Bishop of Yakima Diocese shares thoughts on same-sex marriage

YAKIMA, Wash. -- After what's likely to be one of the most impassioned debates of the legislative session, the state Senate is expected to vote late today on legalizing same-sex marriages.

Arguments are no less fervent in the Yakima Valley.

Proponents argue that equality, freedom of choice and an affirmation of love are at the heart of the controversy.

"It's an equal rights issue," Ken Lewis, director of First Fridays, a support and service group for gays in the Yakima area. "Why should people be barred from marriage if they're in love?"

Bishop Joseph Tyson of the Catholic Diocese of Yakima rebuts same-sex couples' definitions of marriage with one of his own: One man and one woman.

"The common good is best served when moms and dads bring children into the world," Tyson said. "Simply saying it's all the same, I don't think that's truthful."

Tyson said all people have a role in society regardless of sexual orientation. Tyson argues that his position isn't against what people do in their personal lives, but understanding why the current marriage law was written the way it is.

"I'm not telling gay people they have to be straight if they want to have a family or love someone," Tyson said. "We're asking everyone to support our stability as a culture."

Tyson echoes the sentiments of the other Catholic bishops in the state, who put out a joint statement opposing the proposals for same-sex marriage under consideration in both houses of the Legislature. They argue the current definition of marriage correctly recognizes opposite-sex couples for bringing children into the world.

"A change in legislation would mean that the state would no longer recognize the unique sacrifices and contributions made by these couples," the bishops wrote, "thereby adding to the forces already undermining family life today."

Lewis said Tyson's assertion that straight couples make sacrifices unique from same-sex couples is unfounded. He said he knows same-sex couples who adopted and people who were adopted by same-sex couples who became as productive a member of society as any other child. Lewis also said it is not uncommon for lesbian couples to choose to have children by artificial insemination.

"In the gay community there's less abuse and less divorce than there is in the straight community," Lewis said. "We're these hated people in the world. So you find a partner and you fight to stay together."

Each side of the state's gay marriage debate splits hairs on religious, philosophical and scientific grounds. For any scripture that's interpreted to support marriage equality, opponents have scripture they say counters it. For every study that says heterosexual coupling is part of the natural order, there's other research that says sexuality isn't a choice but part of one's being.

The highly subjective nature of the debate surrounding gay marriage and homosexuality in general makes it that much harder to reconcile conflicting views, said Kim Pearson, a law professor at Gonzaga University who specializes in civil rights and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender issues.

"The way this movement has developed is very similar to other kinds of civil rights movements," Pearson said. "But if you don't believe homosexuality and gender identity are innate traits, it's not as clear cut.

"It comes down to your perception of sexuality."

Pearson said the debate also makes people question what they value most, from issues of religion to free exercise and equal protection under the law.

"For some people they think it's easy" to choose a side on the issue, Pearson said. "It's precisely that unnuanced thinking that's part of the problem because there's no possibility for a middle path."

Tyson's words carry weight throughout Central Washington. The Yakima Diocese numbers 80,000 people and 41 parishes in seven counties.

Last Sunday each diocese included letters in their church bulletins encouraging members to contact legislators to express their opposition to the bills.

The legislation includes language that allows churches to refuse to be involved in same-sex weddings without risking legal action for discrimination, but Tyson says the law would still hurt the traditional family structure.

"I'm hoping people begin to reflect on the unique meaning of marriage," Tyson said.

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As the likelihood same-sex marriage will be legalized statewide increases, Lewis of First Fridays reflects on how society became receptive to same-sex marriage much in a way that led to victories for other civil rights movements.

Lewis, an openly gay Yakima resident, recalls when states banned interracial marriages or when marriage laws treated women more like property than spouses. While equality of the sexes and ethnic groups has increased measurably over time, he says the issue of equality without regard to sexual orientation remained almost static until now.

Washington would join New York, Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont and the District of Columbia in legalizing gay marriage. The state has had a domestic partnership law since 2007, and an "everything but marriage" law since 2009.

"I would say in the last 10 years there has been a complete turnabout," Lewis said. "It's a proven factor on a poll basis that a majority of Washingtonians support marriage equality."

The measure is expected to pass in the Senate with at least 25 votes, the number needed for approval.

If passed by the Senate, the measure moves to the House, which has enough votes to pass the bill by a more comfortable margin. Also, Democratic Gov. Chris Gregoire supports the measure and said she will sign it into law.

Opponents, however, have vowed to launch a voter referendum to overturn the legislation. An October survey of voters by the Washington Poll suggests the law would be upheld with 55 percent of the vote if challenged in a referendum.

That same poll found that Washingtonians east of the Cascades would vote against a same-sex marriage law 52 percent to 43 percent, with 45 percent of voters in the region being strongly opposed to the law.

Lisa Stone, executive director of Legal Voice, a Seattle-based women's advocacy group, said opponents of the legislation ignore homosexuality and instead base their position on gender stereotypes.

"What they mean is they want a mommy carrying out traditional female roles and a daddy who runs the household," Stone said.

Stone said gay families with children already exist, as Washington is one of a growing minority of states that allows same-sex couples to adopt. If anyone can say same-sex couples have hurt society by doing that, she said she would like to hear their argument.

"I believe they (the state Catholic Conference) are concerned about the fabric of society," Stone said. "But I would like to understand why they think it is better for a child to have parents who do not have the same economic and legal protections as the child down the street."

Tyson said he thinks supporters of same-sex marriage are taking a simplistic view by defining human identity as gay and straight.

"We've got a better proposal: Having a vested interest in helping men and women bond," Tyson said. "That's different from any kind of rights question."

* Mike Faulk can be reached at 509-577-7675 or mfaulk@yakimaherald.com. Follow him on Twitter at @Mike_Faulk.