Washington state's gay marriage journey offers lessons for Minnesota

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SEATTLE ? Chad Biesman had a choice of two buttons at a recent wedding expo here: Bride or Groom.

Since Biesman was planning the wedding to his partner David Marquardt, he donned the button that said ?Bride.?

Even in a city known for its early and warm embrace of marriage equality, Biesman?s button caused a stir.

Some exhibitors thought it was a joke, saying, ?Seriously, where?s the bride?? Others clearly were uncomfortable.

?It is definitely a new world we are moving into,? Biesman said recently, sitting in a Seattle Starbucks. ?It is exciting, but with its own challenges, too.?

Eight months ago gay marriage became legal here, after years of bitter and divisive fighting. The moment the law took effect, the mayor of Seattle performed 136 rapid-fire ceremonies in City Hall. Similar celebrations are being planned in Minnesota, where same-sex couples will begin getting married at midnight on Aug. 1.

But Washington state is learning that just because the law now allows it, gay marriage is far from being universally accepted. Away from the rainbow flag-draped neighborhoods of Seattle, the issue is testing many long-held marriage traditions and remains far from settled. Already a florist in southeastern Washington who refused to supply flowers for a same-sex wedding is being sued by the state of Washington and by the American Civil Liberties Union. Other business owners have complained they must sell goods and services for ceremonies they oppose on religious grounds.

?The proponents would like the debate to be over,? said Joseph Backholm, executive director of the Family Policy Institute of Washington, which opposes same-sex marriage. ?But the debate is far from over. There are some realities of the universe that we cannot change, regardless of any vote or any argument.?

Seattle is the epicenter of acceptance of same-sex marriage in Washington. It is where the issue took root, where organizers drew strength to first win passage of domestic partnerships and then full marriage legalization. Some of that strength came from unexpected quarters. When gay marriage advocates asked Amazon founder Jeff Bezos for $200,000, they got a stunning reply. Bezos insisted on giving not $200,000 but $2.5 million. It remains the single largest contribution to the cause in U.S. history.

In the bubble

Source: http://www.startribune.com/politics/national/215393651.html

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