There are only 8 days left for opponents of domestic partnership rights for same sex couples and senior citizens in Washington state to collect enough signatures for referendum 71 to qualify for the ballot. With the help of the Catholic Church and the Knights of the Columbus, Gary Randell and Larry Strickney have a fighting chance to achieve the magic number of 120,557 signatures by July 25, 2009.
A coalition of organizations organized by Washington Families Standing Together has been working to prevent referendum 71 getting on the ballot. Decline to Sign 71 Facebook pages, stickers, posters, and You Tube Videos have been disseminated throughout the Internet. Volunteers are collection pledges from citizens throughout the state at fairs, picnics, churches, and family gatherings asking people to decline to sign.
While we still have time to prevent extreme right wingers from reaching their goal, we can not assume other people are doing the work for us. Like any successful campaign, an engaged grassroots effort must take hold. What are grassroots you might wonder? Simply, it is you. You can make a difference by making a video about why equality matters to you and posting it on your favorite social network site. You can invite friends over to discuss equality in Washington and where you want the movement to go. You can volunteer with one of the organizations already working hard to secure equality, or you can just do your own thing. Whatever you do though, do not sit by assuming someone else is going to do the work for you.
I volunteer my time with Join the Imapct and Washington Families Standing Together because I share their enthusiasm for our future. Please consider doing the same. Volunteering can be simple. My friend Amy, and her wife Jessica, and I volunteered together to produce this You Tube Video over the weekend. Now thousands of people across the state and around the country are hearing our plea for equality. You can do it too!
