10/25/2009: "LETTERS IN SUPPORT OF REFERENDUM 71"

Approve Referendum 71 and Retain Equality and Fairness

Governor Gregoire signed on May 18, 2009 Senate Bill 5688 titled,
"Expanding the rights and responsibilities of state registered domestic
partners". The law ensures that all Washington families are provided
with the same protections, the same rights, and the same obligations as
their neighbors. The law extends equality and fairness to registered
domestic partners (same-sex couples and opposite-sex couples where at
least one partner is over age 62).

Among the provisions of the law that address equality and fairness
are: the right to use sick leave to care for a domestic partner; the
right to wages and benefits when a domestic partner is injured, and to
unpaid wages upon the death of a domestic partner; the right to
unemployment and disability insurance benefits; the right to workers'
compensation coverage; rights to insurance, including rights under
group policies, policy rights after the death of a domestic partner,
conversion rights and continuing coverage rights; rights related to
adoption, child custody and child support; and business succession
rights.

The November 3 election day ballot mailed to registered San Juan
County voters contains Referendum 71, a referendum sponsored and
endorsed by opponents of the registered domestic partnership law. All
referenda ask the same question: 'Should an existing law be approved or
rejected?' The domestic partnership law already exists. We urge you
to vote to approve Referendum 71 on your ballot and to retain this
important law. Your vote to approve Referendum 71 is your statement
that all families in Washington are to be treated equally and fairly.

Roger deRoos
Steering Committee
San Juan Island Chapter
ACLU of Washington
Friday Harbor, Washington