The Fight Isn't Over

As you now know, the Washington state supreme court banned same-sex marriages within that state on Tuesday. However, the fight is not over. Gay-rights advocates are redoubling their efforts. Please read the following article from the Seattle Post-Intelligencer

Only months ago, Washington appeared poised to become a cutting-edge state for gay rights. Its population of cohabitating same-sex couples was among the highest in the nation, and its legislators had passed a historic civil rights bill explicitly protecting gays and lesbians from discrimination. Gay activists around the country believed it was not too much to think that the high court here might wade into the vanguard and demand legal recognition for same-sex marriage.

Against that backdrop, Wednesday’s decision landed like a punch to the gut for many. But after reeling for a few hours, advocates were preparing for the next round. “I really do think this was a stumble,” said Beth Reis, part of a plaintiff couple who had sued for the right to marry after 29 years together. “Obviously, this is a lifelong journey for us, and the journey isn’t over.”

Her views were echoed around Seattle, and the country, by supporters of gay rights who vowed to refocus their efforts on political activism. Washington, they acknowledged, might not be the bellwether they had hoped, but it was still an important battleground. “There’s a good chance that history will look back at Washington as a turning point,” said Jonathan Rauch, a conservative columnist for the National Journal who is openly gay and has advocated a more measured approach to gaining widespread acceptance for same-sex marriage.

To his mind, Wednesday’s decision in Washington effectively ended any chance for a quick, court-crafted answer to the national debate on homosexual unions, although cases are still pending in California and New Jersey. “It’s kind of the nail in the coffin for the litigation strategy, which for the last 30 years has been the only strategy,” said Rauch, author of the book “Gay Marriage: Why It Is Good for Gays, Good for Straights, and Good for America.”

“While that might be somewhat demoralizing in the short run, I think it’s reinvigorating in the long run. It gets us to stage two, which is taking our case to the political bodies — the legislatures and the people.”

For the moment, however, Brenda Bauer could do little more than lick her wounds. A plaintiff in the case, she had already filled out her marriage application in anticipation of triumphantly presenting it to county clerks. “This is a very sad day for me,” she said, appearing to choke back tears as she addressed the press. “Today, caring and love for family lost, and nobody won.”

Some clearly felt otherwise. Pastor Ken Hutcherson, the charismatic leader of Antioch Bible Church in Kirkland who has cultivated a national reputation as an opponent of gay marriage, was exultant, even giddy. “This is great, monumental — not just for Washington but for the United States,” he said by telephone from Hawaii, where he had recently officiated at a wedding. Hearing the news from his home state, Hutcherson dashed off an e-mail to the conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh, crowing, “I just wanna say, man, it’s been a yahoo day.”

The Rev. Rick Kingham of Overlake Christian Church in Redmond expressed simple relief. His congregants had been praying tirelessly for just such a decision.
“Today, God has intervened in the affairs of man,” he said.

While polls show that a majority of Americans resoundingly oppose gay marriage, there has been quiet, creeping movement toward gay rights, even in conservative states. The Arkansas Supreme Court recently ruled that it was unconstitutional to prevent gay couples from raising foster children, and the University of Louisville is now the first public college in Kentucky to offer health benefits to domestic partners.

“As a community, we have been through so many highs and lows over the last 36 years that we’ll just pick ourselves up and keep on going,” said Matt Foreman, executive director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force.

Comparing Washington to New York state, where the high court also recently upheld a ban on same-sex marriage, Foreman noted that the civil rights bill which passed last session in Olympia took nearly three decades to achieve. He is prepared for a similar wait on a legislative embrace of gay marriage. “This is a long, hard fight,” he said. “None of us ever thought it would come easy.”

King County Executive Ron Sims, who is African American, supports gay marriage and has repeatedly likened the fight to that for black Americans’ civil rights, quoted a Negro spiritual from his childhood, and insisted that Washington’s court decision would be overturned eventually.

Sims and a number of gay-friendly politicians in Seattle appeared to take Wednesday’s setback as a challenge, mainly, to persevere. State Rep. Ed Murray, D-Seattle, one of a handful of openly gay legislators, put the matter bluntly.

“Today we hurt and today we mourn,” he said, “and tomorrow we go
back to work.”

Those of us who believe and teach as the Bible does, that homosexuality is a sin, need to also redouble our efforts to teach the truth. This fight is not going away any time soon. We need to teach the truth about homosexuality and we need also to fight against apathy towards this issue.