Washington State Passes Gay Rights Bill
I was going to take the evening off from blogging, but there’s some good news for a change. Washington state’s legislature just passed a rights bill, and it’s one that was a long time coming.
The Senate today voted 25-23 to approve a gay rights bill and ended the debate over legislation that emerged in Washington the same year singer Anita Bryant began her “Save Our Children” crusade against such protections.
The House quickly concurred by a 61-37 vote, and Gov. Chris Gregoire said she planned to sign the bill into law Tuesday.
The bill would ban discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation in housing, lending and employment.
Twenty four of 26 Senate Democrats were joined by one Republican and approved the bill with a one-vote majority.
This, by the way, was the bill that failed by one vote last year when Microsoft withdrew it’s support either at the behest of a local minister or to benefit an expansion project.
Either way, no need to send thank you notes to Bill Gates on this one, but maybe the lone Republican Senator who reversed his vote this year.
Sen. Bill Finkbeiner, R-Kirkland, reversed his previous position to turn the tide this year.
“This has been a terribly difficult issue for me,” said Finkbeiner as he explained his change of heart.
“What we are really talking about here is…whether or not it’s OK to be gay or homosexual in this state. On whether or not it’s appropriate to be discriminating against or to discriminate against someone because of that.”
I’d say Sen. Finkbeiner deserves thanks and support, even from those of us who don’t live in WA. Send yours via email or phone it in at 360-786-7672.
January 28th, 2006 at 2:41 pm
About time.
Thanks for including his contact information and I did send him a thank you.
January 30th, 2006 at 5:21 am
Forgive me for my ignorance. When I read your post, I was asking myself ".. what, you mean it’s not ALREADY protected?!". There are things I really take for granted; it’s so normal that it’s mundane where I live, to see "sexual orientation" among "race, gender, age, class" etc on job application forms and the like… . Aside from religiously right groups, I feel little homophobia when I walk out on the street — maybe I’ve been lucky, I don’t know — but I can be so-called "visibly gay", not as any political statement or whatever.. and it’s pretty much no big deal. It’s only when I actually deal with people of religious right, do I encounter any discomfort. The general public otherwise seem indifferent, or just don’t outright show any disapproval.
You know what I’d love, Terrence? If you could write a post to help give me an sense of what it’s like, to be gay in the area of the States where you live. *Is* it unsettling, to know that legally you are seen as unequal, for example? *Are* there unspoken and hard-to-place-your-finger-on attitudes that affect how everyday life feels? Or is it really not so bad? I’d love to get an idea of this all, for where you live… .