Washington United for Marriage
 The Washington United for Marriage campaign logo | |
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U.S. State of Washington | |
| Formation | 2011 |
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| Type | Coalition and Campaign |
| Location | |
Campaign Director | Zach Silk |
| Mission | Washington United for Marriage is a coalition of organizations, congregations, unions, and business associations working together to secure civil marriage for loving, committed gay and lesbian couples. |
| Website | WashingtonUnited.org |
Washington United for Marriage was a coalition of secular and religious organizations in Washington actively working to secure same-sex marriage for gay and lesbian couples, founded in 2011.[1] Washington United was formed to secure passage of a marriage equality bill in the Washington legislature, and to then defend such a measure should a statewide referendum be launched to challenge it. Members of the coalition include Equal Rights Washington, the Human Rights Campaign, and the American Civil Liberties Union.[2] Within 24 hours of having been publicly launched, the coalition had secured an endorsement for marriage equality in Washington from the editorial board of the Seattle Times.[3]
History
The 2009 public decision to allow domestic partnerships for same-sex couples through the approval of Referendum 71 made Washington the first state in the United States to approve any form of relationship recognition for same-sex couples at a public vote.[4] Led by a coalition of organizations known as Washington Families Standing Together (WAFST), the campaign to approve the referendum was built around the notion that secular organizations needed to ally with progressive religious organizations in order to leverage their organizing power, and credibility within communities of faith, where much opposition to LGBT equality finds root.[5]
Following on the approval of Referendum 71, LGBT organizations in Washington began to build the support and infrastructure to launch a full campaign to achieve marriage equality. Through public education work, organizations like Equal Rights Washington took advantage of growing support across the United States to begin to build local support to enact laws protecting lesbian and gay couples and their families from marriage discrimination. At the time of the founding of Washington United for Marriage, one poll showed 55% of Washington voters would support a law bestowing marriage rights on same-sex couples in Washington.[6]
Washington United for Marriage, led by many of the same individuals involved in the Approve Referendum 71 campaign run by WAFST, was founded on a similar model of secular and religious coalition building. In addition, national heavy-hitters in the area of LGBT advocacy including the Human Rights Campaign and American Civil Liberties Union were to become even more central players in the campaign to secure votes in the Washington State Senate to pass a measure granting same-sex couples marriage rights.
See also
- Same-sex marriage in Washington state
- LGBT rights in Washington
- Domestic partnership in Washington state
References
- ↑ Brunner, Jim. "New effort to legalize same-sex marriage begins". Seattle Times Online. The Seattle Times. Retrieved 15 November 2011.
- ↑ "Washington United for Marriage". Retrieved 15 November 2011.
- ↑ Seattle Times Editorial Board. "Time for Washington Legislature to legalize same-sex marriage". The Seattle Times Online. Retrieved 15 November 2011.
- ↑ La Corte, Rachel. "Gay partnership measure approved by voters". The Seattle Times Online. Retrieved 15 November 2011.
- ↑ "FAITH LEADERS’ STATEMENT OF SUPPORT FOR WASHINGTON FAMILIES AND THE DOMESTIC PARTNERSHIP LAW". Retrieved 15 November 2011.
- ↑ Garcia, Michelle. "Washington State Aims for Marriage Equality". The Advocate. Retrieved 15 November 2011.
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