Monday, January 23, 2012

Washington State close to getting marriage equality, religious right getting fits

By now, everyone has heard the good news:

Washington's Legislature has enough votes to legalize gay marriage with a statement from Democratic Senator Mary Margaret Haugen Monday who said she will support the measure, becoming the 25th vote needed to pass the bill out of the Senate. The House already has enough support, and Gov. Chris Gregoire has endorsed the plan.

Haugen's announcement came has hundreds of people filled the capitol to advocate for and against gay marriage. State senators began considering the bill during a morning committee hearing.

In a statement, Haugen said, "I know this announcement makes me the so-called 25th vote, the vote that ensures passage. That's neither here nor there. If I were the first or the seventh or the 28th vote, my position would not be any different. I happen to be the 25th because I insisted on taking this much time to hear from my constituents and to sort it out for myself, to reconcile my religious beliefs with my beliefs as an American, as a legislator, and as a wife and mother who cannot deny to others the joys and benefits I enjoy."

And if and when this vote goes through, we know what will happen next. The National Organization for Marriage will push a referendum. And my guess is that the man in the following video will receive a star role:



That's Pastor Ken Hutcherson. And yes his testimony stank. And it was muted too. Based on past experiences, I was expecting more. Earlier this week, he compared the governor of Washington state to John Wilkes Booth, the murderer of President Abraham Lincoln, simply because she publicly supports marriage equality.


For many of us, Hutcherson will live in infamy due to a following comment during a sermon in 2008 castigating men he termed as "weak" or "effeminate:"

"God hates soft men" and "God hates effeminate men . . . If I was in a drugstore and some guy opened the door for me, I'd rip his arm off and beat him with the wet end." 

He later claimed that this is a joke, proving that his sense of humor is as lacking as his testimony in the video above.

Let's keep our fingers crossed that the process in Washington state ends in our favor. And also that not one of us holds the door open for Hutcherson.

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2 comments:

  1. Anonymous3:54 PM

    Why do Black Evangelical Preachers hate gays? Is it just good for business or do they really fear them deep down?

    ReplyDelete
  2. Not all Black Evangelical Preachers feel that way. Just the ones who do make the most noise while those who don't are busy taking care of their own churches/business.

    ReplyDelete