels: press release

Why is ERW celebrating?

It's unprecendented—it took 29 years to pass the anti-discrimination bill, yet in just one session we passed:

• The Domestic Partnership bill;
• The Healthy Youth Act;
• The Cyber Bullying bill;
• and the Pharmacy Board ruled in our favor!

Equal Rights Washington and the LGBT community have had an amazing week in Olympia. Thanks to all of you who helped make these wins possible by contacting your legislators, coming to Equality Day, and supporting ERW.

Celebrate these incredible victories by donating to ERW today!

As the session winds down, ERW is turning its focus to public education on marriage equality. We know that in order to obtain marriage we need a comprehensive peer-to-peer education campaign in key areas throughout the state. Your gift today will help us implement our plan immediately.

Thank you for your contribution to LGBT equality.

Sincerely,

Barbara Green

Interim Executive Director

Stipend: $3000

Start Date: May 15, 2007 to Nov. 15, 2007

The Communications Fellowship program was created by the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) both to provide participants with an opportunity to build experience in grassroots media activism and to support state and local organizations as they develop new leadership in the movement for LGBT equality. The Communications Fellow for ERW will work in our Seattle office and will play a key role in supporting our communications efforts.

• Write a testimonial explaining why you support marriage equality.
• Write a letter to the editor of your local paper.
• Join a local equality team, work on issues in your area!Contact us at 206-324-2570.
• Stick an "I do support marriage equality" bumper sticker on your car. Purchase a bumper sticker here.
• Volunteer at ERW's Seattle office, located at 209 Harvard Ave. E, just north of Olive Way, on Seattle's Capitol Hill. Volunteers are also needed in our office. Call us at 206-324-2570 or e-mail info@equalrightswashington.org
• Make a contribution to support the work of ERW.
• Talk to people in your social circle about marriage equality. Did you know that most people who have a gay friend or family member have never talked to them about the issue? If you're a straight ally, please talk to everyone you know.
  

A bid by the city's oldest major pro sports team for taxpayer funding to build a new arena has hit a snag over gay politics.

The SuperSonics, celebrating 40 years in the NBA this year, have asked the Legislature for a $300 million tax subsidy for a new home in suburban Renton. Team officials have threatened to move the Sonics, and the Seattle Storm of the Women's National Basketball Association, if public financing is denied.

The Storm has a sizable lesbian fan base and last season held an Equal Rights Washington Day, in honor of a group that supports gay rights. Raffle tickets for a basketball signed by Storm players "sold like hot cakes," says Joshua Friedes, the group's advocacy director.

"We have out-of-state owners who don't understand that in the Seattle area, support for gay and lesbian families is incredibly high," he says. The metro area has the nation's second highest share of gay and lesbian adults, 6.5%, after the San Francisco Bay Area, UCLA researchers found in October.

Read more here.

The Renton Community Center was the setting yesterday for a public hearing on proposed rule changes to pharmacies' and pharmacists' professional responsibilities to patients. The changes were strongly supported by Planned Parenthood, NARAL, Lifelong AIDS Alliance, the Northwest Women's Law Center, and Equal Rights Washington. The room was packed.

Currently, there are no specific rules regarding pharmacists who, based on their belief system, refuse to fill a prescription. The Washington State Pharmacy Board heard citizens' comments for more than two hours.

The proposed changes to the rules would "prohibit a pharmacist from delegating the decision not to dispense a lawful prescribed drug to pharmacy support staff," and would "provide grounds for discipline when a pharmacist engages in unprofessional conduct, which includes: destroying an unfilled lawful prescription, refusing to return an unfilled lawful prescription, violating a patient's privacy, intimidating or harassing a patient, or discriminating against patients in a manner that's prohibited by state or federal law."

Read more in the Seattle Gay News.

A bill to give Washington workers up to five weeks of paid family medical leave is clinging to life in the state House, where it has run into an onslaught of opposition from business lobbyists.

While the Legislature's Democratic leaders rave about the proposal, there are signs they might balk at passing it and instead put the controversial issue up for a statewide referendum next fall.

Supporters dislike the idea of turning the issue over to voters because they fear national business groups would pour money into a campaign to kill what would be one of the nation's most generous paid-family-leave laws.

"It would be a huge, expensive fight," said Marilyn Watkins, policy director for the Seattle-based Economic Opportunity Institute, a liberal public-policy think tank. "This would be seen as a national referendum on this issue."

The legislation passed the Democrat-controlled Senate last month. But it stalled last week in the House Appropriations Committee, where a similar measure died two years ago. Business lobbyists have been targeting a handful of moderate Democrats on the panel, urging them to block the bill.

Unable to come up with enough votes, committee leaders Saturday kept the measure alive by stripping out the details and passing just the bill's title and intent language.

Supporters must now try to revive the bill for a full vote in the House.

Read the whole article here.

Seth Kirby at the Washington State Human Rights Commission is looking to talk with transgender or intersexed people who have had difficulties changing their Washington State Driver's License or Identification Card within the past year.

Have you....

...applied to change your gender marker and been waiting for more than a few weeks to hear a response?

...been denied a request to change the gender marker on your drivers license or ID?

...not heard back at all?

If you have had any of the above or other problems changing the gender on your Washington State drivers license or ID, please contact:

Seth Kirby

skirby@hum.wa.gov

360-586-3413

Labels: transgender

Rep. Jim McDermott (D-WA) has introduced legislation today to remove the tax inequity that denies gay, lesbian, bi-sexual, transgender and domestic partnership relationships the same health care benefit in the workplace that other Americans receive with employer-provided health insurance.

"Every American deserves to be treated with dignity, respect and equal treatment under the law, but that is not what is happening in the workplace today, and I intend to right this wrong," McDermott declared.

Read more here.

Labels: DP

As Americans from coast to coast rush to meet the upcoming April 16th deadline to file their 2006 tax returns, same-sex couples and their families--as well as their employers and tax preparers--face an unfair hurdle placed in front of them by the government.

Excluding same-sex couples from marriage means increased tax burdens for people who are trying to live their lives and do the right thing, including pay their taxes.

Let’s spread the word about the reality of discrimination in households across the country, and further the conversation about why marriage matters?

There are 1,138 federal protections, rights, and benefits; hundreds of state and local-level protections; and employer benefits provided through marriage from which same sex couples are currently excluded.

The Gay Tax Penalty: When it comes to taxes, same-sex couples will always pay more. Married couples can file taxes jointly and be taxed at a lower level, but same-sex couples cannot file taxes jointly, because they're excluded from marriage; same-sex couples also lose out on the ability to collect each other’s Social Security, receive automatic inheritance rights, or transfer property without being taxed.

Go here for more information.