People from All Walks of Life Stand Together to Protect Washington Families
Washington Families Standing Together Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
July 22, 2009
Contact: Josh Friedes, Washington Families Standing Together,
206-324-2570
Broad, statewide support to keep domestic partnership law from being repealed by Referendum 71
SEATTLE, Wash. – Washington Families Standing Together (WAFST) announced today that in just eight weeks, tens of thousands of individuals and more than 110 organizations have joined together to protect Washington families from the threat posed by the attempted repeal of the state’s domestic partnership law. Those opposed to domestic partnerships are trying to roll back the law by gathering signatures to put Referendum 71 on the November ballot. They have until July 25th to turn in the signatures. If Referendum 71 qualifies for the ballot, voters will have to vote to “approve” Referendum 71 in order to retain the law already passed by the Legislature and signed by the Governor.
“People from all parts of our state want to support their friends and neighbors. They are very worried that families in their communities will lose important legal and financial protections if the law is repealed,” said Josh Friedes of WAFST. “We have had over 40,000 Washingtonians, from every county in the state, pledge their support of the domestic partnership law and we have not sent a single piece of mail or done any advertising.
“And in only eight weeks, we’ve had over 110 organizations – faith-based groups, labor unions, seniors, communities of color, children’s organizations, statewide and local groups – join together to form the WAFST coalition dedicated to preventing the domestic partnership law from being repealed.” Friedes added. “It’s quite powerful to see that groups who represent such a broad cross section of the state are all united in the common goal of saving the domestic partnership law.”
The Domestic Partnership Expansion Bill of 2009 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. This 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, the right to use sick leave to care for a domestic partner and an easier process for drawing up a health care proxy or durable power of attorney.
Kelly Fox, President of the Washington State Council of Firefighters said the firefighters group strongly supports the state’s domestic partnership law. “The domestic partnership law will provide death benefits for the partners of police and firefighters killed in the line of duty,” said Fox. “They are first responders in times of crisis. It’s important for our members to be assured that when they risk their lives, they know their families will be protected in the unfortunate event the unthinkable happens.” said Fox.
The Children’s Alliance, a statewide organization that advocates for kids and families, agrees. “We support Washington’s domestic partnership law because we support the well-being of children and families. All children need the same things. They need to feel safe and secure. And they need to feel loved. For the good of children in Washington state, we want to make sure this law stays in place,” said Paola Maranan, Executive Director.
The American Federation of Teachers Washington, a labor union representing teachers and other educational professionals, is just one of several unions strongly supporting the law. “The domestic partnership law provides stability to teachers’ families and the families of many students,” said AFTW president, Sandra Schroeder. “Especially in these difficult economic times, it’s important that teachers’ families have pensions and health insurance. The partners of gay and lesbian teachers get sick just like any other spouse and deserve the same right to be cared for by their partners.”
Older people and seniors represent a number of the state’s registered domestic couples, and according to Executive Director of Senior Services, Denise Klein, it’s a population of people that often gets overlooked.
“Many people are unaware that couples where one partner is age 62 or older, may be domestic partners,” said Klein. “This law provides essential protections to many older couples who would otherwise be living without a safety net. People also forget that there are many gay and lesbian couples who have been together for decades. They need the domestic partnership law to help with the many issues couples face in aging because they do not have the protections that marriage would afford them.”
Kathy Reim, a retired public school teacher, is a member of the Bellingham chapter of Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG). As a mother of a daughter who is lesbian, she said she cannot imagine a parent ever feeling secure knowing that his or her child is not provided the same protections and opportunities as others. “No parent wants to leave this world knowing that their children have fewer rights than they had. Taking away rights wouldn’t just hurt gay and lesbian people; it would hurt all of us.”
Numerous organizations representing communities of color also are showing support for Washington families. “The Seattle Chapter of the Japanese American Citizen League is proud to support all Washington state families,” said the League’s president, Dawn Rego. “Our community suffered greatly when Japanese Americans were denied civil rights during WWII, so we must work to ensure that there is justice and equality for all.”
Rev. Paul Benz, Director of the Lutheran Public Policy Office of Washington State, eloquently explains why more than 75 clergy and congregations from across the state have already pledged their support for the domestic partnership rights law. “As people of faith, we view the role of religion to nurture and support families, not to cast some aside. To deny gay and lesbian families and older couples their basic rights because of the beliefs of a few conservative religious organizations threatens not only those families but our collective commitment to each other.
“Everyone recognizes that it is far easier to qualify a referendum for the ballot than an initiative, because only half the number of signatures must be gathered. Given the important rights and protections that are at stake for Washington families, all these organizations believed it was necessary, even before the signatures were submitted, to start educating the public about the important protections provided by the domestic partnership law, and the families who would be harmed without those basic protections if the law were to be repealed,” said WAFST’s spokesman Friedes.
Organizations in the WAFST Coalition Supporting the Domestic Partnership Law
(as of 9-13-09)
1 League of Women Voters of Seattle
2 Washington Association of Churches
3 Washington State Nurses Association
4 Childhaven
5 Children’s Alliance
6 Washington State Council of Fire Fighters
7 Washington State Bar Association
8 Senior Services
9 Puget Sound Alliance for Retired Americans
10 Washington State Senior Citizens’ Lobby
11 Associated Ministries of Pierce County
12 Washington State Democrats
13 Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle
14 Asian and Pacific Islander Women and Family Safety Center
15 Entre Hermanos
16 Jewish Family Service
17 Westside Unitarian Universalist Congregation
18 King County Bar Association
19 Organization of Chinese Americans of Greater Seattle
20 Democratic Advancement Political Action Committee
21 Minority Executive Directors Coalition
22 Advisory Council on Aging and Disability Services Seattle/King County
23 Metropolitan Democratic Club
24 Washington State Psychological Association
25 Anti-Defamation League
27 NARAL Pro-Choice Washington
28 Washington Education Association
29 Japanese American Citizens League
30 Lutheran Public Policy Network of Washington State
31 One America
32 Congregation Kol Ami
33 Economic Opportunity Institute
34 Women’s Funding Alliance
35 Planned Parenthood Votes! Washington
36 Unite Here Local
37 Central Washington Progress
38 YWCA Clark County
39 YWCA Kitsap County
40 SEIU Healthcare Local NW
41 Latino Political Action Committee
42 American Jewish Committee
43 National Association of Social Workers—Washington State Chapter
44 National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum
45 Lake Washington Educational Association
46 Asian Pacific Islander Coalition of King County
47 Raising Our Asian Pacific American Representation
48 disAbility Resources of Southwest Washington
49 American Federation of Teachers
50 Compassion and Choices
51 Vancouver United Church of Christ
52 King County Coalition Against Domestic Violence
53 Community to Community Development
54 New Americans Action Fund
55 Religious Coalition for Equality
56 Safe Schools Coalition
57 Teamsters Local 11746
58 Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle
59 UFCW Local
60 Vancouver Firefighters Union IAFF Local
61 Sahngnoksoo
62 Equal Rights Washington
63 American Civil Liberties Union
64 First United Methodist Church of Tacoma
65 Snohomish County Democrats
66 Acorn
67 Inland Northwest Business Alliance
68 Micah Project – Tacoma
69 Capitol Hill Chamber of Commerce
70 Pride Foundation
71 Seattle Men’s Chorus
72 Seattle Women’s Chorus
73 Seattle University Outlaws
74 Cedar River Clinics
75 Inland Northwest LGBT Center
76 People for Peace, Justice, and Healing
77 Pride at Work
78 Lesbian and Gay Child Care Task Force
79 Blue Mountain Heart to Heart
80 Inlaws & Outlaws
81 Queer Kidz
82 Tacoma Rainbow Center
83 Queer Foundation
84 Queer Sounds
85 CREDO Mobile
86 Morningside Academy
87 Out In Tacoma
88 QLaw
89 Tacoma Lesbian Concern
90 Inland Oasis
91 Puget Sound Chapter, OLOC
92 Ingersoll Gender Center
93 Legal Voice
94 Peace and Justice Action League of Spokane
95 PFLAG Bellevue/Eastside
96 PFLAG Bellingham
97 PFLAG Everett/Snohomish
98 PFLAG Friday Harbor
99 PFLAG Kitsap
100 PFLAG Lower Columbia
101 PFLAG Tacoma
102 PFLAG Olympia
103 PFLAG Seattle
104 PFLAG Skagit/Sedro-Woolley
105 PFLAG Southwest Washington
106 PFLAG Spokane
107 PFLAG Walla Walla
108 Seattle Out and Proud/Seattle Pride
109 Whatcom Human Rights Task Force
110 Bellingham Unitarian Fellowship, Social Justice Committee
111 Seattle Metropolitan Elections Committee
112 Human Rights Campaign
113 Lambda Legal
114 El Centro de la Raza
115 Washington State Stonewall Democrats
116 Lifelong AIDS Alliance
117 Art With Heart
118 Kitsap County HIV AIDS Foundation
119 Organization for Research and Learning
120 Pinay Sa Seattle
121 Seattle Gay News
122 Greater Seattle Business Association
123 National Gay and Lesbian Task Force
124 Three Dollar Bill Cinema
125 Pierce County AIDS Foundation
126 Green River Community College GSA
127 Washington Gender Alliance
128 American Friends Service Committee
129 Fuse
130 Join the Impact
131 Spokane GLBT Film Festival
132 Tacoma United for Fairness
133 Vista Youth Center
134 Temple Beth Am
135 Tacoma Social Justice
136 Washington Bus
137 Seattle Chapter of the National Organization for Women
138 National Women’s Political Caucus of Washington
139 Seattle First Baptist Church
140 Open Arms Community Church
141 Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance
142 Temple B’nai Torah
143 All Souls Universalists Community
144 League of Education Voters
145 Temple De Hirsch Sinai
146 Young Democrats of Washington
147 Temple Beth Or
148 Washington Coalition of Sexual Assault Programs
149 32nd Legislative District Democrats
150 34th District Democrats
151 36th District Democrats
152 5th District Democrats
153 National Center for Lesbian Rights
154 AFT Seattle Community Colleges, Local 1789
155 American Association of University Women — Washington State
156 Eastern Washington Voters
157 American Federation of Government Employees
158 Equality Federation
159 Log Cabin Republicans
160 Mainstream Republicans of Washington
161 Richmond Beach United Church of Christ
162 Pride Team — Unitarian Universalist Church of Spokane
163 Washington State Holocaust Education Resource Center
164 University Unitarian Church
165 Statewide Poverty Action Network
# # #
–
Joshua A. Friedes
Campaign Manager
Washington Families Standing Together
W 206-324-2570
F 206-324-1708
www.WAFST.org