REFERENDUM 71 APPROVED: Washingtonians vote to keep equality a state value

by Shaun Knittel - SGN Staff Writer This week, Washington voters approved Referendum 71, upholding a state law that provides important legal protections and grants the same rights and responsibilities of marriage to same-sex and senior registered domestic partners as married couples.  On election night, Referendum 71 was touted as too close to call. As SGN goes to press, the Associated Press has declared victory for the Approve Referendum 71 Campaign, making Washington State the first state in the nation to support domestic partnership by popular vote.  Approve Referendum 71 Campaign Manager Josh Friedes, and Campaign Chair Anne Levinson both said that because Referendum 71 made the ballot, Washingtonians now have a greater understanding of the challenges faced by Gay and Lesbian families and the legal protections they lack.  "Were it not for the referendum, the law would have just quietly gone into effect in July," Levinson told a crowd of supporters gathered at the Approve Referendum 71 Campaign party on Capitol Hill on November 3. "By forcing the referendum, Protect Marriage Washington, the Family Policy Institute, and the National Organization for Marriage have likely done quite a lot to advance the cause of full equality for Lesbian and Gay families in Washington State."