Opponents of same-sex marriage in the state of Washington successfully filed more than 200,000 signatures Wednesday to place the legislation on hold by instating a referendum on November’s ballot.
Preserve Marriage Washington submitted its required signatures just one day before the monumental law was due to begin in the state.
“The current definition of marriage works and has worked,” said Joseph Backholm, the chair of Preserve Marriage Washington, as he stood next to stacked boxes of petitions.
Legislation allowing same-sex marriage in the state of Washington was passed and signed by Gov. Chris Gregoire earlier.
LGBT activists and allies have already taken action to protect the law. Zach Silk, campaign manager for Washington United for Marriage, “expects both sides to raise millions of dollars” according to reports at The Huffington Post.
“It’s fair to say it’s going to be an extremely expensive race,” Silk said.
Sen. Ed Murray expressed disappointment following the announcement that a referendum would likely be included on November’s ballot, but reiterated that opponents of gay marriage would ultimately fail in their appeal.
“Joined by so many others, gay and straight, I have fought for years to ensure that the promise of equal treatment under the law extends to all Washington State families, including gay and lesbian families. For me, this is more than an issue of policy. It is personal. For the last 20 years, I have been in a committed relationship with my partner, Michael Shiosaki. When our state’s historic marriage equality law goes into effect, Michael and I will finally be able marry, just like any other couple.
“That all loving couples, whether gay or straight, will now have the opportunity to marry is a good thing, both for the institution of marriage and for our society more generally. Make no mistake: it is truly a setback for families, for all families, that a minority among us is trying to divide our state by restricting the ability of gay and lesbian couples in loving relationships to marry and start a family.
“But I do not believe their effort will succeed,” he concluded.
