While it's unclear how the voters feel, lawmakers in the state of Washington apparently favor a domestic-partner bill that would grant homosexual men and women essentially the same rights as married heterosexuals.
The bill has the same sponsors as the one submitted in 2007 -- a measure that failed to pass. But according to Joseph Backholm of the Family Policy Institute of Washington (FPIW), the sponsors appear to have more momentum this time around. "There are strong Democratic majorities [in both state houses] right now," says Backholm. "The leadership certainly supports it, as do many in their caucuses -- and the governor has indicated that she would sign it." In an interview with The Associated Press, bill sponsor Senator Jamie Pedersen, a Democrat from Seattle, described the legislation as "everything but marriage" for same-sex couples -- and that, he implied, could be pursued in the near future. "It's entirely possible that next year, enough things might have changed that we feel like it's time to make a run at the marriage bill," Pedersen stated. "We're not there now. But it's not out of the question. Backholm argues there are many reasons why the bill should be defeated, but emphasizes that people of faith would be affected if it passes. "Then those who object [to homosexuality] for moral or conscience reasons would not be able to act on the basis of those objections," the FPIW executive director explains. A hearing is set for this week. Backholm is encouraging residents to contact lawmakers to voice their objections -- because that is the only chance to defeat it, he laments. Asked to predict what would happen if the state's citizens were allowed to vote to prohibit domestic partnerships, Backholm sounds an optimistic tone. "We don't know for certain," he responds. "We don't know what the future would be in the state of Washington -- but certainly the trend suggests that it would pass, even on the Left Coast here."
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