LEV STATEMENT on Referendum 71
The League of Education Voters urges Washington citizens to APPROVE Referendum 71 this November, and affirm the domestic partnership legislation that passed with bipartisan support in the State House and Senate this session and was signed into law by the Governor.
Opponents of domestic partnership legislation have collected enough signatures to require a public vote. Referendum 71 asks voters to APPROVE or REJECT recent legislation that further defines protections, responsibilities and benefits of domestic partnerships formed by same sex couples and couples in which at least one member is 62 years of age or older (SB 5688).
Referendum 71 extends the legal protections afforded to married couples to families headed by same-sex partners or seniors who form stable households and register with the state. LEV believes all families need the same basic legal protections:
- Labor and employment protections;
- Access to school and medical records;
- Family leave to care for sick family members;
- Insurance and medical rights; and
- Access to pensions and benefits in the event of disability or death of a parent or spouse.
No purpose is served by excluding domestic partners, or the children of gay and lesbian parents, from these protections, responsibilities and benefits, designed to promote family stability.
Finally, LEV has a general concern for the welfare of the estimated 3 to 5 percent of students who identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender, or struggle with their sexual identity. In spite of growing levels of acceptance, sexual minority youths are overrepresented in the numbers of young people who are reported with mental health and substance abuse issues, who are victims of bullying, and who commit suicide. Removing discrimination based on sexual orientation from the law sends a profound message of hope and acceptance to those youths.
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