R-71 Talking Points

• Senate Bill 5688 includes the phrase, "marriage shall apply equally to state registered Domestic Partnerships" over a hundred times.

 

• Senate Bill 5688 will redefine terms such as "husband" and "wife" to be interpreted as gender neutral. The wording in the bill says, "Where necessary to implement this act, gender-specific terms such as husband and wife used in any statute, rule, or other law shall be construed to be gender neutral, and applicable to individuals in state registered domestic partnerships".

 

• If Senate Bill 5688 is allowed to stand, Washington will immediately become subject to litigation by same-sex partners demanding the courts overturn our state's Defense of Marriage Act and impose "same-sex marriage" (as happened in California prior to Proposition 8). Referendum 71 brings this society changing measure before the people of Washington State to let them make this monumental decision in November.

 

• Marriage is between husbands and wives so children can have fathers and mothers. Thousands of studies show that children raised in a family with both a mother and a father are healthier emotionally and physically than those raised in a non-traditional family.

 

• Criminalization of free speech and "anti-bullying" laws follow the legalization of same-sex "marriage". In a few short months after legalizing same-sex "marriage" in Canada, activists there successfully passed C-250, a bill criminalizing public statements against homosexuality, punishable by up to two years in prison!

 

• If same-sex marriage becomes the law in Washington, public schools K-12 will likely be forced to teach that same-sex "marriage" and homosexuality are perfectly normal.

 

• Homosexuals have the right to live as they choose. They do not have a right to redefine marriage for all of us. Marriage is not a special interest!

 

Canadian Pastor Faces Jail Time and Fines Over Criticism Of Homosexuality: http://www.narth.com/docs/faces.html

King & King: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_&_King

And Tango Makes Three: http://www.amazon.com/Tango-Makes-Three-Peter-Parnell/dp/0689878451/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1243993605&sr=1-1

Heather Has Two Mommies: http://www.amazon.com/Heather-Has-Two-Mommies-Anniversary/dp/1555835430/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1243993828&sr=1-1

Hello Sailor!: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/product-description/0582772141/ref=dp_proddesc_0?ie=UTF8&n=283155&s=books

What GLSEN (Gay Lesbian Straight Education Network) wants to teach your children: http://www.onenewsnow.com/Perspectives/Default.aspx?id=550194

What happened in Massachusett's schools (Robb & Robin Wirthlin's story): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WLHWBWSaW-4

What is happening in the Alameda School District in California: http://www.foxnews.com/video/index.html?playerId=011008&streamingFormat=FLASH&referralObject=5392879&referralPlaylistId=playlist

 

DOMESTIC PARTNERSHIPS IN WASHINGTON

 

In  2007, a new law was passed to give more rights to “Domestic Partnership”.  Testimony at that time supported this change so that unmarried partners in love would be able to attend to each other in hospital situations, receive inheritance benefits without a will, and administer to the process of death.  Almost all of these “rights” were obtainable through contracts, wills, and other legal documents.  In 2007 this was deemed a compassionate act despite the fact that several major corporations and governments already had policies in place for the domestic partnership situations.

 

Today this law is not enough.  The GLBT community wants to have equal standing to married couples.  This includes a quasi-community property state, bypassing inheritance tax laws, and forcing businesses to cover this relationship in health and pension care benefits.  As of March 16, 2009 there are 5,157 registered Domestic Partners out of an adult population of 4,644,912 persons.    We are changing society morals to cater to .00222 of our State.

 

Furthermore these laws will result in creating a new norm for our children to follow.  SB 5038 is a 397 page law requiring government agencies to rewrite their manuals, their forms, and other brochures to create a gender neutral society.  SB 5688 expanding Domestic Partnership Benefits will further cement the trend toward a genderless society that will be forced onto the children of this state through government print materials, textbooks, and witnessing more displays of affection which should belong behind closed doors.

 

SAME SEX EXAMPLES IN CURRICULUM

 

The following are three examples where the same-sex parents is taught as an acceptable form of the family unit.

 

The Early Learning Benchmarks has a page on reading same sex stories to preschool children ages 36-60 months old. 
http://www.del.wa.gov/publications/development/docs/BenchmarksColor.pdf

Page  62 of the book itself (not the pdf page number) (Goal  19)

The F.L.A.S.H. curriculum is the top recommended curriculum for public schools to use.  The 4^th-5^th-6^th Grade unit and Special Education unit both recommend showing of the video "We are Family" and “teach” that same sex parents are an acceptable form of parents.  Look for the Grade Level and Lesson number to download the examples.  Special Education is at the bottom.

http://www.kingcounty.gov/healthservices/health/personal/famplan/educators/FLASH.aspx

4^th-5^th-6^th - Lesson 2 – pages 2 and 3

Special Ed  - Lesson 5 – Page 1 and 2

 

Although the domestic partnership laws do not currently add requirements for educating children it does force a new definition of the word “family”.   The very fact that our opposition is entitled “Washington Families Standing Together” reveals that the true intention of Domestic Partnership laws is NOT about allowing choice for adult relationships.  This law WILL result in influencing children to accept a new definition of a “family unit” so that same sex-partners will be a recognized norm.  Studies show that the ideal structure for raising children is having a male father and a female mother.

 

EFFECTS ON SOCIETY AND CHILDREN

Below is an article out of Boston Massachusetts on what can happen in our state once you create laws to legitimize same sex partners in a family unit.  (Excerpt below)

 

http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2007/02/24/same_sex_teaching_upheld/

The couples sued in 2006, after Jacob Parker brought home books from the Joseph Estrabrook Elementary School about different families, including same-sex couples. One of the books in his "diversity book bag" in kindergarten was "Who's in a Family?"

Joey Wirthlin was exposed to similar material in the first grade at the same school, said the complaint. His teacher read aloud "King & King," a fairy tale about a prince who rejects his mother's entreaties to marry a princess. The prince ends up falling in love with and marrying a prince. The book concludes when the two princes kiss.

Lexington officials pointed out that a 1993 state law directed school systems to teach about different kinds of families and the harm of prejudice. The effort gained momentum after the state's highest court in 2003 legalized same-sex marriage.

Brian Camenker -- president of MassResistance, a Waltham-based parents' group that sided with the plaintiffs -- denounced yesterday's ruling as "unbelievably odious and horrific."
"It reinforces the rights of schools to normalize homosexuality without parents' knowledge and consent," he said.

ONE SUMMARY ABOUT REF 71's INFLUENCE ON CHILDREN

Although the domestic partnership laws do not currently add requirements for educating children it does force a new definition of the word “family”.   The very fact that our opposition is entitled “Washington Families Standing Together” reveals that the true intention of Domestic Partnership laws is NOT about allowing choice for adult relationships.  This law WILL result in influencing children to accept a new definition of a “family unit” so that same sex-partners will be a recognized norm.  Studies show that the ideal structure for raising children is having a male father and a female mother.

 

WHAT DOMESTIC PARTNERS IS ABOUT

 

The following section is an explanation on what Domestic Partnerships is about.  It is an article regarding the creation of the first Domestic Partneship Registry SB 5336 in 2007

http://apps.leg.wa.gov/billinfo/Summary.aspx?bill=5336&year=2007

 

SB 5336 will create a domestic partnership registry which will be administered by the Office of the Secretary of State. The Secretary of State is directed to prepare separate forms for the declaration and termination of a state registered domestic partnership. The forms must contain statements that registration and termination may affect property and inheritance rights and that these rights conferred by registration may be superseded by a will, deed, or other instrument.

Who May Register as Domestic Partners Under SB 5336?

Individuals seeking to enter into a state registered domestic partnership must: (1) share a common residence; (2) be at least 18 years of age; (3) not be married to, nor be in a state registered domestic partnership with, someone other than the person with whom they are entering into a domestic partnership; (4) be capable of consenting to the partnership; (5) not be nearer of kin than second cousins; and (6) be members of the same sex, or one of the persons must be at least 62 years of age.
The inclusion of domestic partnerships for individuals over 62 years of age was added to allow individuals the ability to have some of the most important benefits of marriage without losing their pension rights and social security benefits.

How Do Individuals Register as Domestic Partners?

Although specific procedures have not yet been determined, declarations of state registered domestic partnerships will be filed with the Office of the Secretary of State along with a filing fee that does not exceed $50. The declarations must be notarized and signed by both parties. The Office of the Secretary of State will then provide a "Certificate of State Registered Domestic Partnership" to each party. A permanent record of the registration will be created and a copy will be forwarded to the state registrar of vital statistics.
If partners have registered as domestic partners in another State, SB 5336 permits their domestic partnership to be recognized in Washington if the partners meet the eligibility criteria described above.

What Rights ARE Conferred by SB 5336?

SB 5336 confers the following rights onto state registered domestic partners:

• Health care facility visitation rights;
• The ability to grant informed consent for health care for a patient who is not competent;
• The ability to be able to speak with health care providers who will now be able to disclose information about the other partner without that partner's authorization;
• A surviving domestic partner may bring a wrongful death action based on the death of the other partner;
• Title and rights to cemetery plots and rights of internment;
• The ability to authorize autopsies and request copies of autopsy reports and records;
• The right to control the disposition of the remains of a deceased partner;
• The ability to consent to the removal of human remains from a cemetery plot;
• The ability to make anatomical gifts;
• Inheritance rights when the domestic partner dies without a will; and
• Administration of an estate if the domestic partner died without a will or if the representative named in the will declines or is unable to serve.

Additionally, a certificate of domestic partnership issued by the Office of the Secretary of State fulfills eligibility requirements for the partner of a public employee to receive benefits.