Washington State
Congratulations to Washington State! It is now the 17th state to extend nondiscrimination protections based on sexual orientation, and the 7th state to extend such protections to transgender people. During the past year, Maine and Illinois passed similar legislation. Now, 48 percent of the nation's population will live in a jurisdiction with a sexual orientation nondiscrimination law. Just 15 years ago, less than 10 percent did so.
This is the bill that failed by one vote year when Microsoft caved to pressure from a Redmond minister who threatened a boycott. They later reinstated their commitment to the bill (too late for passage last year) and have supported it this time despite right wing threats. Earlier this week, hundreds of people of faith converged on the state capitol in Olympia for daylong lobbying and prayers in support of the measure and in response to those threats. About time for the mainstream faiths to speak, the bill took 30 years to get passed, according to the GLBT Task Force. (I'm not sure but I bet there were no transgendered provisions in those early bills).
This is the bill that failed by one vote year when Microsoft caved to pressure from a Redmond minister who threatened a boycott. They later reinstated their commitment to the bill (too late for passage last year) and have supported it this time despite right wing threats. Earlier this week, hundreds of people of faith converged on the state capitol in Olympia for daylong lobbying and prayers in support of the measure and in response to those threats. About time for the mainstream faiths to speak, the bill took 30 years to get passed, according to the GLBT Task Force. (I'm not sure but I bet there were no transgendered provisions in those early bills).