The march kicked crosses Broadway at Pike in Seattle's Capital Hill neighborhood.
Nearly 400 people of faith representing more than a dozen congregations took to the streets of Seattle today. The occasion was a show of support for approving Referendum 74 that would affirm LGBT couples' right to marry in the state of Washington. This was the latest in nearly 400 faith-based events that have occurred around the state supporting the freedom to marry.
Washington United for Marriage counts 115 congregations and over 450 leaders of faith among their current coalition that have signed on to endorsing approval of the referendum. Even the staunchly opposed Roman Catholic Church has seen vocal opposition from their rank and file. Over 1,000 "committed Catholics" signed onto a full-page newspaper ad that ran in Washington papers urging voters to approve Referendum 74.
Marriage equality opponent Rev. Victor Langford told the San Francisco Chronicle yesterday:
"That was huge," Langford said. "The Catholics in the Seattle area are severely fractured. I have not seen that before."
After the fold, a diary heavy with photos and some impressions from the ground, as I've been in Seattle for a week.
Please note: It has occurred to me, the headline unintentionally may obfuscate there were definitely people of Jewish faith in attendance. Washington United's coalition includes Muslims and other faiths. I apologize.
(Continue reading below the fold.)
The march kicked off from the Central Lutheran Church in Seattle's Capital Hill neighborhood.
A beautiful day.
Marchers pass the famed Paramount theater on Pine Street as the Seattle skyline looms in the background.
That sign behind him is not his. Pretty sure this cute daddy, like more than half of Washington United's volunteers, was a straight ally. Not sure if he was a Baptist either.
The event was a "ballot drop." As Washington is a "vote-by-mail" state, groups such as this will stage public events around the dropping off the ballots. In this case, the termination point was King County Administration Building.
The event comes on the heels of an optimistic assessment coming out of the
San Francisco Chronicle yesterday. I've been on the ground here in Seattle for a week and can attest, the mood is genuinely optimistic that the marriage equality side will pull off what will be an unprecedented win here in Washington.
Be assured, no one is over confident or unaware that it will be a squeaker and determined to fight like they're 10 points down. Campaign manager Zach Silks says it's likely there will be no resolution on Tuesday night, and counting may continue for days. Polling does suggest good reason to feel confident the law will survive referendum, if the majority gets their people's ballots in the box (there is no "getting people to the polls" in the Evergreen state anymore).
I do very much relish this quote from the opposition spokesman Langford, in the Chronicle piece:
Now, Langford said. "I'm just praying for a miracle to win."
That's okay, good reverend, you keep on with the praying.
The Washington United for Marriage campaign is reaching out here on Earth, knocking thousands of doors and dialing thousands of phones.
Everyone is aware that turnout will be key, and the campaign is determined to leave no votes on the table. Washington can boast of one of the highest voter participation rates in the country, and that may bode well for overcoming any Christian fundamentalist rush.
If you have friends in Washington, you can check if they've voted by using the Washington United for Marriage Facebook connection tool, and remind them to if they haven't. Over 1,000 people have used it just today. Marriage Equality USA is also running remote phone banks, info here.