Greenwood/Phinney Faith March in Seattle

Earlier today, over 250 faith leaders and church goers marched more than a mile through the Greenwood and Phinney Ridge neighborhoods of Seattle in support of Referendum 74. The all-ages crowd waved signs and carried banners as passing motorists waved and honked in support of the marriage for all.

Posted by sylvia | September 30, 2012

Lutheran Pastors support Referendum 74

As we wrap up week of highlighting faith leaders in Washington who support the freedom to marry, we’re honored to share personal statements from two Lutheran pastors who are voting to approve Referendum 74 because of – not in spite of – their faith. We thank these courageous leaders for giving voice to the countless people of faith around the state who believe that all Washingtonians should be free to marry the person they love.

Erik Wilson Weiburg is the Pastor at Ballard First Lutheran Church and says that this election is cause to celebrate love:

“Fear is the great enemy of faith. It can freeze us where we stand and prevent us from doing the right thing. “Be not afraid!” Is one of the Bible’s favorite challenges. Had the Israelites given into their fears, the Egyptians might have overtaken them. Had Mary succumbed to fear, who knows how the course of history might have been altered?  This is a moment to celebrate faith in our gracious God; faith in the One who authors love and commands us to love one another.  So, be not afraid. Celebrate love. Vote for marriage equality, approve Ref. 74.”

For a Lutheran Pastor from Renton, WA, venturing into the political sphere isn’t typical.  But he and his wife knew that they needed to speak up for what is right and share with their family and friends why they’ve voting to approve Referendum 74:

“We tend to go quietly about our political business.  We vote in every election but you are not likely to find us posting campaign signs in our yard, signing petitions for causes we believe in or marching in parades as a demonstration of our support.  Going public with our support of R-74 is outside of our norm.  We are going public because we believe the time is right for the community at large to hear the voices of those in the Christian faith community who believe that the morally right and loving thing to do is to defend the right of civil marriage for loving, committed same- sex couples.”

You can read more about faith leaders who are speaking out in support of marriage equality by clicking here.

Posted by sylvia | September 29, 2012

Rev. Brandon Duran: “I wholeheartedly support marriage equality.”

Rev. Brandon Duran

This week, faith leaders from all over Washington are speaking out on the need to Approve Referendum 74 at the ballot this November so that all loving couples can share in the freedom to marry. Today, we’re featuring Rev. Brandon Duran, the Associate Pastor  at Plymouth Congregational UCC in Seattle:

“God’s love is meant to help us overcome all of the barriers we create between ourselves.  Marriage is about the character of the commitment, the offering of unconditional love and respect in every season of life.  As a pastor steeped in the Christian faith, with a love for the teachings of the Bible, I wholeheartedly support marriage equality and am proud to serve a congregation that endorses it as well.  Please vote to Approve Ref. 74.”

We thank Rev. Duran for his strong support of marriage for same-sex couples here in Washington. Be sure to click here to check out all of the action and resources available on our website for Faith Week!

Posted by sylvia | September 28, 2012

Catholics for Referendum 74: The Krueger Family

As we’ve seen during this week’s Faith Week, marriage supporters in Washington come from many faith traditions. The Krueger family is one of many Catholic families who are talking with friends and neighbors about why approving Referendum 74 and defending the freedom to marry is so important to their family. Their son Michael is gay, and Mr. and Mrs. Krueger strongly believe that all of their children should be able to marry the person they love in Washington:

“Our twins are God’s gifts to us, unique in every way. As parents we are called to nurture our children; as Catholics we are called to live the Gospel values.  Kate is married to Andrew and we want a similar love and commitment in marriage to be available to Michael who is gay.  We love our children and work for equal marriage and justice for both.”

Read more about Washington United for Marriage’s Faith Week here.

Posted by sylvia | September 27, 2012

Rev. Agtarap supports Referendum 74

As part of our Faith Week, Washington United is highlighting people of faith and faith leaders throughout the state who are speaking out in support of Referendum 74 and extending marriage to all loving and committed couples. Today’s post comes from Rev. Shalom Agtarap, the Pastor of Ellensburg United Methodist Church. Click here to read more about faith week.

 

Incompatible with Christian teaching. Threat to traditional marriage. Unworthy of equal rights and benefits.

These phrases are often used to argue against marriage equality. In my formal work and life as a follower of Jesus, however, I can’t find a place in Scripture where Jesus denigrates those who commit themselves to love of God and neighbor; the only principles that really matter. I am a minister of the gospel of Jesus Christ and I support marriage equality. Approve Referendum 74!

Rev. Shalom Agtarap,
Pastor Ellensburg United Methodist Church

Posted by sylvia | September 26, 2012

NOM vs. T-Mobile

We’ve been down this road before.  Starbucks endorses marriage equality and Referendum 74, and the National Organization for Marriage (NOM) announces a boycott.  Rough result: 45,000 for them, 650,000+ for those supporting Starbucks and its position.

Fast forward to T-Mobile which announced its support of R74 and donated $25,000 to Washington United for Marriage.  Quicker than you could hit your redial button, NOM announced a boycott of T-Mobile.

But here’s where it gets interesting.  I thought I’d poke around and, for starters, it wasn’t all that easy to even find the NOM petition.  I actually had to research the blog where I first learned about the boycott, which led me to the petition details. A few minutes later, and I was at ACTRight, a right-wing online fundraising platform run by NOM President Brian Brown.

I then entered an obviously fake name, fake contact info and reported my phone bill was roughly $960 annually.  Once I entered that information, NOM allowed me to take the next step and go to the petition site which among others, had an “Impeach and Remove Chief Justice John Roberts” (under 100 signers).

Knowing NOM keeps a running count of signers, I went back to the T-Mobile petition and saw this:

Just 11 signers. I was #12.  Even the financial tally was crazy: $960, obviously the figure I had given just moments before. Wow. What an impact.

[UPDATE] In the 4 days since this post was written, the number of petition signers has skyrocketed from 12 to 24. The economic impact hasn’t gone beyond my fictitious $960 figure.

Screenshot taken at 10:54 am PT today:

 

 

Posted by sylvia | September 24, 2012

Communities of Color Week: Marination!

Roz Edison and Kamala Saxton

Since hitting the road nearly three years ago, “Big Blue”, the food truck, has become a moving target – literally – for foodies from all over the state.

The big navy blue truck was the first location for Marination, an acclaimed Korean-Hawaiian restaurant started by owners Kamala Saxton and Roz Edison. Marination now has a fixed location in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood. Saxton and Edison plan to open a second location this fall in West Seattle, and already run a catering branch.

Being a destination for diners parallels what Saxton and Edison foresee for the state of Washington if Referendum 74 is approved this fall. Only instead of SPAM sliders and Kimchi quesadillas, the draw will be the freedom for same-sex couples to marry, and new business generated by gay and lesbian couples in love that want to honoring their commitment to one another through marriage.

“Approving Referendum 74 is good business for a number of different reasons. It’s good for tourism. It’s good for ‘wedding industry’ businesses like florists, caterers, jewelers, restaurants and hotels. And, it makes a statement about Washington and how we treat all citizens in this state,” said Saxton.

“Marriage matters to everyone, including loving gay and lesbian couples who want to spend the rest of their lives with one another,” Saxton continued. “Approving Referendum 74 makes good business sense, but it’s also common sense that everyone – including our customers, vendors and employees – should have the freedom to marry.

According to the Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce, upholding Washington State’s marriage equality law could bring some of the following benefits to businesses like Saxton and Edison’s:

–Improve recruiting efforts, as state businesses currently have to compete against companies in states like Massachusetts and New York that have extended civil marriage as an option to same-sex couples.

–Add $88 million to our state’s economy over the first three years of the change in law, according to an estimate made in a 2012 study by the Williams Institute at UCLA. Businesses represented in the Chamber’s membership that stand to directly benefit include jewelry stores, clothing retailers, hotels, photographers, caterers, and restaurants.

“There is a clear business case for supporting equal access to civil marriage,” said George Allen, senior vice president of Government Relations for the Chamber. “Marriage equality allows our companies to streamline benefit administration, improves our ability to recruit and retain the best talent, and helps our state’s bottom line.”

Saxton and Edison agree with the Chamber, but also have personal reasons for voicing their support for Approve 74. They’re not just business partners, they’re also life partners, who have experienced first-hand the challenges of not having the choice to legally committed to one another in marriage. “Because we own a business together, we always have to clarify what we mean by ‘partners’. Marriage gives you another option – ‘spouse’.”

Both also come from communities of color – Saxton as a Hawaiian Korean, and Edison a Chinese Filipino – where they have seen that strong families make strong communities. They believe marriage for all will benefit everyone.

As for the two of them if Referendum 74 is approved? Will they be getting married? “Time will tell, but having the choice to marry gives us the option to say something definitive about our love and commitment to one another. And that’s what we want for everyone.”

Meanwhile, the wait for Kalbi Tacos at any of the Marination locations will always be worth it, but the wait for marriage equality in this state may soon be over if voters approve Referendum 74 in November.

Posted by sylvia | September 20, 2012

Communities of Color Week: Eric Liu

We begin our focus on communities of color this week with an Approve Referendum 74  message from Seattle’s own Eric Liu – an author and civic entrepreneur.

“This is about love and family but it’s also about being an American. Most of the arguments that were once used against interracial marriage are now being used by opponents of same-sex marriage. Those arguments deny the full humanity and citizenship of our fellow humans and citizens. As a person of color and the parent of a mixed-race child, I believe the fight for marriage equality is my fight too. I proudly endorse Referendum 74.” – Eric Liu

Posted by sylvia | September 17, 2012

Corporate Week: Raising Millions for Marriage

At Washington United, we couldn’t be prouder of the historic levels of support we’ve received from some of the nation’s most iconic companies.

Those thousands of employees who proudly represent these giants and the hundreds of small businesses statewide who support R74 and this campaign, make their communities stronger not just through their work, but through their civic and volunteer activities as well.

That’s why we were delighted — but not surprised — to see so many of these same employees come together to do their part to help protect marriage in Washington State.

In fact, several corporate employee groups have launched internal fundraising drives, creating online team pages, through our Raising Millions for Marriage program. This is a fun and easy way to both show your corporate pride and provide vital funds for the campaign.

The Raising Millions for Marriage program, one our most popular and important efforts, is easy and fun, and it’s all online.

You create a fundraising page for yourself or your company team, and instantly, you’ve got an accessible, user-friendly vehicle to reach out to your co-workers and their social networks.  And the campaign is there to help get you launched and make sure your efforts succeed.

To learn more about Raising Millions for Marriage, or to set up a team page for your company, contact Leigh Ann at leigh@washngtonunited.org.  Become a Millions for Marriage Leader and join the team.

Thanks a Million.

Posted by sylvia | September 14, 2012

Corporate Week: Senior Leadership at Alaska Air Group

Brad Tilden and Glenn Johnson

Senior leadership at Alaska Air Group and Alaska Airlines have announced their support for Washington United for Marriage and the campaign to Approve Referendum 74, joining a growing number of corporate leaders and businesses who understand the fundamental fairness of the bipartisan marriage law.

For Alaska Air Group and Alaska Airlines president Brad Tilden (pictured left) and his wife, Danielle, it comes down to doing the right thing. “Marriage equality is the right and fair thing to do in and for our state,” said Tilden, “From a business perspective, we risk losing qualified employees and applicants to other states which have adopted marriage equality statutes. Danielle and I are proud to support this initiative and are hopeful it will take our state to a new and more equitable place.”

Joining Tilden and his wife, is Glenn Johnson (pictured right) and his partner Mike, who have been together for 15 years. Johnson, a 30-year Alaska Group veteran and president of Horizon Air, said, “[My partner] Mike and I have been in a committed relationship for 15 years; we take our responsibilities as a married couple to each other, to our community and to our workplace very seriously. Approving marriage equality is simply about creating strong families, like ours who live, work and love side by side with
every other family in America.”

Joining the two senior leaders in supporting the effort is Keith Loveless, general counsel of Alaska Airlines and Alaska Air Group. “I’m proud to live in a state where the legislature and governor have acted to legalize same-sex marriage,” said Loveless. “Passage of R 74 is important for customers and employees of Alaska Airlines. And it’s important to me.”

Posted by sylvia | September 12, 2012