Sen. Ed Murray, a Seattle Democrat who spearheaded the law, called it “a great step forward for equality in Washington state.”

“I’m relieved,” he said. “I was very concerned that if the voters had said no, it would have been a major setback for gay and lesbian families in Washington state.”

The measure asked voters to approve or reject the latest expansion of the state’s domestic partnership law, granting registered domestic partners additional state rights previously given only to married couples.

Full-fledged gay marriage is still not allowed under Washington law.

Gary Randall of Protect Marriage Washington, which opposed the law and pushed to get the referendum on the ballot, said they weren’t ready to concede.

“We’re just going to wait and watch it play out,” he said.

It’s good to see at least one state not buy into the hate and fear. Congrats to Washington Families Standing Together and everyone else who fought to get Ref. 71 passed.

Sure it sounds a little crazy, maybe a lot crazy. To reach that 50 thousand word goal by the end of the month means churning out nearly 2000 words a day, which sounds pretty scary the more I think about it. But I’m going to give it a go, in the hopes of recapturing the literary voice of my youth, as corny as that sounds.

I’ll still be covering the major events that happen over the course of the month however, starting with the votes in Maine and Washington state later this week, so I won’t be abandoning the site entirely.

So your patience and encouragement during this period is most welcome. Feel free to comment here from time to time, as I may even blog about my progress, or lack-there-of.

Also if you’d like to sponsor my efforts please visit my Night of Writing Dangerously page. Thanks!

Dear President Obama:

Thank you for honoring Harvey Milk with the Medal of Freedom Award. Harvey was my friend and teacher. In the 30 years since he was assassinated lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people have attained a handful of rights in a handful of states, but we are still second-class citizens.

Your historic election gave us hope that change can happen, and now tens of thousands of LGBT people, along with our straight allies, are taking action to demand it. On October 11 we will march on Washington in support of a single goal: full and equal protection for LGBT people in all matters governed by civil law in all 50 states.

Equal rights are not a “gay” issue. They are about our shared human rights: safety in our schools and jobs, equitable healthcare and housing, and protection for our families, to name a few.

I compare our National Equality March with the Civil Rights March of 1963. Martin Luther King had a dream; we have a dream too.  We share Dr. King’s belief in the dignity and equality of all peoples, and his commitment to non-violence. And we share his faith that justice will prevail.

We do not expect to achieve our goal overnight. Our struggle for equality has taken many years, and much hard work remains ahead. The nation is preoccupied with economic hardship and war. But you have given us hope that civil rights remain on this nation’s agenda. The time is right for us to call on our fellow Americans, our elected leaders, and you to reaffirm our shared commitment to civil rights.

With hope in our hearts, we invite you to join us on the west lawn of the Capitol on October 11th. We ask you to take the microphone and renew our faith that Washington will work with us, and not against us. We urge you to remind the world that we are welcome members of this nation.  We invite you to stand with us in pride.

Sincerely,
Cleve Jones
Co-Chair, National Equality March

EBAR is reporting that the President Obama may be in San Francisco that same weekend attending the Presidents Cup Golf Tournament.

If the President chooses golf over us, perhaps we should bring the march to him. This is San Francisco after all…

In the clip below Maggie Gallagher of the National Organization for Marriage introduces pro-opposite marriage darling and almost-Miss California Carrie Prejean.

Okay… some one fetch me a bucket. Next up, Carrie Prejean.

Intolerant? And the crocodile tears? Oh please make the pablum stop!

This is what we are up against folks, and I wonder, sometimes, how we are going to make it.

The 58-40 vote reflected an all-out lobbying campaign by the administration, which had to overcome resistance from lawmakers confronted with the potential losses of defense-related jobs if the F-22 program was terminated.

“The president really needed to win this vote,” Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin, D-Mich., said. Levin said it was important not only on the merits of the planes but “in terms of changing the way we do business in Washington.”

While the termination of the F-22 program increases the likelihood Obama will sign the hate crimes bill when it reaches his desk, it is unclear if the “unwelcome” amendments added just yesterday, including a provision for the death penalty, will pose further problems.

The ACLU also has issues with the Senate version of the bill, preferring the House version.

Despite earlier news, permits have been secured for the National March for Equality, also known as “Meet on the Mall for Equality,” to take place on October 10-11, 2009 in Washington, DC. Organized by Cleve Jones, the goal of the event is to “demand EQUAL protection in all matters governed by civil law in all 50 states.”

A promotional video for the event has been released. Watch:

To find out more about the event please visit the links below:

National March for Equality website
Facebook
Twitter

On a personal note: I’m not sold on the idea… at least not yet. It’s on Columbus Day weekend, so won’t legislators be out of town? The notion of descending on our representatives en mass is very appealing, but if no one is there when we are there… then what’s the point?

Cleve Jones, whom I deeply respect also said “most people on the west coast will be able to come to this march for less than $700.” Cleve, in this economy, plus being unemployed, $700 isn’t cheap, I don’t have the cash just lying around to make the trip. Twice that if my husband comes. On top of that we pissed a lot of money away on Obama and Prop 8 last year. I suspect a lot of folks are in a similar boat.

So I am wondering if our time and money is better spent on a local level, than making a trip to Washington, DC… which may ultimately be ignored by our leaders, and the media.

What do you think?

In the clip below, Senator Patrick Leahy stops the hearing briefly near the 5 minute mark as Tan’s son weeps.

When it was his turn to speak, Sessions cited the usual arguments and suspects in his remarks, his opposition to same-sex marriage in full view of the hearing. His remarks can be viewed here.

Just to get a sense of who we are dealing with, watch the clip from Rachel Maddow Show below which digs into Sessions’ “colored” past…

The Senator’s press secretary did not return a call seeking comment. And as for histrionics… I think this is a much better example.

As reported in the New Republic.

Tan’s partner Jay Mercado and their twin sons will make the trip to Washington with their lawyer Melanie Nathan. From Nathan’s blog:

When I spoke to  Jay today, she said that the family is very honored and extremely excited to go to DC for this historic hearing.  They are looking forward to a visit to their representatives offices, Rep Jackie Speier and Senator Feinstein, especially to thank all the staffers who worked so hard to help them.

Shirley ’s ultimate ability to stay in the USA will depend on passage of  the Uniting of American Families Act. Shirley and Jay’s trip to DC will be sponsored by Immigration Equality,  who were great to work with when negotiating the details of the family’s participation.  Shirley and the family have stated that they will do everything they can to assist in getting UAFA passed.

Nathan will have extensive coverage the hearings on her blog as will we at inlookout.com. There will also be a live webcast of the hearings starting at 10am EST on June 3.

For background on their story, please watch the video below which aired just prior to Tan’s stay of deportation:

The June 3rd hearing will not only be a milestone on our path to victory in Washington, but it will also be a watershed moment for ensuring that our families are part of the national conversation on immigration reform. This will be a powerful moment – and a significant step forward – in our work to educate lawmakers about our relationships and engage Congressional leaders on the issue. Members of Congress are traditionally reluctant to pass legislation that has not been discussed and weighed in at Congressional hearings, so a hearing is critical to UAFA’s future success, and its inclusion in comprehensive immigration reform. The hearing is, quite simply, one of the most significant moments ever in our work to secure full equality for lesbian and gay binational couples.

UAFA currently has 17 co-sponsors in the Senate under bill S.424 and 102 co-sponsors in the House of Representatives under H.R.1024. Congresswoman Jackie Speier has previously indicated that the measure will likely  be rolled into a larger immigration reform provided UAFA gets out of committee.