Homo Ed Murray’s Statement on California’s Gay Marriage Ruling
posted by May 15 at 12:14 PM
on“This is a historic day—the goal of marriage is now closer than ever for same-sex couples in California.“Here in our own state, we remain hopeful that our efforts to build a way to marriage through domestic partnerships will continue to win the support of lawmakers and citizens…. I’m confident that we’ll have a similar historic day in Washington, and I believe that day will come soon.”
I love how upfront Murray is about his agenda for Washington state’s domestic partner legislation: he’s open about his intent to, chunk by chunk, secure for gay couples all the rights and responsibilities of marriage that the state has the power to bestow. Unfortunately the decision in California today and the passage of full civil unions in Oregon last year means that Washington state trails its West Coast neighbors where the rights of same-sex couples are concerned. Hopefully we can catch up to at least Oregon during the next legislative session.
Comments
I think he's angling for our endorsement on Tuesday ...
That said, won't this hurt our tourism industry? We used to have Cali gay couples come up here, do a tour of Washington, and take a ferry ride to BC to get married, but now we'll get all the gay couples going to California to get married.
We need to preserve our state's jobs and take similar action quickly!
I want this more than anything, but isn't the threat of gay marriage what energized the Republican base in 2004? I'm worried about the timing.
No, our legislature will react with cringing caution as always. Expect a couple of new bills giving gays and lesbians the right to own a fluffy dog or something.
What endorsement? I am not running for anything this year. (It might just have something to do with after 17 years Michael and I would like to get married).
The challenge we face in obtaining marriage equality is organizational.
I am amazed at the number of LGBT people who talk to me about marriage equality and yet have never met or talked to their own legislators or supported their campaigns. The result is most legislators have never heard from their own constituents on the issue of marriage equality. This must change if we are to win.
Secondly when we win marriage equality in the legislature, we must be able to defend it when our opponents file an initiative. We cannot leave this to chance, we cannot afford to lose at the ballot what we win in the legislature. We must be organized and ready to fight.
I think we are capable of organizing as never before and I think we will win in just a few years.
Ed Murray
What shocks me is that people in the liberal bubble of Seattle are shocked that we are behind the other two states. Frankly, I am amazed we have as much postive legistlation protecting sexual minorities as we do.
@1--Will, Ed's done tireless and highly effective work for our community, and he sure doesn't have to be running for anything to have my "endorsement."
I'm all for effective political forward movement rather that "all or nothing" utopian attempts that get us... nothing.
Sometimes I wonder why I ever left Southern California in the first place.
@7 - I agree. With the weather this year (up until this afternoon, at least) and now the fact that our family can be protected by marriage if we move back to CA, my partner and I have been trading emails with San Francisco real estate ads all morning.
Dan--I'm pretty sure Oregon has domestic partnerships not civil unions.
Cali expats returning south for safety's sake? Well, Washington will miss all the time and money you've been putting into the effort up here, but you should look out for your family's best interests. Thanks for all you've given us while you were here.
i'm lookin' forward to the day i can dance at ed and michael's wedding, and being completely shit-faced while trying to do the "YMCA" letter spell out.
scary @ 11: We gave "YMCA" to the well-meaning straight folk years ago. And we're not taking it back.
okay, then i'll try doing the madison while three sheets to the wind. that is one gay dance step.
I posted on this awhile back but the Iowa Dems could really use your help if you can spare a few bucks. Their progressive votes expanding civil rights protections to gays last year and defeating a marriage amendment this year have left them at serious risk. The reason Iowa is a big target is that its the next state up in the gay marriage court fights, with the Iowa Supreme Court, which has a 4-3 progressive majority, next in line to issue an opinion. Any donation would be appreciated.
Just click my name, and you can donate directly to the Iowa House Majority Leader through Act Blue. You can also find my act blue page here if clicking my name doesn't work.
http://actblue.com/page/iowaneedsu
@3 - you can never have enough fluffy dogs. Although spaniels are way more fun.
The real question is whether Washington will be next to get full civil unions, or whether it will be beaten by one of the other remaining West Coast states, like Baja California (or Baja California Sur).
Nevada trails too Dan, don't feel lonely :(
Very few things make me want to go home to LA but today's news is definitely reason enough.
Ed Murray is a self-promoting douchebag.
@19 - and you're an asshole.
What pussies. Massachusetts manned up and started marrying our homos years ago. I am so fucking proud of it, and I'm straight. I just think the whole rest of the nation (except, possibly for California, the "Mass of the West") are big fat chickens. We have the lowest fucking divorce rate, and the only full-on legally married fruits in the entire goddamn nation, and we haven't and won't be limp-dicked motherfuckers and amend our constitution, which is fucking one million years old and rules.
I'm sorry if I'm getting a little out of hand, but every time I hear about gay marriage, nobody ever fucking mentions Massafuckingchusetts, which fucking rocks my balls for so many reasons.
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