Backholm pays the $5 filing fee for R-74 on February 13, 2012. (Courtesy of the Secretary of State)

By John Geis | 15 February 2012

On Monday, February 13, 2012, Governor Gregoire signed into law Senate Bill 6239, which overturns thousands of years of cultural and religious marriage customs and redefines marriage as between any two persons, even those of the same sex.  Despite the fact that there were persons cheering the governor and gay legislators in the passing of this law, this is unmistakably and undeniably a profound defeat for the people of Washington State. But all is not lost.

Undeterred supporters of traditional marriage between one man and one woman exercised our right in Washington State to file for a referendum with the Secretary of State. Joseph Backholm, the Executive Director of the Family Policy Institute of Washington (FPIW), was chosen to be the representative to file on the behalf of Preserve Marriage Washington. He was quoted saying “Voters will have the opportunity to define marriage in our state.” 

Preserve Marriage Washington is a newly created coalition which initially includes the Family Policy Institute of Washington, Stand for Marriage Washington and the National Organization for Marriage (NOM).  It is expected that hundreds of groups, churches and individuals will be involved in the signature gathering phase, and even more during the campaign.  Now begins the process of referendum.

Exactly what is a referendum?  It is a citizen sponsored challenge of a particular piece of legislation that our legislators have passed and the governor has signed into law.  This challenge is brought forth by the citizens of the State in an attempt to overturn this law by a state-wide vote of the people to reject the law.  We are fortunate here in Washington State as not every state has this option.  A simple majority wins, even if it is by one vote.

So what happens next? 

First the Secretary of State (SOS)’s office gives the filed referendum paperwork with our proposed language a number.  It is Referendum 74 or R-74.  Initially the SOS’s office said it was R-73 and later changed the number. R-73 was previously given last spring to a campaign to challenge last year’s medical marijuana law, which was unsuccessful in getting the signatures.

Now our filed referendum and its proposed and carefully crafted language has been sent from the SOS’s office to the Attorney General (AG)’s office where they will decide on the exact language they believe is appropriate for this referendum. They must prepare a ballot title, a description of no more than 30 words, a ballot summary of no more than 75 words, and a question that unmistakably delineates the intent of the voter. The AG’s office has 5 days to complete this work and publish their results.

It is expected that upon completion of the official referendum language it will be challenged.  If so, the challenger has 5 days to seek a review by the Thurston County Superior Court.  They are required to “expeditiously” formulate a judgment on the language within five days.  Their judgment is final.

The time necessary for this whole process would be approximately three weeks.  It could be less but three weeks is the judgment of many, including the Secretary of State, Sam Reed.

Once the finalized language is received, we will be able to gather signatures.  This is done on petitions.  We will print and distribute petitions upon which citizens in opposition to this law may sign.  We will need 120,577 “valid” signatures turned in to the SOS by June 6, 2012. That number is 4 percent of all votes cast in the 2008 election for governor. 

Washington State’s Elections Division suggests turning in 150,000 or more, because there is an average error rate of 18 percent.  This is due mainly to invalid and duplicate signatures but also signatures that do not match the one on record. 

Valid signatures are only those people who are residents of Washington State and registered voters.  So if you or any of your friends are not registered voters go and register immediately!

To register for this exceptional and constitutional right in the U.S. to vote, you must be: 

1.  A citizen of the U.S.,

2.  A resident of Washington State, and

3.  At least 18 years old by election day. 

You cannot register if you: 

1.  Have a felony conviction on your record and

2.  Have been declared mentally incompetent and ineligible to vote. 

You may register online at the SOS’s website, www.sos.wa.gov, request a form from them online or by phone at (360) 902-4151 or go to your local driver licensing office.  The Department of Licensing website is www.dol.wa.gov and their phone number is (360) 902-3600. 

Submitting enough signatures will table the law, which means it will not go into effect.  It will remain tabled until after the voting has taken place on November 6, 2012 and the final tally of votes has been certified by December 6, 2012.  Whoever has the most votes wins.

Now we must try to get as many signatures as we can and show the entire state, nation and world that we believe in traditional marriage.  Please visit www.fpiw.org at this link to request a petition today.

In order for marriage to be protected and preserved, your generous support in time, effort and financial contribution are vital. We thank you very much in advance!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                            CONTACT:   Joseph Backholm

February 13, 2010                                                                                       (425) 608-0242

"Voters will have the opportunity to define marriage in our state," - Joseph Backholm

Olympia, WA - Moments after Governor Christine Gregoire signed legislation redefining marriage, a coalition of groups officially filed referendum papers to begin the process of presenting the issue to voters in November. The newly-formed group Preserve Marriage Washington filed the referendum with the Secretary of State.

"Marriage is the union of one man and one woman for good reason," said Joseph Backholm, Executive Director of the Family Policy Institute of Washington and the proponent of the referendum. "Marriage is society's way of bringing men and women together so that children can be raised by, and cared for by, their mother and father - the people responsible for bringing them into the world. It is the most-important, child-focused institution of society and we will fight to preserve it. Voters will have the opportunity to define marriage in our state."

Proponents of the referendum have until June 6th to collect 120,577 voter signatures to qualify the referendum to the November ballot. Once the signatures are filed, the legislation is stayed and does not go into effect. The Preserve Marriage Washington coalition initially includes the Family Policy Institute of Washington, Stand for Marriage Washington, Concerned Women for America and the National Organization for Marriage (NOM). It is expected that hundreds of groups, churches and individuals will be involved in the signature gathering phase, and even more during the campaign.

Supporters of the referendum can request petitions online at www.PreserveMarriageWashington.com.

"We call on the community of faith and all citizens to join in this referendum to give the voters of Washington the right to decide the definition of marriage in our state," said Representative Matt Shea of Stand for Marriage Washington. "Already we have had an outpouring of support from pastors, legislators and individuals who are ready to go to work to preserve marriage in our state. Thirty-one other states have voted on marriage, and everyone has voted to preserve marriage as the union of one man and one woman. Washington state will do the same."

To request an interview with Joseph Backholm, call (425) 608-0242.

           As previously reported in the Family Policy Institute of Washington blog, the Washington State Legislature has passed the gay marriage bill; see Engrossed Substitute Senate Bill 6239 for details.  The bill was sent to Governor Gregoire for signature.  She publicly requested the bill in a January 4th press conference and stated she’ll sign it.

           The governor has scheduled a public signing of this bill at 11:30 A.M., Monday, February 13th.  You may verify this at her website and click on the date for the press communiqué published from her office. 

           What can we do?  First we pray for a miracle.  Yes, I mean this quite literally.  Let us pray that Governor Gregoire vetoes the bill on Monday. 

           No matter what happens, please show up early at the Capitol in Olympia and join those who will be present to protest the passing of this legislation into law.   See visiting the Legislature to find out more.  Spread the word to come down and demonstrate our support for traditional marriage and opposition to homosexual marriage.    

           But what can we do if Governor Gregoire does sign the bill into law?

           There is so much you can do and must!  We, in the state of Washington, have the right to a referendum, which is a general vote of the people to accept or reject a law passed by the legislature.  If we file a referendum and do what’s necessary by law, it will stop the law from becoming effective until we the people vote in the November general election.  Find out more at the Secretary of State’s “FAQ on Gay Marriage Referendum”.

           We ARE going to exercise our right to referendum and reject this law!

           Don’t forget to continue to pray that the citizens of Washington State will be fearless in their support and defense of traditional marriage between one man and one woman.  Send out requests across the state, nation and world for other faithful to join us in prayer to move hearts here in Washington to unify, organize a successful referendum campaign and to vote for traditional marriage.

           Please see “What’s next?” on our website for the steps you can take now and join us in defending traditional marriage!  Thank you for all your support!

        Perhaps the title is a bit alarmist. Yesterday's decision by the state legislature to redefine marriage may not actually be the death of reason but more evidence of it.

        What's interesting is that a body of legislators who have, presumably, told their own children that "I want it"is not a reason, have been completely bamboozled by this mutiny of emotion. While we should be indignant, there might be room for a bit of sympathy as well since many of us have also done irrational things we later regretted in the name of love. Perhaps it really can happen to anyone.

        The problem is, in a legislative body, we usually expect cooler heads to prevail. Maybe it was too close to Valentine's Day.

        Throughout this entire debate, those wanting to redefine marriage ask, "What possible reason could there be not to call same-sex relationships marriages? Separate is not equal." To which I respond, "What possible reason is there not to call an apple an orange? Separate is not equal."

        There are two primary arguments in the effort to redefine marriage. First, they argue that the state should grant marriage licenses based on the level of love and commitment people claim to share. Second, they argue that there is no difference between a homosexual and heterosexual relationship. Combined, they offer a very flimsy foundation for public policy. 

         First, the idea that the state has ever been interested in the quality of the love or commitment a couple has prior to granting a marriage license is unsupportable. That is not to say that love and commitment are unimportant in marriage, but that love and commitment have never had anything to do with why the state issues marriage licenses.

         People get married for many reasons that the state has never inquired about. They get married because someone got pregnant, because it's good for their career, for immigration reasons, because they're gold-diggers, or because of good old-fashioned romance.

         The private reasons people have for getting married have not been relevant to whether the state recognizes it until now...apparently.

         I cannot imagine anything the government should be less involved with than assessing the quality of a couple's love before granting a marriage license. Imagine the newly appointed Love Czar heading up the newly created "Love Quality Commission" tasked with ensuring that the emotional maturity and conflict resolution skills of the loving, consenting adults is adequate to receive the governments title of marriage. If the government can grant marriage licenses because the love/commitment threshold has been met, can they deny them if it has not?

         Despite these (obvious?) realities, if I had a dollar for every time I heard a legislator say "marriage is about love and commitment" we could solve the state's annual billion dollar budget deficit.

         Secondly, they argue that there is no difference between homosexual and heterosexual relationships. The evidence for this is the tremendous weight they give to the love and commitment a couple claim to share. Since we must admit that love and commitment are not and should not be relevant to the state's recognition of marriage, it becomes easier to acknowledge that there are meaningful differences between relationship we call marriages and those we do not.

         Certainly different kinds of relationships have similarities, but similarities do not eradicate differences. Once we remove the fog of people's feelings from the debate, there is no basis on which to argue that homosexual and heterosexual relationships are in every way the same for the simple reason that men and women are different. That used to be something we celebrated...way back when we used to celebrate our differences.

         Many relationships, other than marriages, have tremendous personal significance to those involved in them. The fact that we do not call them marriages is not evidence of mistreatment but recognition of reality.

         Of course, for some this entire argument will only serve only as confirmation of my irrepressible bigotry. But for those of you who know better, I hope this helps you stay stronger than our legislators. Truth is on our side, and truth always wins. There are some things that cannot evolve. Two plus two will always equal four, even if five resents it. 

By Rebecca Faust

          The House of Representatives voted this afternoon to pass the marriage redefinition bill. This is the same bill already passed by the Senate, so it will now be sent to the governor for her to sign into law.

Citizens can still demand a referendum by submitting petitions to the Secretary of State's office with sufficient signatures.

The House rejected all proposed amendments, including an amendment which would have required that the measure be sent to the people as a referendum. The House voted to reject seven amendments in all. Other amendments which were rejected would have extended religious protection to private businesses; permitted couples to say that they take each other as "husband and wife," rather than "spouses," at their wedding; and required one month's residency before a couple married in Washington State.

You can see how your representatives voted on the legislature's website. Please continue to pray about this issue, for our state, and for our public officials. If you would like to send a message to the governor's office, you can do so via the governor's website.

         This is a letter written to House Speaker Frank Chopp, Governor Chris Gregoire and Representative Jamie Pedersen of the House Judiciary Committee stating inadequacies for protection of religious liberty in substitute Senate Bill 6239.

The letter was written by 4 well known law professors from around the country and a  member of the New York Bar Association. 

"We write to address the religious liberty implications of Engrossed Substitute Senate Bill 6239-ES, slated for discussion tomorrow by the House. Despite seven amendments in the Senate, SB6239-ES offers incomplete protections—covering only some people who desire for religious reasons to step-aside from facilitating same-sex marriages."

Read the entire letter here.

Yesterday, Monday, February 6th, the House Judiciary Committee held an impassioned public hearing on the Senate’s version of the same-sex marriage bill and before 10am they passed it out of committee to the House Rules Committee.  The vote was strictly along party lines with all democrats voting yes and all republicans voting no. 

During the executive session nine amendments were proposed by the republican representatives, five by Rep. Rodne and four by Rep. Shea.  Only five were considered.  Of those considered, two were to protect all people and businesses of faith and conscience from discrimination and not just clergy and churches. The others were to clean up the language of the bill, add a one month mandatory residency before being able to be married in Washington, and add a referendum clause.  All were routinely voted down along party lines. 

It was another Olympian exercise in appalling government and pure politics along party lines completely blind to rational truth.  There was no concern from any democrats whatsoever about genuine problems with the bill, for the U.S. and Washington State Constitutions or for the citizens of Washington State.  It seems that our legislature is poised to force this unconstitutional bill upon us from both houses.

The bill is currently on the Second Reading Calendar in the House and awaits the Speaker to move it to the floor.  It is expected that this will happen tomorrow at 1:00 P.M. and the House of Representatives will get final passage before dinner.  See a detailed summary of the bill here and read it here.

Please show up in Olympia and join those who will be present to protest the passing of this legislation.  All media will be there and they need to see our opposition.  See visiting the Legislature to find out more.

Many groups in support of traditional marriage are already planning demonstrations tomorrow.  Please spread the word and come down to Olympia and demonstrate your support for traditional marriage and opposition to same-sex marriage.  Bring signs and bull horns and be seen and heard. But please remember to be loving and peaceful!  And thank you for all your support!

This week the Washington Orthodox Clergy Association released a press release declaring their commitment to the sanctity of marriage between one man and one woman.

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WASHINGTON ORTHODOX CLERGY ASSOCIATION

PRESS RELEASE

Orthodox Christian Churches of Washington State on the Sanctity of Marriage and Same-Sex Unions The Orthodox Christian teaching on marriage and sexuality, firmly grounded in Holy Scripture, 2000 years of church tradition, and canon law, holds that marriage consists in the conjugal union of a man and a woman, and that authentic marriage is blessed by God as a sacrament of the Church. Neither Scripture nor Holy Tradition blesses or sanctions such a union between persons of the same sex.

Holy Scripture attests that God creates man and woman in His own image and likeness (Genesis 1:27-31), that those called to do so might enjoy a conjugal union that ideally leads to procreation. While not every marriage is blessed with the birth of children, every such union exists to create of a man and a woman a new reality of “one flesh.” This can only involve a relationship based on gender complementarity. “God made them male and female… So they are no longer two but one flesh” (Mark 10:6-8).

The union between a man and a woman in the Sacrament of Marriage reflects the union between Christ and His Church (Ephesians 5:21-33). As such, marriage is necessarily monogamous and heterosexual. Within this union, sexual relations between a husband and wife are to be cherished and protected as a sacred expression of their love that has been blessed by God. Such was God’s plan for His human creatures from the very beginning. Today, however, this divine purpose is increasingly questioned, challenged or denied, even within some faith communities, as social and political pressures work to normalize, legalize and even sanctify same-sex unions.

The Orthodox Church cannot and will not bless same-sex unions. Whereas marriage between a man and a woman is a sacred institution ordained by God, homosexual union is not. Like adultery and fornication, homosexual acts are condemned by Scripture (Rom 1:24-27; 1 Cor 6:10; 1 Tim 1:10). This being said, however, we must stress that persons with a homosexual orientation are to be cared for with the same mercy and love that is bestowed by our Lord Jesus Christ upon all of humanity. All persons are called by God to grow spiritually and morally toward holiness.

As Orthodox Christian clergy in Washington State we speak with one voice in expressing our deep concern over recent developments. And we pray fervently that the traditional form of marriage, as an enduring and committed union only between a man and a woman, will be honored.

(Based upon statements issued by the Standing Conference of Orthodox Bishops in America and the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America).

The Senate Rules Committee voted to put the Senate marriage redefinition bill, *SSB 6239, before the full Senate for second reading.

Formally, second reading is when the Senate can make amendments to a bill. After second reading, bills are returned to the Rules Committee, which decides whether to put them before the Senate again for third reading. The Senate votes on whether to pass the bill or not at third reading. But the Senate frequently suspends the rules to combine the second and third reading. This means that the bill could actually be passed by the Senate without returning to the Rules Committee.

The House marriage redefinition bill, *SHB 2516, was voted out of the House Judiciary Committee yesterday. The Judiciary Committee approved an amended version of the bill put forward by Representative Jamie Pedersen, who chairs the Judiciary Committee and is the prime sponsor of HB 2516. The committee rejected additional amendments put forward by Representatives Shea and Rodne.

*SSB stands for Substitute Senate Bill. SHB stands for Substitute House Bill. Both refer to amended versions of a bill.

The Senate Government Operations, Tribal Relations and Elections Committee voted on Thursday to forward an amended version of the marriage redefinition bill to the Rules Committee.

The committee approved an amendment eliminating clauses which would have allowed churches to be penalized for refusing to accommodate same-sex "marriage" ceremonies if they offer related facilities, services, or goods to the public for a fee and to be sued if their refusal violates Washington's law against discrimination. The committee also added a definition for what types of "religious organization[s]" would be protected for refusing to accommodate a same-sex "marriage" ceremony.

The committee rejected proposed amendments by Senator Swecker, which would have extended protection to anyone for refusing to assist with a same-sex "marriage" ceremony for religious reasons, allowed religious adoption agencies to refuse to place children with same-sex couples, and explicitly allowed clergy to refuse to "recognize" same-sex "marriages." The committee also rejected a motion from Senator Benton to add a referendum clause to the bill, which would have required a vote of the people before the measure would be enacted.

The House Judiciary Committee is scheduled to take executive action on the House marriage redefinition bill on Monday. In an apparent attempt to expedite this bill, the House of Representatives may vote on final passage as soon as Monday.

It was thought that the full Senate would take action as soon as today, but the Senate vote will now happen early next week at the soonest.