FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
July 24, 2009

Contact: Rev. Paul Benz, Lutheran Public Policy Office of Washington State, 206-390-4133

Josh Friedes, Washington Families Standing Together, 206-324-2570

Religious Leaders Announce Support of Domestic Partnership Law

SEATTLE, Wash. – More than 85 clergy, religious leaders from faith communities and faith-based organizations from all across Washington state, released a joint statement today to announce their strong support for the Domestic Partnership Expansion Bill of 2009, which is being threatened with repeal by Referendum 71.

“Although people have the right to believe what they’re called to believe, this right does not include the permission to impose those beliefs on others,” said The Rev. Michael Denton, Conference Minister, Pacific Northwest Conference of The United Church of Christ. “The effort to deny same-sex partners and seniors the legal protections of domestic partnership is an effort to deny the rights of one group of people in order to impose the religious sensibilities of another group of people on everyone in the State of Washington. To protect the rights of domestic partners harms no one. Removing these rights would be immoral and unfair,” he said.

The Rt. Rev. Greg Rickel, Bishop, Olympia Diocese of the Episcopal Church USA, said, “It is, and will always be, for each faith tradition to decide what marriages it will perform and what marriages it will recognize, but this referendum is about domestic partnerships.” Bishop Rickel said it is wrong to withhold the basic legal rights provided by the domestic partnership law because some object to the legal recognition of gay and lesbian relationships. “To deny them, as well as seniors who are joined in domestic partnerships, the basic rights provided by the law threatens both families and our tradition of religious liberty,” said Bishop Rickel.

“I feel compelled to speak out in support of the domestic partnership law,” said Rabbi James Mirel, Senior Rabbi of Temple B’nai Torah. “Not only do I as a Rabbi find it harsh that there is an attempt to take away rights from loving families, I know from my history as a Jew that all too often the problems faced by a society are blamed on minorities,” said Rabbi Mirel. “The arguments being made against the domestic partnership law are dangerous because they suggest that providing gay and lesbian families with civil rights will somehow harm our society. The domestic partnership law strengthens families and is good for all of Washington.”

“As people of faith, we view the role of religion to nurture and support families, not to cast some aside,” said Rev. Paul Benz, Director of the Lutheran Public Policy Office of Washington State. “To deny gay and lesbian families and older couples their basic rights because of the beliefs of a few Christian right organizations threatens not only those families but our collective commitment to each other.”

Earlier this week, Washington Families Standing Together (WAFST), the statewide coalition supporting the domestic partnership law, announced that more than 40,000 individuals and over 115 organizations of all types have joined WAFST to oppose any attempt to repeal the law.

The Domestic Partnership Expansion Bill of 2009, adopted by the Legislature this past session, ensures that all Washington families are treated equally by providing the same rights and responsibilities to domestic partners (including heterosexual domestic partnerships where at least one partner is age 62 or older) as are provided to spouses under state law.

In 2007, the Legislature established the domestic partnership registry and granted registered couples rights to make health care decisions for a sick partner, to visit a partner in the hospital, to consent to an autopsy and manage some property rights issues. In 2008, the Legislature extended these rights to include community property rights, probate rights, joint responsibility for debts and other protections. The 2009 legislation is the third and final law to provide rights and protections for domestic partners and their families. The third law allows for death benefits for the partners of police and firefighters killed in the line of duty, pension benefits for partners of teachers and other public employees, the right to adopt a partner’s child without paying for an expensive home study and the right to use medical leave to care for a domestic partner.

FAITH LEADERS’ STATEMENT OF SUPPORT FOR WASHINGTON FAMILIES
AND THE DOMESTIC PARTNERSHIP LAW

The undersigned religious leaders, from across Washington State, have come together to speak with one voice for all Washington families.
Religious leaders before us have spoken to end slavery, and to ensure equal rights to all persons regardless of gender, nationality, religion, and race. Today, we feel compelled to speak out in support of Washington’s domestic partnership law which provides essential protections to families throughout the state.

As people of faith, we oppose any effort to take away the rights and protections provided to families through our state’s domestic partnership law.

As providers of pastoral care to families, we know that gay and lesbian couples form loving, lasting, committed relationships, raise children and grow old together. These couples and their children have the same needs and deserve the same rights as their heterosexual peers. We also know that the domestic partnership law provides important protections to non-gay couples where one partner is at least
62 years of age.

As faith leaders, we care about all Washington families. We have seen first-hand the burdens on a family facing death or illness without important legal and financial protections, from access to healthcare, to the right to visit a partner in the hospital, to the right to make medical decisions for one’s own children. We have felt the worry that exists when a parent who is a firefighter or police officer goes off to work each morning knowing that if something happens to her, there won’t be support for her family.

The domestic partnership law is about the relationship between the State and families. Clergy and faith communities will remain free, just as they always have been, and always will be, to determine for themselves their own religious matters.

We join as the signers of this statement, as a principled expression of our deeply held religious convictions. We stand in support of all of Washington’s families.

(A partial list of religious leaders and congregations signing on the Washington Families Standing Together campaign to preserve Washington state’s domestic partnership law – as of 9-8-09)

RELIGIOUS LEADERS

* Organization listed for identification purposes only.

Reverend Melissa Anthony
Pastor Maynard Atik
Revernend Sally Balmer
Reverend Paul Benz
Rabbi Will Berkovitz
Reverend George Anne Boyle
Reverend  David  Brown
Reverend Sandy Brown
Reverend John Cahall
Pastor Jocelyn K Carson
Pastor James Carter
Reverend Debra Conklin
Reverend Monica Corsaro
Pastor Craig Darling
Reverend Michael Denton
Reverend Lisa Domke
Reverend Angela Farrar
Rabbi Allison Flash
Reverend Catherine Foote
Reverend John Garlington
Executive Director Jessica Gavre — United Methodist Church*
Reverend Debbie George
Reverend Terry B. Hall
Reverend Bruce Harrington
Reverend Vincent Hart
Reverend Robert Henre
Reverend Gordon Hutchins
Reverend Dr. Beryl Ingram
Reverend Carol Jensen
Reverend Marj Johnston
Rabbi Bruce Kadden
Reverend Marilyn Kallshian
Reverend Elizabeth “Kit” Ketcham
Reverend Tamalyn Kralman
Reverend Vincent Lachina
Reverend Rich Lang
Rabbi Anson Laytner
Associate Director Nina Laboy — American Friends Service Committee*
Reverend Robert J. Lewis
Reverend John-Otto Liljenstolpe
Reverend John Lindsay
Reverend Silversity Madrazo
Rabbi Jessica Marshall
Pastor Joseph Miller
Rabbi Jim Mirel
Reverend Sharon Moe
Reverend Tad Monroe
Minister Peg Morgan
Reverend Jane Newall
Reverend Weldon Nisly
Pastor Christopher A. Nolte
Program Coordinator Timothy O’Brien — Northwest Dharma Association*
Reverend Scott Opsahl
Reverend Tim Phillips
Pastor Darrell Reeck
Reverend John Reitan
Rt. Rev. Greg Rickel
Reverend Paul Rodkey
Reverend Cheryl Rohret
Reverend Laurie Rudel
Reverend Dr. Lon Rycraft
Rabbi Daniel Septimus
Cantor David Serkin-Poole
Reverend Gary Shoemaker
Reverend David Shull
Pastor James Simpson
Rabbi Beth Singer
Rabbi Jonathan Singer
Reverend Monty Smith
Reverend David Strong
Pastor Sharon Swanson
Reverend Dr. Barbara W. ten Hove
The Reverend Arthur Vaeni
Reverend Douglas Wadkins
Father James Walley
Reverend James Watson
Rabbi Daniel Wiener
Reverend Steve Willis
Pastor Alice Woldt
Reverend Melvin Woodworth

ORGANIZATIONS
All Souls Universalists Community
American Baptist
Bethany Presbyterian Spokane
Bethany United Church of Christ
Hillel University Washington/J-Connect Seattle
Immanuel Presbyterian Church
Micah Project of First United Methodist Church of Tacoma
Olympia Diocese of the Episcopal Church USA
Olympia Unitarian Universalist Congregation
Open Arms Community Church
Path of Freedom Sangha
Pilgrim Congregational United Church of Christ
Ravenna United Methodist Church
Saint Benedict Episcopal Church
Seattle First Baptist Church
Temple B’nai Torah
Temple Beth Am
Temple Beth Or
Temple De Hirsch Sinai
Trinity United Methodist
Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Whidbey Island
Wallingford United Methodist Church
Westminster Congregational United Church of Christ
Westside Unitarian Universalist Congregation

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