Gay Marriage
Now that San Francisco and Multnomah County, Ore., offer marriage licenses to same-sex couples, there’s been a lot of finger-pointing and name-calling in Seattle. Who’s denying gays the right to marry in Rain City? Some activists and gay journalists were pointing to King County Executive Ron Sims. He has authority over marriage licenses and has spoken in favor of gay rights throughout his public career. As they watched elected officials elsewhere on the Left Coast hand out marriage licenses to gays, some were quick to call Sims a pansy-assed politician for not doing the same. More than 100 Seattleites were prepared to confront the county executive about that on Monday morning, March 8, after 41 gay couples were denied marriage licenses by the county. But something funny happened on the way to the confrontation. Sims climbed up on a planter box in front of the Bank of America Tower, where he has his office, and laid it out for them through a bullhorn: It would have been a criminal offense for him to issue licenses in light of the state law that defines marriage as a man-woman union, he told the crowd. But “I did not run,” the gubernatorial candidate said. “I did not hide.” He announced that he had volunteered to be sued in King County Superior Court by six couples denied licenses that morning. The throng bought that token of political courage and chanted, “Thank you, Ron!” So while Californians and Oregonians challenge unjust marriage laws by openly defying them, Sims and the more sober minds in the gay community here have pushed the issue into the courts, where an order permitting gay marriage would actually have the force of law. In California and Oregon, a court or attorney general can simply shoot down the unilateral actions of politicians. In Washington, if a court rules that state marriage law is unconstitutional (and it’s hard to see how it couldn’t), the floodgates to gay marriage will be swung open. PHILIP
DAWDY
Geov Parrish on same-sex marriage: p. 24
Quotes
“A marriage shall be considered valid only if the wife is a virgin. If the wife is not a virgin, she shall be executed.” —U.S. Rep. Jim McDermott, D-Seattle, citing Deuteronomy on the House floor recently to make a point about marriage. (The Hill, March 4)
— Anonymous editor (www.seattletimes.com, 7 a.m. March 3)
“This community loves public broadcasting, and they love KCTS. Certainly they don’t like to see my ugly face in there (the magazine). But I did get notes that I appear to be trustworthy and sincere. That made my wife feel better about it.” —William Mohler, president and CEO of public KCTS-TV, about appeals for money to save the station (Seattle Post-Intelligencer, March 9)
