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There is a growing chorus of voices being raised in defense of marriage in the state.
I received an email yesterday from a woman who is a member of the Faith and Freedom Network, telling me she had spoken to her pastor about the importance and urgency of the current assault on marriage and the need for their church to become involved. She said he enthusiastically said their church would get involved and he wanted to begin receiving our communications.
The reality of the actual intent of the present homosexual legislation now moving through the Legislature is becoming more clear to more people. And they are beginning to raise their voices in defense of marriage.
We hear much about the homosexual activist legislators who are pushing the present legislation. And we should know that Senator Ed Murray has called the Defense of Marriage Act-DOMA a reprehensible law.
However we should also know that there are those Legislators who have and do strongly support traditional values and marriage.
Senators Dan Swecker and Val Stevens are two veteran Senators who have for many years stood tall on behalf of family and biblical values. They along with others, whom we will be highlighting, are standing tall of the SB 5688 bill.
A few days ago Senator Stevens published an email to her entire constituency.
It begins with, "Our society is in deep trouble. The Washington Legislature is dangerously close to passing a law that makes homosexual relationships equal to marriage in every respect---except name."
Please read her entire statement below and then forward this page to as many as possible.
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SAME-SEX MARRIAGE MAY BECOME STATE LAW – UNLESS WE MAKE OUR VOICES HEARD NOW
Our society is in deep trouble. The Washington Legislature is dangerously close to passing a law that makes homosexual relationships equal to marriage in every respect – except in name.
The Senate has already passed Senate Bill 5688 and if it passes the House, homosexual marriage will be law.
At that point, all it would take is for homosexuals to sue the State for the right to be given a marriage license. If domestic partnership is equal to marriage, then the court must decide if that includes a marriage license and ceremony.
A decades-old, hidden agenda
Same-sex marriage is only part of a hidden agenda homosexual activists have promoted for more than 35 years.
As a legislator for almost half of that period, I can tell you this legislation is not about “love” and “families” as many of the activists portray. It is a secret, hard-nosed political movement determined to fundamentally change our society.
For example, on Christmas Eve 1984, then Governor Booth Gardner signed Executive Order 85-09 giving special protection to homosexuals within Washington state employment. This order bypassed the Legislature and the people entirely.
In 1986 we ran Initiative 490 in an attempt to overturn that Order.
Unfortunately, for lack of signatures, it failed to make it to the ballot. People did not know then that this seemingly small executive order would lead us down such a slippery slope.
In 1993, before he died of AIDS, Representative Cal Anderson introduced House Bill 1443 to expand the Human Rights Commission giving homosexuals special protection from discrimination by all employers.
More than 450 people turned out to oppose the bill. The hearing room was so crowded the committee meeting had to be moved to the House Chambers. I had never seen that happen before and haven’t since.
Even though it died in the Senate, the bill passed the House because Rep. Anderson had convinced legislators to ignore public reaction.
Over the years, this hidden agenda has gained more and more ground.
We have lost our rights as parents, employers, citizens
Over the years, we have lost:
1. The right to control the moral character of the people who teach our children.
2. The right to decide what our schools teach about sex.
3. The right of an employer to determine whether an applicant’s moral character will affect his job performance.
These basic parental and employer rights are gone forever.
In fact, this agenda has invaded the foster care system, our schools, state government, sex education, and now two homosexuals who sign a paper will have all the rights of a married couple.
If you remember, in 1998 House Bill 1130, the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), was passed by the Legislature into law.
In 2004 homosexual activists sued the state to overturn it. I was a defendant in that lawsuit and, with others, defended our state’s right to define marriage as between one man and one woman.
After two years of court battles, the Washington State Supreme Court upheld our right to ban homosexual marriage.
If SB 5688 is passed this session, “domestic partnership” becomes equal to marriage in every practical way. And it WILL overturn the Defense of Marriage Act.
What can we do now?
If we are to protect Families we MUST fight this ongoing homosexual agenda.
If Washington allows homosexuals to marry, their agenda will invade every part of life in our state. You will not be able to protect your children or society at large from the changes that will stem from that one law.
While there is still time, I urge you to call every member of the Washington State House of Representatives and tell them to vote NO! on 5688.
And keep calling…do not let up!
At last week’s Stand Up for Marriage Rally several speakers told the estimated 2,400 attendees they would be introducing a public initiative to affirm marriage is only between one man and one woman.
It’s up to you.
I will continue the fight – no matter what! We can do it!
Sincerely,
Val Stevens
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Gary Randall
President
Faith & Freedom
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