Olympia rally supports same-sex rights

Set to a backdrop of picket signs reading "you deserve hell" and "homo-sex is a sin," Washington state religious and gay-rights leaders held a rally in support of legislation extending domestic partnership rights to same-sex couples on Monday.

"Faith has often been used in these halls to justify hurt," said Sen. Ed Murray, referring to legislative discrimination against same-sex couples. "We want full marriage equality. We want our families to have the same rights as other families across the state."

Murray, one of Washington's five openly gay legislators, said passing the domestic partnership legislation was the first step in extending equal marriage rights to all couples.

"We want to make it clear to all that people of faith do support justice and equality for all," said Rabbi Harley Karz-Wagman. "There's a remarkable irony in the beliefs of [religious] people against equality."

More than 83 organizations and faith groups sponsor the legislation, including the ASUW. 

The ASUW passed a resolution last week to sponsor the event. Nine UW students traveled to Olympia to participate in the event. 

"We really wanted to enable UW to support this event," said ASUW senator Doug McManaway. "While perhaps not an overwhelming majority, I think the majority of [UW students] support this."

Hala Dillsi, ASUW Senate chair, said the ASUW has a long record of supporting lesbian, gay, transgender and bisexual [LGTB] rights. 

"Because people are aware and have a desire to accept the culture within Seattle, the UW has been able to create an accepting environment for LGTB students," she said.

Seattle has the second largest gay community in the country. Domestic partnership would give same-sex couples a limited number of the rights granted to married couples, including hospital visitation rights, the ability to consent to healthcare practice if a patient is not competent, inheritance rights when there is no will and the ability to make funeral arrangements.

 The Seattle Men's and Women's choruses ended the rally by singing a spiritual protest-song, while a protester shouted the word "blasphemy" into a bullhorn.

 The small group of protesters was quiet for most of the event, but immediately following they broke their mostly-silent protest with loud shouts of condemnation for gays and lesbians.  

   "I love people, but I don't like the sin," said picketer Mikhal Flyunt. "The message is to repent before God. We are made in God's image and we need to act ... accordingly in order to not go to hell."

But Flyunt was more soft-spoken than some of the other protesters, who were shouting slogans like "Sinners will burn in hell; homo-sex is a sin" and "don't desecrate marriage" on the capitol campus.

Identifying himself as a Christian and a supporter of domestic partnership rights, Bernie Steckler said the protesters were misguided.

"The Bible doesn't say anything about homosexuality other than a few oblique references, but that's irrelevant because you can find anything you want when reading the Bible," said Steckler.

Steckler held a sign during the protest that read "Catholics for equal rights."

"What biblical perspective on marriage do [the anti domestic-partnership protesters] want?" he said. "I would like to invite those people to explore the meaning of the word hypocrisy."

Flyunt said the protesters were only exercising their right to free speech.

Reach reporter Brian Slodysko at news@thedaily.washington.edu.