Bid to put gay rights issue to Washington voters loses steam

Supporters of an effort to overturn Washington State's new gay civil rights law have sent out an e-mail saying they've collected just a fraction of the signatures needed to get the measure to voters. Tim Eyman sent the e-mail to supporters and the media on Wednesday, saying that only 8,718 signatures have been gathered. He needs 112,440 valid voter signatures by June 7 to get Referendum 65 on the November ballot.

"It's gut-check time," Eyman said in a telephone interview. "Do we really want this thing on the ballot? Yes or no."

The referendum asks voters whether they want to keep the law passed this year by the legislature, which adds sexual orientation to a list of characteristics covered by a state law banning discrimination in housing, employment, insurance, and credit; classes already covered are race, creed, national origin, families with children, sex, marital status, age, or the presence of any sensory, mental, or physical disability, or the use of a service animal by a disabled person. The amendment makes Washington the 17th state with laws protecting gays and lesbians, and the seventh to protect transgender people.

In his e-mail Eyman warned supporters that unless they ramp up their efforts, the antigay measure will fail to make it to the ballot.

His detractors aren't celebrating just yet. Some wonder whether the e-mail is a ruse to get opponents to lower their guard and if the signatures have already been gathered only to be unveiled with much fanfare on the deadline date.

"I'm very suspicious that it's a political ploy," said state Democratic representative Ed Murray of Seattle, who sponsored the gay civil rights bill and is one of four openly gay lawmakers in the legislature.

Murray said that while he finds it curious that Eyman would send a mass e-mail signaling possible failure, he does hope that in fact people are refusing to sign the petitions. "I would hope his traditionally libertarian, antitax group doesn't want any part of this antigay effort or this effort to use the referendum process to bash gays," he said.

Eyman acknowledged that this is the first time he has sent an e-mail with preliminary signature counts, but he insisted it isn't a political trick. "I think we're going to be scraping by the skin of our teeth," he said. "They assume we're smarter than we are. That's not the case."

Before Gov. Chris Gregoire had even signed the gay civil rights bill in February, Eyman announced two ballot measures seeking to put the issue before voters. He said he has since dropped the initiative push, which would have required double the number of signatures.

A referendum refers a law passed by the legislature to a vote of the people. Initiatives are generally used to propose new laws but in recent years have been used to overturn the legislature's actions.

Eyman argues that the law gives gays and lesbians preferential treatment, encourages quotas, and could lead to same-sex marriage.

The Washington State supreme court heard arguments on a case challenging the state's ban on same-sex marriage last year, and a ruling is expected soon. Some of Eyman's supporters are hoping the court will rule before the referendum deadline.

"We're waiting for the big spark that will set people on fire," said Joseph Fuiten, a Bothell pastor who is chairman of Faith and Freedom Network. Fuiten said he had 2,900 signatures to turn in to Eyman and hoped others would pick up the pace.

"It's not time to post a tombstone on the thing yet," he said. "But it's a warning shot that it's not a slam dunk."

Eyman said the campaign for the referendum has raised more than $13,000, with most of the money coming from Eyman and cosponsors Mike and Jack Fagan, but needed more money.

"I continue to believe that people want to have a chance to vote on this," he said. "Just because the signature drive lacks oomph doesn't really indicate anything about the issue itself or how people would vote on it."

Officials with a campaign formed in response to Eyman's measure said they're not slowing down merely because Eyman's e-mail cited anemic numbers. "We know how committed the other side is to their mission of marginalizing some people in our state, and we will not allow them to do that," said Anne Levinson, chairwoman of Washington Won't Discriminate. (AP)