Kit Ketcham, one of the UU ministers working for marriage equality in Washington.

Unitarian Universalists were much in evidence at the rally in Olympia.

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On December 28, 2005, a group of Unitarian Universalist clergy attended a rally near Seattle gathering clergy and lay members from many faith traditions who support civil rights legislation just passed by the Washington State Legislature. Peg Boyle Morgan, minister of the West Seattle Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, said the group gathered in the town of Kirkland because of clergy bias that had been evident in that town. Morgan said the minister, Ken Hutcherson, "is always quoted in the local press because of his outspoken statements against bisexual, gay, lesbian and transgender folks and their rights." The clergy members – rabbis, ministers – plus lay people and members of PFLAG gathered and held a press conference.

A second gathering of UUs and other clergy on Monday, January 23 at the state capitol in Olympia, in support of LGBT equality. The event was co-sponsored by Equal Rights Washington and the Religious Coalition for Equality. After the rally, many participants went on lobby visits in support of the anti-discrimination legislation (the Anderson-Murray Anti-Discrimination bill) that had come before the state legislature. Later that week, the bill passed, making Washington one of seventeen states with anti-discrimination laws covering sexual orientation (and only the seventh state to also have laws covering gender identity and expression).

About 1700 people attended the rally. The UU contingent was joined by others from the progressive faith community. The Rev. Jon Luopa, senior minister at University Unitarian Church in Seattle, said that "both last and this year we had busses of folks go down to Olympia for the rally. It's important to have a face to face meeting with legislators and to thank them afterward for their support… It was and is an important effort." Peg Boyle Morgan said the rally "was very moving as hundreds of UUs from all over the state stood and prayed and sang with people of all faiths and no faiths, with teens, with choruses, with legislators and with the Governor who stood in solidarity with us."

Much of the effort toward achieving civil rights for all, and for winning the right to marriage equality in Washington, is being coordinated through the Religious Coalition for Equality, a group representing Christians, Jews, Unitarian Universalists, Muslims, Buddhists, as well as clergy of other faiths. Kit Ketcham, who serves as Consulting Minister for the Vashon/Whidbey UU Fellowships, is a member of the steering committee of RCE, attended the rally and lobby day and has been instrumental in advancing UU marriage equality work in Washington State. Ketcham says that over the time since the RCE began, marriage equality has gotten more and more attention. "We're really making a difference, really changing things, and it's a fabulous feeling…to feel influential in that way." Morgan is also a member of RCE, and says it "…has been a wonderful group to be a part of. We have marched and prayed and rallied with people of all faiths, demonstrating that socially conservative religions do not have the only religious response to civil rights for bglt people." Virtually all Unitarian Universalist congregations in Washington State are members of RCE.

After the passage of the anti–discrimination legislation, Ketcham said that in Washington there was "a whole lot of jubilation, but there is a current of opposition. We're happy and thrilled and positive that [the legislation is] going to stick, but there are forces that can't get past discrimination," she said. Jon Luopa commented, "…many of us are just thrilled that HB 2661 was signed into law this week by Governor Gregoire. This is the culmination of a thirty–year struggle to have such legislation passed. While we celebrate, forces are at work in the state to bring the issue before the citizenry in a voter referendum to overturn this legislation. Imagine! So the war is not over even as we celebrate a great victory." Peg Morgan, in a published Letter to the Editor in the Seattle Times, noted that "When prejudice loses power, bigoted people try dramatic measures to regain control of the consciousness of our society… Once human consciousness begins to critique a prejudice, it is only a matter of time before the prejudice loses predominance."

The interfaith coalitions formed in Washington have had lasting value for all who have been involved in justice work in support of marriage equality. "This has proved to be one of the most important things in my life," said Kit Ketcham. "With marriage equality, we've been welcoming bglt folks for a long time and we have a pretty large contingent of bglt folks in our congregations," she said. "These folks need us to allies – we really have a lot to say on this issue."

—written from reports by Elizabeth Bukey

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