The American Civil Liberties Union has contributed $32,000 to the Approve Referendum 71 campaign, group spokesman Doug Honig announced this morning. The ACLU has a long-running LGBT project and the state chapter was one of the chief litigators in the attempt to overturn Washington's bigoted Defense of Marriage Act. Money comes from both the national organization and the state affiliate, which has over 25,000 members.

“Families need legal protections for their relationships, especially in these difficult economic times," ACLU of Washington director Kathleen Taylor said in a statement. "Approving R-71 will ensure that all families in Washington are treated fairly under the law."