Right on the heels of a poll showing that the majority of Washington state voters approve of the new law allowing same-sex marriage comes the backlash to overturn the law.
In February, Washington became the seventh state to legalize same-sex marriage. According to the pro-gay group Washington United for Marriage, a statewide poll shows that voters approved of the law by a 54-33% margin. 87% of Democrats gave the law a thumbs up, with Independents saying “Yes” by a 52-36% margin.
Of course, here come the naysayers, marching up the hill. Opponents are nearly ready to hand in enough signatures to put a referendum on the ballot to overturn the law. Says The Seattle Times:
Joseph Backholm, with Preserve Marriage Washington, said that the campaign for Referendum 74 has at least 150,000 signatures on hand. Backers of R-74 need to turn in 120,577 valid voter signatures by next Wednesday in order to qualify for the ballot. The secretary of state’s office recommends that campaigns submit about 150,000 signatures in order to provide a cushion for invalid or duplicate signatures.
Backholm said that his group hopes to hit 200,000 signatures by next week, and that they want to turn the signatures in ahead of a June 6 deadline, possibly as early as Tuesday.
(A similar referendum is trying to pass in Maryland.)
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Luckily, Washington United for Marriage has prepared for the referendum. Spokesman Zach Silk said, “We always expected them to reach the number [of needed signatures]. We’ve been preparing our campaign to talk to voters. We believe at the end of the day they’ll side with us to uphold the law.”
The group has raised more than $714,000 to prevent the law from being overturned, while Preserve Marriage Washington only has $43,000.
With the majority of the state already embracing gay marriage, fingers crossed this referendum gets referred right to the garbage.
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1equalityUSA
The PropH8 loss set a legal precedence, and this will add to the list of legal precedence, which will eventually land a victory in the SCOTUS. It clearly is discrimination. Thanks Wa for helping our cause.
Jamey
@1equalityUSA:
Nothing about a SCOTUS victory for marriage equality is certain. The current Court is dominated by Rightwing conservatives. If Romney wins in November, you can be certain that he will appoint more conservatives, making any kind of Supreme Court decision in favor of marriage equality impossible for years to come.
Seriously, people have to stop believing that there’s this magic destiny fairy who ensures that things get better. There’s no guarantee. Unless people get out there and vote nothing will happen. In fact, the rights you have today can be lost. Look at what the GOP is doing through its campaign to restrict voting rights and enact laws constricting women’s access to birth control.
WillBFair
I still think this was a dumb strategic move. We already had civil unions here, and there are more important ways to spend cash, like enda and stopping hiv and housing gay homeless. But as usual, our agenda is set by our enemies, and we obey like sheeps. In this case, it’s an issue on which we are weak and that could cause a backlash against or democratic allies.
1equalityUSA
Jamey, It’s happening. I understand your concern, but it is happening and all these sleaze-bag characters that came out of the woodwork, such as Princeton’s Robert P. George, Maggie Gallagher, Nancy “wiggling” Elliott of New Hampshire, will all be floating in aged, yellowed, antiquated, formaldehyde-filled jars with patina and peeling labels that barely make out the letters, “NOM.” Generations from now they’ll be ogling these jars and saying, “ew. Look at the flakes that sunk to the bottom of the Jar!” It’s over. This Country will not let discrimination stay on the books. That’s the beautiful thing about our Country. I have an inordinate faith that our Constitution will rise above mere politicians, justices, and preachers of the day. Our Nation will have been made stronger for having fought for those oppressed by the tyranny of the majority. Are Nation is a beacon of hope. We are young and easily influenced, but the words of our forefathers will guide civil law. The GOP will suffer for their misguided leadership for years and years. This will not soon be forgotten. Americans don’t want government involved in their bedrooms. This is going to turn right around and bite them in the hindquarters, rightfully so. The NOM pledge will rise again in infamy.
“Americans can always be counted on to do the right thing…after they have exhausted all other possibilities.” —- Winston Churchill
1equalityUSA
our nation…peet’s coffee…kick in!
Chad
Get ready for more NOM comercials full of lies.
Kayo
So sick of this, what the heck does people’s signatures mean? People should NOT be deciding the fate of other people, heck, even I don’t feel qualified to decide anyone’s rights and I am a pretty decent person. Courts should. If it were up to hateful, bigoted and selfish people, blacks would still be segregated.
todd
So, this is what our rights are here in America, bought for the highest bid and the best commercial to prove we aren’t a “threat”. Yet some jackass in shithole Kansas can see we should be put to death and he’s no “threat”. Americans can be so fucked up sometimes. Makes keeping the love for this country a real bitch. Did I miss any?
Billysees
@Jamey:
Jamey, Your right,we must vote but we need others to help us.
We need to make sure that the many undecided voters and independents are on our side.
B
No. 7 · Kayo wrote, “So sick of this, what the heck does people’s signatures mean?”
It means they have enough signatures for an initiative or referendum to appear on the ballot. That’s typically well below what is needed to get the thing to pass, but high enough to prune out the completely crazy stuff (such as proposing a 200 square mile space port adjacent to the Seattle “Space Needle”).