North Olympic Peninsula gay and lesbian residents, as well as supporters and opponents of gay marriage, spoke out Wednesday following the announcement that Referendum 74, which legislated same-sex marriage in Washington state, will be put on hold until voters make a decision in November.
Jim Larson, 24, of Port Townsend wants to marry his partner of five years.
The pair had made wedding plans, which now are being put on hold until after November, when Larson said he believes same-sex marriage will become legal.
But it won’t be easy, Larson said.
“I think it’s going to be an ugly battle.”
He compared the fight for same-sex marriage to the civil rights movement of the 1950s and ’60s, when it was illegal in many states for people of different races to marry.
‘Equality issue’
“It’s an equality issue,” Larson said.
Many of his friends went to Canada to get married, but their marriages are symbolic, he said, and legally void in Washington and other states where same-sex marriage is not supported by law.
Larson said he has chosen not to do that, preferring to wait until his own home state legally supports his marriage to the man he loves.
“I don’t feel it’s right to do something that is not OK when we get back,” he said.
Larson said he believes those who oppose same sex-marriage are simply afraid to face the unknown.
He said he believes that those who want to exclude same-sex partners from marriage are afraid that same-sex marriage will somehow move in on their traditional marriages.
“We’re not asking for less traditional marriages. Why exclude us?” he asked.
In May, Sequim Bible Church held a signature drive for a petition to challenge the church’s support of Referendum 74, while church members solicited signatures on a petition seeking to place the measure on the November ballot.
Sequim protest
“Marriage is between a husband and a wife. I believe this to be established by God in the Garden of Eden,” said the Rev. Dave Wiitala, pastor of Sequim Bible Church.
The church gathered enough signatures to equal 20 percent of the population of Sequim, Wiitala said.
Wiitala said he wasn’t sure of the exact number of signatures because he was out of town during the final weeks of the drive.
Some supporters of same-sex marriage also have said they believe the issue should be put to the people.
“I think adults who want to get married should be allowed to,” said Lynn Keenan, owner of Renaissance massage and cafe, and a former social worker.
“It’s a civil rights issue,” she said.
Keenan said the issue needs to be heard in the community to educate the public about all of the arguments surrounding same-sex marriage.
“It’s so important for communities to hear the discussion,” Keenan said.
She said she hopes Washington voters will vote their conscience.
“I value the process. It’s a good process to have,” she said.
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Reporter Arwyn Rice can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5070, or at arwyn.rice@peninsuladailynews.com.
