Sodom And Seattle
Supreme Court Sodomy Ruling Reactivates Gay Activists
The
Stranger, June 26-July 1, 2003
1122 East Pike St., Suite 1225, Seattle, WA 98122
Email: postmaster@thestranger.com
http://www.thestranger.com/current/city2.html
By Amy Jenniges, amy@thestranger.com
There was an after-work party on the steps of the federal
courthouse on Thursday, June 26. Underneath the blazing sun, the Seattle
Men’s Chorus piled onto the courthouse steps, jockeying for spots in front
of the microphone. Someone cued up “You Can’t Stop the Beat” from the
musical Hairspray, and the chorus members sang along, tapping their toes and
swaying their hips. The crowd—about 200 strong—laughed, clapped, and
danced to the tune.
Just hours earlier, the United States Supreme Court had
announced a monumental decision, striking down laws banning sodomy—and
sparking celebrations across the country for gay-rights activists. The
decision was a watershed for gays, whose private sex lives were previously
criminalized in 13 states.
Decriminalizing sodomy will hopefully have a tangible
effect on gay rights outside the bedroom, too. Though the sodomy laws
themselves were rarely enforced, they created an atmosphere in which gays were
presumed criminals (at least in some states), without equal rights to child
custody or fair employment and housing.
In Washington State—where Governor Gary Locke and
several state representatives, including Seattle’s gay lawmakers Ed Murray
and Joe McDermott, joined the courthouse party—the celebration may have
seemed meaningless. After all, the state’s sodomy laws were tossed out in
1976. But the rally was more than symbolic—it ushered in what many hoped
would be a renewed fight for gay rights in Washington, invigorated by the
positive ruling.
Locke, Murray, and McDermott were mindful of that when
they spoke on the courthouse steps. Instead of merely applauding the Supreme
Court’s decision, the trio pointed out that Washington State, despite
overturning its sodomy laws 27 years ago, is behind in gay rights. “Tomorrow
we must go to work,” Murray told the crowd. “This is just the side of the
mountain, not the top.” It was a sentiment echoed by the signs handed out to
the rallygoers: “Supreme Court victory today, organize for full GLBT
equality tomorrow.”
Murray is right: There’s plenty to work on. For
starters, Washington still hasn’t passed a civil rights bill that would add
sexual orientation to the state’s anti-discrimination law and protect gays
from discrimination in areas like housing and employment. “In a perfect
world, I’d be signing this legislation tonight as part of this
celebration,” said Locke. The bill’s been floating around Olympia since
1977, and made it through the state house this year. But in the
Republican-controlled state senate, it never made it out of committee, despite
support from a majority of senators. Next year, the bill will have to start
over, and pass through the house all over again.
Secondly, Washington is one of the 37 states that
explicitly oppose same-sex marriage. In 1998, despite a Locke veto, Washington
passed a law limiting marriage to a man and woman. There hasn’t been a
movement yet to axe Washington’s anti-gay-marriage law. With Canada set to
legalize gay marriage, the law stands in the way of Washington’s same-sex
couples skipping across the border to get hitched. Their Canadian unions are
not likely to be recognized in Washington.
This year, Murray, McDermott, and the state house’s two
other openly gay legislators—Dave Upthegrove and Jim Moeller—introduced a
bill that would legalize same-sex civil unions. It’s not marriage, but it
would afford same-sex couples the same rights and responsibilities. The bill,
with 13 house co-sponsors and seven senate sponsors, didn’t go anywhere.
At the courthouse on Thursday, Murray stressed that the
laws won’t be changed simply because Washington has four gay legislators.
“We need to organize ourselves, and gear up a grassroots movement,” he
said. The Supreme Court decision, largely a self-esteem boost for Washington
gays, could provide the momentum for that organizing. “It invigorates the
community.”
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