Washington state senators approved legislation allowing same-sex marriage Wednesday night, two weeks after Democratic Gov. Chris Gregoire introduced the measure in the legislature.

The bill passed 28-21, with four Republican, Sens. Joe Fain, Andy Hill, Steve Litzow and Cheryl Pflug, supporting it and refusing to toe the party line. Three Democrats, state Sens. Jim Hargrove, Tim Sheldon and Paull Shin, voted against the measure.

The measure heads to the state House where it is expected to gain final approval, at which point the governor will sign it into law. Enactment would make Washington the seventh state to legalize gay marriage.

Conservatives led by the Family Policy Institute of Washington and the National Organization for Marriage have said they plan to collect signatures to put the issue on the ballot in the general election in November. They have until June to gather the required 120,557 to hold a referendum.

Last week, the National Organization for Marriage released a survey showing 71 percent of voters in favor of putting the issue on the ballot. But state Sen. Ed Murray, main author of the bill and an openly gay lawmaker, has said the will of the majority should not be allowed to limit the rights of the minority.

Wiðercora wrote:Republicans should have got a fourteen year old girl to ask them to deny such a basic right to gay people for her birthday.

When the story was broken on the Think Progress blog, her mother Mrs Crank waded in in the comments, with such gems as:

“She and many others are affected by the one way tolerance that gays expect but won’t extend to others.”

“Marriage is was and always has been the joining of opposite sexes in a permanent union to produce, provide for, and protect the next generation. It is a beautiful thing, and the ultimate discrimination to legislate that one or the other gender could be excluded.”

“The problem with the GLBT community is that there is this viewpoint that if you love me, if you accept me, then you must celebrate my behaviour and give me everything I want. To me it is similar to alcoholism or drug addiction.”

“Nature itself forbids same sex couples to marry. The parts don’t fit and no children can be created. No laws will ever change the natural law. The rage of the GLBT community is really against God and nature.”

“Yes, so the thought police ever increasing in the public school system can brainwash everyone into a very unhealthy lifestyle.”

trubble76 wrote:

Wiðercora wrote:Republicans should have got a fourteen year old girl to ask them to deny such a basic right to gay people for her birthday.

From your link;

When the story was broken on the Think Progress blog, her mother Mrs Crank waded in in the comments, with such gems as:

“She and many others are affected by the one way tolerance that gays expect but won’t extend to others.”

“Marriage is was and always has been the joining of opposite sexes in a permanent union to produce, provide for, and protect the next generation. It is a beautiful thing, and the ultimate discrimination to legislate that one or the other gender could be excluded.”

“The problem with the GLBT community is that there is this viewpoint that if you love me, if you accept me, then you must celebrate my behaviour and give me everything I want. To me it is similar to alcoholism or drug addiction.”

“Nature itself forbids same sex couples to marry. The parts don’t fit and no children can be created. No laws will ever change the natural law. The rage of the GLBT community is really against God and nature.”

“Yes, so the thought police ever increasing in the public school system can brainwash everyone into a very unhealthy lifestyle.”