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)
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