Help Support Marriage Equality

[buginme2]

Earlier this year the Washington State legislature passed the bill legalizing Marriage Equality (aka gay marriage) and the Governor signed the bill into law.

Opposition groups organized and collected enough signatures to place a referrendum on the ballot forcing a popular vote on the issue.  Washington State residents will vote in November on whether to allow Marriage Equality.

As many of you may remember the same thing happened in California a few years ago.  Groups from outside the state poured money into an anti-gay marriage campaign inside the state to defeat the measure.

This year, in Washington, we are organized and ready to fight back but we need people who support our cause who live outside the state to help.

I am volunteering with "Washington United for Marriage" the organization formed to help pass this measure.

Please help us by "Liking" us on Facebook or your Twitter accounts.  Please post our website to your Facebook page, and if you live in Washington State help us by volunteering your time.

http://washingtonunitedformarriage.org/

http://www.facebook.com/WashingtonUnited

Ask your friends and family to donate and if you can donate, Donate!!!

Thanks

[RAB]

BUG

I'm with you on this one.  Ref 74 has qualified for the ballot, we'll have to wait and see if Init. 1192 also qualifies.

(for those not familiar:  74 asks voters if the law the legislature passed should go into effect.  Init. 1192 asks voters if WA should define marriage as only 1 man and 1 woman.)  So in other words if you support marriage equality a voter would have to  vote yes on 74 and no on 1192.  They've done this intentionally to confuse voters.

Bug, I'm not on Facebook or Twitter, but I have been active in this fight.  Good for you for bringing up this important issue.

RAB

[bocker3]

I'm confused...  What if both "pass"?  Gay marriage will be the law under 74, but marriage will be defined as 1 man and 1 woman under 1192?

I mean, I get why they want to confuse and obfuscate, but what a mess 2 "yes" results would be!!

[buginme2]

Initiative 1192 needs twice the number of signatures to get on the ballot as the referendum needed.  They need to turn in their signatures by July 6, to qualify.  I am still holding out hope that they don't qualify.  We'll see.

If either the initiative passes or the referendum fails, then the marriage equality law is cancelled.  If there is a split vote, as their could be, then that will set the stage for yet another fight. 

So far, the "National Organization for Marriage (NOM) has already pledged to spend $7million in the state to defeat the law.  That is why we need more help from our supporters.

[buginme2]

Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer (Microsoft CEO) are each donating $100,000

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/microsoftpri0/2018582581_ballmer_gates_each_donate_100000_to_support_gay_ma.html

[RAB]

Here's some more good news.

It seems that Iniative 1192 won't qualify for the ballot.

http://www.advocate.com/politics/marriage-equality/2012/07/03/washington-initiative-against-marriage-equality-comes-short

Meaning it will be solely a yay or nay vote on Referendum 74.

Make no mistake, we've still got a major fight on our hands, but at least we (apparently) can focus on only one ballot measure.

RAB

[buginme2]

The campaign to support marriage equality in Washington announced today that we raised $952,000 in the month of June.

The election is less than four months away. 

Washington State is on track to be the first state in the nation to extend marriage equality rights being upheld by a public vote. 

www.washingtonunitedformarriage.org

[buginme2]

Update:   

CEO of Amazon.com donated $2.5 million to the marriage campaign in Washington State and today the HRC announced it will donate $1 million (to be split amongst the four states with matriage initiatives on the ballot this year).  So far in Washington, pro marriage groups have significantly raised more money than the anti groups (in large part due to Jeff Bazos Amazon.com donation).  However, the anti groups will spend quite a bit if history is a lesson.  The polls are close and it can go either way. 

[RAB]

I think it's very possible we are going to win this thing.

http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/09/21/14011601-for-1st-time-gay-marriage-may-win-statewide-vote?lite&ocid=msnhp

Several major companies have come out in support of marriage equality here in WA.
Including Nike, Starbucks, Microsoft, Amazon.com (who donated a whopping 2 1/2 million dollars to the cause).

My partner and I celebrated our 25th anniversary last July and never did we think we'd see the day.  Now?  I think it's coming.

RAB   

[OneTampa]

Ministers support gay marriage in Maryland:

http://www.wjla.com/articles/2012/09/al-sharpton-ministers-support-maryland-gay-marriage-80147.html