Washington Families Standing Together
Encyclopedia
Washington Families Standing Together (WAFST) was founded in 2009 to preserve domestic partnerships in Washington State
by urging voters to approve Referendum 71
.
When Protect Marriage Washington, a group that opposes extending any benefits to same-sex couples, filed a petition to prevent Senate Bill 5688 (as passed by the Washington State Legislature
and signed by Governor Christine Gregoire
) from going into effect, WAFST sued Secretary of State Sam Reed
in an attempt to keep the issue off the ballot. They argued that the Secretary's office had accepted signatures provided by people who were not registered to vote or gathered by people who did not sign their signature sheets, and that the petitions were thus invalid. However, the court declined to block the referendum, which appeared on the 2009 ballot. During the campaign, WAFST also pointed out the benefits of the domestic partnership law to elderly couples - it would have extended benefits to "unmarried heterosexual couples where one partner is at least 62." The referendum was approved, and domestic partnerships went into effect.
Domestic partnership in Washington
State Registered Domestic Partnerships in Washington were created in the aftermath of the Andersen v. King County decision. Subsequent legislation has made a SRDP the equivalent of marriage under state law.-Beginnings:...
by urging voters to approve Referendum 71
Washington Referendum 71 (2009)
Referendum 71 was a vote held in 2009 in which the people of Washington state confirmed Senate Bill 5688, a law extending the rights and obligations of domestic partnership in Washington...
.
When Protect Marriage Washington, a group that opposes extending any benefits to same-sex couples, filed a petition to prevent Senate Bill 5688 (as passed by the Washington State Legislature
Washington State Legislature
The Washington State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Washington. It is a bipartisan, bicameral body, composed of the lower Washington House of Representatives, composed of 98 Representatives, and the upper Washington State Senate, with 49 Senators.The State Legislature...
and signed by Governor Christine Gregoire
Christine Gregoire
Christine O'Grady "Chris" Gregoire is the 22nd and current Governor of the state of Washington, and a member of the Democratic Party. Gregoire defeated Republican candidate Dino Rossi in 2004, and again in 2008. She is the second female governor of Washington...
) from going into effect, WAFST sued Secretary of State Sam Reed
Sam Reed
Sam Reed is the Secretary of State of Washington and a Republican. Reed is Washington's fourteenth Secretary of State.Reed received his bachelor's and master's degrees in political science from Washington State University...
in an attempt to keep the issue off the ballot. They argued that the Secretary's office had accepted signatures provided by people who were not registered to vote or gathered by people who did not sign their signature sheets, and that the petitions were thus invalid. However, the court declined to block the referendum, which appeared on the 2009 ballot. During the campaign, WAFST also pointed out the benefits of the domestic partnership law to elderly couples - it would have extended benefits to "unmarried heterosexual couples where one partner is at least 62." The referendum was approved, and domestic partnerships went into effect.