Lambda Legal Statement Supporting Marriage and Domestic Partnership Bills for Same-Sex Couples in Washington

(Olympia, Washington, January 11, 2007) — In support of two bills set to be introduced today in the Washington State Legislature that would set the state on the path toward marriage equality and provide some critical rights and protections to same-sex couples and their families, Lambda Legal issues the following statement.

Jennifer C. Pizer, Senior Counsel in Lambda Legal’s Western Regional Office, said:

“Lambda Legal applauds the bills’ authors for addressing the serious harms that happen every day to same-sex couples who are currently unable to protect each other because their relationship is invisible under Washington laws. Without offering even basic protections, the state of Washington currently holds same-sex couples as strangers under the law. We believe that the right way to fix this injustice is by treating all of us equally—by changing the law to allow devoted same-sex couples to marry just as different-sex couples can. As states like Washington move toward that goal, we welcome the passage of intermediate laws that recognize our families, offer some critical legal protections, and help the state care better for Washingtonians.

“We represent families in states all across the country — including courageous families right here in Washington — who are seeking the countless benefits that marriage provides, both tangible and unseen. We know that law-abiding, tax-paying same-sex couples are harmed every day when their government tells them their families don’t count. Every time a woman is barred from visiting her same-sex partner in the hospital or a man has to pay more for insurance because he isn’t allowed to check the box marked ‘married’ on the form even though he’s been raising a family with his same-sex partner for decades, we see the result of government’s branding same-sex couples and their families unworthy, or worse: ignoring their existence entirely by not recognizing their families.

“Lambda Legal is encouraged that lawmakers in Washington are working to catch up to their counterparts in Vermont, Connecticut and California where comprehensive protections are already provided to same-sex couples under state law. But even those states are looking to catch up to Massachusetts and our neighbors in Canada by recognizing that marriage equality is the only way to treat gay and lesbian-headed families fairly—as equal to their neighbors under the law.”

Senator Ed Murray, D-Seattle, prepared the legislation along with four colleagues in the House: Representatives Joe McDermott, D-Seattle; Jim Moeller, D-Vancouver; Jamie Pedersen, D-Seattle; and Dave Upthegrove, D-Des Moines.

Jennifer C. Pizer, Senior Counsel at Lambda Legal, with assistance from Lambda Legal Staff Attorney Tara Borelli, provided technical assistance to the bills’ authors, drawing on the organization’s depth of experience in working with lawmakers to create legal protections for same-sex couples and their families. Pizer also worked with Jamie Pedersen along with the Northwest Women’s Law Center and the ACLU in the landmark lawsuits that argued for the right of same-sex couples to marry in Washington.

Lambda Legal is the legal advocacy organization that argued the lawsuit in New Jersey that brought about that state’s civil union registry that was signed into law last month. The organization is currently arguing cases in California and Iowa that seek the right of marriage for those state’s same-sex couples.

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Mark Roy: 212-809-8585 ext. 267

Lambda Legal is a national organization committed to achieving full recognition of the civil rights of lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, transgender people and those with HIV through impact litigation, education and public policy work.