Citizens for Fairness Hands Off Washington
Encyclopedia
Washington Citizens for Fairness | Hands off Washington (H.O.W.) was created in 1993 to defeat Washington State ballot initiatives 608 and 610, which threatened the civil rights
of state and local public employees based on their actual or perceived sexual orientation.
attempted to influence Washington politics by gathering signatures for a ballot initiative that would have restricted the civil rights of GLBT citizens in Washington State. The Citizens for Fairness/Hands Off Washington campaign was a grassroots gay rights effort that repelled this attempt, casting the OCA as an Oregonian organization trying to manipulate Washington State politics. During its brief history, the HOW campaign repelled a number of OCA attempts. In 1997, Washington's existing discrimination laws protected against many different classes, but not sexual orientation, perceived or actual; the HOW campaign attempted to add both categories to the existing anti-discrimination laws via a ballot measure (Initiative 677), which failed to pass despite high profile support from then Governor Gary Locke
. Hands Off Washington lost momentum after this setback, and faded gradually over the following years.
, and Washington Families Standing Together
. It was formed as an ad hoc grassroots effort consisting almost entirely of volunteers operating on a minimal budget, and achieved remarkable success given its lack of formal structure or funds. While other GLBT service groups predate the Washington Citizens for Fairness/Hands Off Washington campaign, they were mostly non-political in nature, and therefore the HOW can be seen as one of the first significant, statewide efforts at political involvement by GLBT people in Washington State. A documentary, We're Here to Stay: a Documentary About Hands Off Washington and the Politics of Washington State, was released in 1998 to chronicle the organization's rapid rise and equally rapid decline.
While the group has largely been forgotten, it appears quite frequently in news articles published during the period in which it was active, from about 1993 to the end of 1997. At its height, it reached every corner of the State, in rural and suburban areas as well as urban ones. This established the potential for GLBT political organizations to garner support far from the heavily urbanized parts of Western Washington, where prior misconceptions alleged the only real support base could exist. This laid the groundwork for the organizations that followed it, and many of the leaders of those organizations got their start in the HOW campaign.
Civil rights
Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from unwarranted infringement by governments and private organizations, and ensure one's ability to participate in the civil and political life of the state without discrimination or repression.Civil rights include...
of state and local public employees based on their actual or perceived sexual orientation.
History
In 1993, The Oregon Citizens AllianceOregon Citizens Alliance
The Oregon Citizens Alliance was a conservative Christian political activist organization, founded by Lon Mabon in the U.S. state of Oregon. It was founded in 1986 as a vehicle to challenge then–U.S...
attempted to influence Washington politics by gathering signatures for a ballot initiative that would have restricted the civil rights of GLBT citizens in Washington State. The Citizens for Fairness/Hands Off Washington campaign was a grassroots gay rights effort that repelled this attempt, casting the OCA as an Oregonian organization trying to manipulate Washington State politics. During its brief history, the HOW campaign repelled a number of OCA attempts. In 1997, Washington's existing discrimination laws protected against many different classes, but not sexual orientation, perceived or actual; the HOW campaign attempted to add both categories to the existing anti-discrimination laws via a ballot measure (Initiative 677), which failed to pass despite high profile support from then Governor Gary Locke
Gary Locke
Gary Locke may refer to:*Gary Locke , Chinese American politician; U.S. Secretary of Commerce and former Governor of Washington*Gary Locke *Gary Locke...
. Hands Off Washington lost momentum after this setback, and faded gradually over the following years.
Legacy
Hands Off Washington was the forerunner of many Washingtonian GLBT civil rights organizations, including Equal Rights WashingtonEqual Rights Washington
Equal Rights Washington is Washington’s largest state-wide LGBT advocacy and community outreach organization. ERW's mission is to ensure and promote dignity, safety, and equality for all lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender Washingtonians....
, and Washington Families Standing Together
Washington Families Standing Together
Washington Families Standing Together was founded in 2009 to preserve domestic partnerships in Washington State by urging voters to approve Referendum 71....
. It was formed as an ad hoc grassroots effort consisting almost entirely of volunteers operating on a minimal budget, and achieved remarkable success given its lack of formal structure or funds. While other GLBT service groups predate the Washington Citizens for Fairness/Hands Off Washington campaign, they were mostly non-political in nature, and therefore the HOW can be seen as one of the first significant, statewide efforts at political involvement by GLBT people in Washington State. A documentary, We're Here to Stay: a Documentary About Hands Off Washington and the Politics of Washington State, was released in 1998 to chronicle the organization's rapid rise and equally rapid decline.
While the group has largely been forgotten, it appears quite frequently in news articles published during the period in which it was active, from about 1993 to the end of 1997. At its height, it reached every corner of the State, in rural and suburban areas as well as urban ones. This established the potential for GLBT political organizations to garner support far from the heavily urbanized parts of Western Washington, where prior misconceptions alleged the only real support base could exist. This laid the groundwork for the organizations that followed it, and many of the leaders of those organizations got their start in the HOW campaign.
See also
- LGBT rights in the United States
- List of LGBT rights organizations