Posted on 11/04/2009 9:21:46 AM PST by Steelfish
'Everything But Marriage' Backers Smelling Victory
Supporters of Referendum 71 were energized by first-day returns showing the measure leading by a narrow margin in what would be the nation's...
By Lornet Turnbull, Janet I. Tu and Susan Kelleher
Supporters of Referendum 71 were energized by first-day returns showing the measure leading by a narrow margin in what would be the nation's first statewide voter approval of a gay-rights measure.
The referendum to expand the state's domestic-partnership law was winning approval by nearly 3-to-1 in King County, where about 30 percent of the state's voters reside, and was also passing in other Puget Sound-area counties.
Throughout Eastern Washington and in more than half a dozen other counties, voters were soundly rejecting it.
But the trends appeared to favor passage of the measure because more votes remained to be counted in the counties that were approving it than in the counties that were rejecting it, according to a Times analysis.
The potential win for gay-rights advocates here came on the same night that voters in Maine rejected that state's same-sex marriage law, while in Michigan, voters in Kalamazoo overwhelmingly retained that city's anti-discrimination law protecting gays and lesbians.
Tuesday's Referendum 71 results were disappointing to religious conservatives, whose aggressive efforts to get the expanded partnership law thrown out had gained momentum in recent months. But they were not ready to concede defeat
(Excerpt) Read more at seattletimes.nwsource.com ...
I’m fraid to know what these people are smelling.
fraid = afraid
King County went 3 to 1? The odds are that 20% of KingCo’s votes are ACORN frauds.
This will eventually come to the USSC. It can’t help but end up there.
How does preventing a marriage ceremony - which lasts for a few minutes - undo the privileges of *domestic partnerships* that permit adoption, womb rental, survivor rights and all other spousal benefits?
This may be a battle won - but the war was lost long ago.
Washington is more pink than blue -
There were a ton of radio ads about the possible “two daddies” indoctrination of our kids. I just can’t imagine how parents can be for this crap.
I'm not saying that they won't pass this. A lot of people will be taken in by the fact that it is just "domestic partnerships"; but, when this passed in the legislature the head of the group pushing this "Everything But Marriage" law said, "It's a good first step."
Anyone who has been watching the Gay rights activists know that they are never satisfied. CA had this same type of law, and yet, they had to have marriage.
I, too, noticed the disparity in calling the gay partnership ref as a "win", yet with the same percentage the mayor's race is "too close to call". Sigh.
It's probably a good call. If only King County is still outstanding then the gay measure will pass if it is getting 3 to 1 yes votes in the county. Meanwhile if a local race is splitting 49-51 that's too close to call.
It might seem odd, but is legit.
Are you even going to boycott my part of the state that rejected it?
I was actually playing off what the Gays were saying about ALL of Maine. It would be interesting to find out the real sponsors and contributors of the Washington State initiative and boycott their products and services.
It certainly suggests where the cleansing needs to take place when we get to that stage.
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