...isn't buying Pastor Ken Hutcherson's victimy victimhood routine about the four Republicans who voted for same-sex marriage. Laurel Ramseyer at Pam's House Blen has the radio transcript.

In a statement sent to reporters this morning, state senator Paul Shinn from Edmonds—one of only three Democrats to vote against marriage equality on Wednesday—explains that he believes gay people should be treated as second class citizens because Jesus:

• Sen. Shin: Discrimination in the name of God.

I want to thank you for your understanding during these past weeks as I considered my vote on Senate Bill 6239 concerning marriage equality. My office has received hundreds of phone calls, emails, and letters, and I know that this is a very important issue to many of you in the 21st district. As your senator, there is no question that you deserve to know the reasoning behind my vote on this bill.

His "reasoning" continues after the jump:

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From the National Organization for Marriage's website:

"Washington legislators may think it's politically fashionable to follow Hollywood over the cliff, but they will soon learn there are consequences to their actions," [Brian Brown, the president of the National Organization for Marriage] said. "Maine voters vetoed their gay marriage law and then a year later threw the legislators out of office. In Iowa, voters kicked three judges off their state Supreme court for deciding to impose same-sex marriage. And in New Hampshire, voters also ended the careers of legislators who voted for gay marriage. The same thing will happen in Washington state."

The National Organization will work with allies in Washington to qualify a referendum to overturn the law, just as it did in Maine and California.

This isn't a surprise—in September I wrote about NOM's impending bigot shit storm—but now it's here. Grab your umbrellas, it's gonna be raining bigot shit!

Go to the Lewis County Chronicle, scroll down to the lower right hand corner, and select "yes," "no," or "I'm not sure" (seriously, who's still not sure?) on the gay marriage poll. Right now the "no" side has 70 percent. Slog tipper I Got Nuthin' and the terrorized liberals of Lewis County thank you.

Posted Friday and moved up, because we're serious.

Do we have a lawyer in the house? We need your help. Attorney General Rob McKenna has finally admitted that he opposes same-sex marriage but that if loving couples want marriage equality, he thinks everyone should get to vote on them.

If McKenna believes that he—and everyone else—deserves the right to vote on our marriages, we should all get the right to vote on his marriage, right? Fair's fair.

This requires an filing an initiative to the people. Rob and Marilyn McKenna have been married for 25 years and their love is up to them, true, but what if the legal recognition of their bond could be permitted or revoked at the will of voters? What would voters choose?

So we need an attorney's pro bono help. Our task for you, lawyers: Send us the text for an initiative to annul the marriage of Rob and Marilyn McKenna, as legally binding as such a measure can possibly be, and I'll see that it's properly filed with the state and printed on petitions. Send your submissions here. We'll even send Rob a copy of the petition for his signature. Considering that he believes marriage is a matter everyone should vote on, he can't possibly refuse, right?

Were you born that way? Frank Bruni with a sensible take on a big question.

• State Sen. Mary Margaret Haugen: Love her.

"I don't think this is an issue where you change hearts and minds by pounding on them," says Senator Ed Murray, who courted Haugen's vote for years. Polling in Washington last July found that two-thirds of voters who support marriage equality have had a one-on-one conversation about marriage equality—a personal, kind conversation—that helped form their opinion. Murray continues, "I think it is an issue where you change positions by appealing to their hearts."

And that's where the conservative right is losing—by bashing their enemies.

Read the whole Haugen-lovin' thing.

Yesterday I posted about the poll released by the National Organization for Marriage that found that 57 percent of Washington State voters oppose gay marriage. But the wording of the poll, among other details of the poll's methodology, was absent from NOM's website, and their PR firm never called me back with those details. Well, Slog tipper Lurleen delivered the full poll. Thanks, Lurleen!

The pollsters didn't ask if people believe same-sex couples should be allowed to marry, but instead they load the question by prefacing it with context about the domestic-partnership law and then ask if it's necessary to change the definition of marriage:

As you probably know, since 2010 Washington has had a civil union law which gives gay couples all the legal rights of married couples. Now some people want to pass a new law, which changes the definition of marriage, so that it is no longer between a man and a woman, but between any two people. Do you feel it is necessary or not necessary to pass now a new law which changes the definition of marriage in this way?

36% NECESSARY
57% NOT NECESSARY
7% DON’T KNOW/NO RESPONSE

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You're just too good to be true, can't take my eyes off of you:

From the National Organization for Marriage's website:

When reminded that Washington State has a civil union law for gay couples, 57% of voters say it is not necessary to redefine marriage. 72% of voters think state lawmakers should work on other issues rather than same-sex marriage. A nearly identical number -71% of voters—believe the people should decide the marriage issue; only 9% think legislators should decide the matter.

I've called NOM to ask about the sample size, the name of the polling firm, and the list of questions they asked. So far, there's no answer. But other recent polls in the state have found same-sex marriage has the support of 47 percent of voters and 54 percent of voters.

I want to make one thing clear: I think that an anti-gay institution like the Archdiocese of Seattle can do vital charity work without spreading its anti-gay cooties to the needy. I've long been a fan of its subsidiaries like Catholic Community Services and the Seattle Archdiocesan Housing Authority, for instance, and I don't believe either nonprofit denies services based on the sexual orientation of the recipients. That said, I was curious how much money the city contributes to the Archdiocese of Seattle, given that the organization is now running a lobbying campaign against a same-sex marriage bill.

But—while advocacy doesn't necessarily taint the charity work—make no mistake: The goodwill of Catholic Community Services and the Seattle Archdiocesan Housing Authority are tied to the lobbying efforts. For example, the Catholic Action Network web page telling people to "send a message to your state Senator and your two Representatives urging them to support the current law and the traditional definition of marriage as a union between a man and a woman" appears directly under the logo for Catholic Community Services and the Seattle Archdiocesan Housing Authority. Meanwhile, Catholic Community Services is also promoting Catholic Advocacy Day to lobby lawmakers along with Archbishop Peter J. Sartain, who issued the proclamation against gay marriage along with three other Washington State bishops.

It turns out that the city contributes quite a lot to this hybrid of wholesome charity and discriminatory advocacy.

A records request with the City of Seattle reveals that the city gave the Archdiocesan Housing Authority $1,550,986 in 2011 and has pledged $1,168,395 in 2012. Meanwhile, the city gave Catholic Community Services $5,595,591 in 2011 and has pledged $3,151,274 this year. That's over $7.1 million last year and $4.3 million this year.

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Antioch Bible Church pastor Ken Hutcherson didn't sit in the same room as two gay people to debate marriage equality. But he did call into the Seattle Channel studio where gay people were present for a debate on same-sex marriage.

And of course, Pastor Hutcherson went there: "If this law is passed, what is going to happen? Now ask your guests in the studio. Do they believe that if they change the definition of marriage being between one man and one woman, what is going to stop two men one woman, two women one man, one man against a horse, one many with a boy, one man with anything?"

Equal Right Washington's Josh Friedes responds with a take down as rational as Hutcherson's question was horse-fuckingly crazy.

Apparently we didn't drink enough coffee this morning because this hasn't been on Slog...

Starbucks, Google, Alcoa and tons of small businesses have come out for the marriage-equality legislation in Olympia, according to a delightful announcement this morning from Washington United for Marriage. "This important legislation is aligned with Starbucks business practices and upholds our belief in the equal treatment of partners," Starbucks executive Kalen Holmes wrote in an email to company staff. (The Seattle Times posted the full letter here). "We look forward to seeing this legislation enacted into law." Starbucks also backed the domestic-partnership law in 2009.

Today's announcement comes after last week's news that Microsoft, Vulcan, and other local industry giants support the state's marriage equality bills.

A full list of the gay-marriage-backing businesses—where you should spend all your money until the election—is after the jump.

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Posted by news intern Marley Zeno

As Dominic reported on the day of the Lord, Seattle Archbishop Peter J. Sartain told every Catholic church in Western Washington to print a statement against gay marriage in their bulletins.

So I called every Catholic church within Seattle city limits today to see if they honored the wishes of their archdiocese. I spoke to people at nine churches, six of which have published the statement or plan to in the near future (Christ the King, Holy Family, St. Bernadette, St. Francis of Assisi, St. George, and St. Peter). Two churches (St. Patrick and St. Paul) refused to tell me because they didn't want to make a public statement. (If you ask me, publishing a statement in a bulletin seems pretty public.)

Over at St. Joseph on Capitol Hill, they published the statement in the Sunday bulletin, but Reverend John D. Whitney wrote a column responding to Archbishop Sartain. (Here's the full St. Joe's bulletin.)

"For many in our community, I know, this letter will bring great pain—in part because it seems bound to less considered positions," Reverend Whitney writes. But he lets bishops off the hook—saying they were trying to be respectful—and then tells parishioners to "decide what ought to be done."

I spoke to Reverend Whitney on the phone and he said Catholics in his parish should "let the archdiocese hear why they come to the conclusions they come to. It's important that all people of faith feel welcomed here."

Right after the first hearing, the 25th senator announced her dicisive vote in favor of marriage equality, all but ensuring it will pass the legislature. But here's the latest update from Stand for Marriage Washington:

News from Olympia: The two hearings went REALLY WELL today (Monday)....turnout for the "Marriage = one man + one woman" side was FANTASTIC! Hundreds....close to 1000 came to speak. Everyone on all sides of this issue got a chance to present their case. Now the vote must be made by legislators to change the state laws to redefine "Marriage" and to label—as the bill preambles of the bills say—"Mar...riage = one man + one woman" as "discriminatory" speech, so you will see pastors and others persecuted and fined as has happened elsewhere. The next step is to run our initiative to put this issue to a vote of the citizens. We will have many signatures to gather on our petitions, and we are unafraid....with God's help, we will honor Him and win this battle over Marriage!!!!!

Man, I hope more things go "really well" for these guys.

Two emails arrived this week from Catholics protesting the Seattle church's recent campaign against marriage equality. And they confirm what you'd suspect: The progressive laity, by and large, is supportive of allowing same-sex couples to get married, despite the recent decree from bishops and the Archdiocese of Seattle to stop a marriage bill in Olympia. The first letter is from a parishioner sent to one of the priests at St. James Cathedral:

Father -

There is an article on "The Stranger" blog regarding St. James Cathedral. Unfortunately, it doesn't make us seem like a very welcoming parish. The bishops do not speak for me regarding civil marriage equality for same-sex couples.

Regretfully, I need to withhold my 2012 pledged contribution to the Cathedral until I see what St. James Cathedral will do on this issue, which will likely be a ballot question in the Fall. I'm hoping that St. James Cathedral will not become complicit in the bishops' anti-gay politicking.

Thanks very much,

Dave Clemens
St. James Parishioner

I can't publish the letter he got back in reply, but let's say that the administrative staff was a little touchy. Thank you for sending it our way, Dave. Next up: an email forwarded by a state lawmaker. A Catholic constituent wanted to make clear that the Catholic church's lobbying campaign is not theirs:

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That was fast. When I went to Sunday mass last week as St. James Cathedral, their leadership was evasive and downright elusive when asked about the local Catholic Church's new campaign to oppose a same-sex marriage bill. But this week, the Catholic Church's position was in black and white.

Inside every bulletin at St. James Cathedral, the laity received marching orders today to begin pressuring their state lawmakers to stop the marriage equality measure in Olympia. In fact, Archbishop J. Peter Sartain disseminated the message to all 175 parishes under his jurisdiction of Western Washington and instructed them to print it in their bulletins. Here's the entire statement:

ARCHBISHOP SARTAIN HAS ASKED THAT THE FOLLOWING ANNOUNCEMENT BE PUBLISHED IN ALL PARISH BULLETINS THIS WEEKEND

PROTECT MARRIAGE Legislators will be voting soon on whether to the change current law defining marriage. Marriage between a man and a woman is essential for family life and the foundation of any society. Please call, email or write your state Senator and two Representatives urging them to support the current law and defend marriage as the union of one man and one woman.

Call 1-800-562-6000 to leave a message for your legislators. Go to the Washington State Legislature website at http://aps.leg.wa.gov/DistrictFinder/Default.aspx to find your legislator and to write or email a message to them.

That wasn't all: Copies of a more detailed anti-gay proclamation, issued by Sartain and three other Washington State bishops on January 13, were tucked into the vestibules of St. James. "Upholding the present definition of marriage," the decree warned, is necessary for the "continuation of the human race."

This may be the tip of the Catholic iceberg (as gay marriage looks increasingly likely to appear on the statewide November ballot).

If Minnesota is any indication, Archbishop Sartain could impose the Vatican's agenda on progressive Seattle congregations the same way his colleagues are in Minneapolis: Twin Cities Archbishop John Nienstedt demanded that priests read a "marriage prayer" from the pulpit to advance the church's agenda to pass a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage this fall. Priests were required to get up before their congregations—and laity were expected to recite a prayer—to "proclaim and defend [God's] plan for marriage, which is the union of one man and one woman..." This effort coincided with a lobbying and fundraising campaign. And just last week, Nienstedt warned clergy there will be no “open dissent.”

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Scanning through the latest vote tally for same-sex marriage in the state senate, where we're only one vote shy of passing marriage equality, I noticed last night, once again, the two Democrats who plan to vote against gay rights: Jim Hargrove (D-24) and Tim Sheldon (D-35). I was planning to write something about how progressives ought to respond, but it looks like gold-star commenter rob! beat me to it. So take it away, rob!:

Even though they've apparently sworn to vote NO on marriage equality and are beyond being swayed, how about letters to the two anti-marriage, reactionary Democrats (Tim Sheldon of Kitsap County and James Hargrove of the Olympic Peninsula) politely expressing disappointment and a deep sense of betrayal? Even—and perhaps especially—if the measure squeaks by, just to remind them they were on the wrong side of progress in civil rights.

The thing is, no one is surprised that these guys are on the side of restricting gay rights. Even though they've got those "D"s after their names, they've always been anti-gay. Both Hargrove and Sheldon voted against all three domestic partnership bills and against a bill to expand the definition of parenthood to include domestic partners.

Admittedly, I've said before that the Democratic Party should be a big enough tent to include lawmakers who don't support gay marriage—there are plenty of other issues where their votes are crucial. But with Hargrove, he's not just anti-gay; to name a few positions, he's voted against against a bill to stop mining on Maury Island, against medical marijuana patients, against beer and wine tasting in grocery stores, and against sexual health education. (Sheldon's record is nearly identical.) Hargrove's also been caught ballyhooing about bi-partisan budgets, perpetuating the systemic revenue shortfalls that play into the state GOP agenda to starve education and slash the social safety net. So there may be a big tent for Democrats, but are "Democrats" like Hargrove and Sheldon even in it? And now that it's 2012, supporting marriage equality—a basic civil right—should probably be the new cost of admission.

So what should the penalty be?

Folks should be respectful if they contact Hargrove's office or Sheldon's office, but if we're gonna run around praising the moderates and praising the Republicans who come out for gay rights, there ought to be some political price for the Democrats who come out against them.

In a letter sent to to Governor Chris Gregoire today, Microsoft, Nike, Vulcan, Group Health, Concur, and RealNetworks announced they would "show the support of our respective companies for... recognizing marriage equality for same-sex couples."

Right freakin' on.

PS — We've given plenty of hell to these companies—particularly for their revenue-slashing efforts that cripple state financing for education—but they're on the right side of this issue. Much thanks to Steve Ballmer and Paul Allen. Hell, I may even use Bing.

Place your non-monetary, totally legal bets:

Sen. Jim Kastama of Puyallup has scheduled a press conference for Thursday to declare his position. Supporters of the bill are just two votes shy in the Senate, and Kastama is 1 of a half-dozen lawmakers who remain uncommitted.

Here's the tricky part:

Kastama is a conservative Democrat who voted in 1998 to define marriage as between one man and one woman. He supported a 2009 expansion of the state's domestic partnership laws.

• St James Cathedral: "All are welcome."

Call me naive. But I had pretty warm feelings toward Seattle's progressive Catholics. From baptism until my early teens, I attended St. Therese Parish every Sunday, even taking my first Communion there—real fresh baked bread, not those godawful wafers—and I attended the St. Therese School for five years. Sure, the teachers were strict, but they were kind and gentle (Sister Maureen was a kind and gentle political radical, if I recall).

So when I went to St. James Cathedral on Sunday, I was expecting parishioners to give me a cordial welcome. I wanted to ask some of the congregation's leadership about the proclamation issued on Friday evening by Seattle Archbishop J. Peter Sartain. In it, Sartain and three other bishops in the state declared a political campaign to stop a pivotal same-sex marriage bill in the state legislature, in the name of the "continuation of the human race." They said that allowing same-sex marriage would result in "no special laws" for hetero couples and the decline of the species.

Since St. James is the official cathedral of the Seattle Archdiocese, which is headquartered across the street on First Hill, and my phone calls on Saturday went unanswered, I figured I'd ask in person if they agree with the proclamation and its logic. And if they disagreed—as many Catholics claim to behind closed doors—would they denounce this decree from the four local bishops?

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Slog commenter tniel has an idea. Responding to my post last night about the Archdiocese of Seattle opposing a momentous same-sex marriage bill (they actually argue that equality for LGBT couples would prevent the “continuation of the human race”), tniel says:

If dissenting Washington Catholics were truly serious about "lashing back," as Holden suggests, their most powerful weapon is of course the power of the purse.

Might I suggest a campaign to put note cards in the collection plates of all Catholic churches in Washington state which say, "I am withholding my usual pledge of $___ because of the church's meddling interference in the affairs of the state pertaining to gay marriage." That would quickly get the message across in the way nothing else would.

Your move, Catholics...

Even though I was raised Catholic, went to church every Sunday, and even donned a sweater and cords every day for years to attend Catholic school, it's been a long time since I attended a service (I've since left the church to find a more universal god—a god that doesn't condone fucking little boys and then covering it up, while condemning loving adult couples to eternal damnation). So I'm not going to do this this myself. But maybe the liberal Catholics who routinely claim that the Vatican's global bigotry doesn't represent them should consider acting on tniel's idea. Slip a little unexpected note onto the collection plate tomorrow. If you do, send me a photo.

Saying that the “continuation of the human race” hangs in the balance and that “bringing to life the next generation" requires denying equal rights to gay couples, four Catholic bishops in Washington State issued a proclamation today that declares a campaign to stop a same-sex marriage bill on Olympia. Among them was Seattle Archbishop J. Peter Sartain.

The open letter to their flocks, which notes that current law "prohibits marriage to close-blood relations," goes on to argue that "marriage is related to bringing children into the world."

Not only does the decree reveal Seattle's Catholic leadership as illogical bigots—after all, they're not lobbying against sterile men from marrying—it goes on to call for lobbying elected officials. They ask followers "to contact your own state senator and your two state representatives to request that they defend the current legal definition of marriage as a union between a man and a woman." (It bears mentioning that the Archdiocese of Seattle is a nonprofit charitable organization with strict rules on activity that affect policy.) But this isn't about procreation—it's about the church's well-worn crusade again gay rights.

Well, Seattle Catholics?

You're always braying about how you don't want to be lumped in with the hate-mongering, boy-fucking Vatican, right? That's what we keep hearing. If you want to convince us that you repudiate bigotry, show us. Show that divisiveness, while it may be the calling of Rome, is not the calling of your faith. Want us to believe your religion is one of inclusiveness, of equal rights? Then join together to reject this. This is the test of our faith in you. Sorry if the growing pains of adolescence are awkward, but none of you kicking back against this hatred from your church compares to the pain that loving gay families experience as they to fight for equal recognition under the law. Joel Connelly at the Seattlepi.com has a piece on the letter. He's a progressive Catholic. I'm sure he'll call this out soon. Right?

The same-sex marriage debate at Town Hall on January 18 is canceled.

Sorry to all the folks who had free tickets (in hindsight, they were overpriced).

So what happened? Even though we've got stacks of anti-gay-marriage leaders in the state, not a single one of them was willing to defend their position at Town Hall in a fair debate moderated by Dave Ross. As we mentioned on Monday, Pastor Ken Hutcherson and Stephen Pidgeon canceled, even though they had confirmed the week before. But we didn't call it off at the time. We scoured the state for replacements.

On Monday Pastor Joe Fuiten at the Cedar Park Assembly of God and Joseph Backholm, the director of the Family Policy Institute of Washington, agreed to take part in the debate. "Joseph Backholm has said he will do it with me," Fuiten wrote in an email on Monday evening after seeing all the debate format details. He was even working on confirming attorney Austin Nimocks as a backup. "It will either be the two Joes or the other Joe and Austin," Fuiten added. But then he canceled the next day, saying they got "cold feet." Mars Hill Church Pastor Tim Gaydos also agreed to debate against gay marriage, with his assistant Steven Kwan writing in an email, "Pastor Tim is in! January 18th would be the best date." Gaydos backed out of the January 18th debate two days later, citing unspecified "personal" reasons.

Plenty of other people—people who have repeatedly gone on the record opposing marriage equality—also refused to argue against same sex-marriage at Town Hall. Other folks who refused include: Mars Hill Church Pastor Mark Drisoll, State Senator Val Stevens; State Senator Dan Swecker; the entire state GOP legislative caucus, according to a spokeswoman; conservative radio host Michael Medved; SPU political science professor Reed Davis; and City Church Pastor Judah Smith. We even put in a request to anti-gay-marriage attorney general Rob McKenna, but we never heard back.

These are the same people who evangelize against gay marriage in front of their congregations, espouse anti-gay positions in editorial board meetings, record anti-gay videos, take votes against gay rights in the legislature, go on their radio shows to denounce marriage equality, and help run anti-gay campaigns.

Tickets to the event were promoted action alerts sent out by Hutcherson's Antioch Bible Church, so the audience wasn't going to be hostile or unfairly stacked against the anti-marriage-equality side. The debate was to be moderated by fairsy-squaresy Dave Ross. It was going to be recorded and replayed on the Seattle Channel and live-streamed so it could reach the largest possible audience. Sure, you could claim that The Stranger is biased—we are—but we worked closely with Ken Hutcherson to make sure it was a fair debate. But they don't seem interested in fairness. They prefer to churn out lies in venues where they can't be challenged on their facts or their logic.

In the end, they refused to come to the table. And if you're going to fight to deny equal rights, the least you can do it stand up in a room of mixed company and explain yourself. But they won't do it.

The Attorney General tells the Olympian: "My view of marriage is based on my religious faith. And so, I have a hard time getting there."

Hot!

The Washington State House of Representatives is already lined up to approve a same sex-marriage bill this year, and by many folks' count, only two state senators—including lefty Republicans and righty Dems who are on the fence—are required to approve the bill completely. (Yesterday Republican State Senator Steve Litzow said he'd support it, but that was expected.) The Seattle Times now has this:

Sen. Cheryl Pflug is joining other lawmakers willing to vote to give same-sex couples the full rights and benefits of marriage. She is commended for standing up to say what she believes, even if it does not perfectly mesh with her caucus.

Good for Senator Pflug. And lest it go unsaid, praise the Seattle Times editorial board for being fearless on this issue. At this rate, marriage equality may pick up the majority it needs—hopefully with more than just a one- or two-vote cushion—to pass later this year. If you live in one of those swing districts out in places like Auburn and Aberdeen, now may be a great time to give a gentle, polite—yet firm—call to your lawmakers and ask them to support marriage equality for committed adult couples. Here's a map to find your state senator.