The American Civil Liberties Union announced today that it has contributed $32,000 to the Approve 71 Campaign. In addition, the ACLU of Washington office and the national ACLU LGBT Project are making significant staff contributions to the campaign. The ACLU is backing the campaign's effort to gain voter approval for Referendum 71 in order to provide necessary protections for Washington families.
"Families need legal protections for their relationships, especially in these difficult economic times. Approving R-71 will ensure that all families in Washington are treated fairly under the law," said Kathleen Taylor Executive Director of the ACLU of Washington.
Referendum 71, on the ballot this fall, asks voters to approve or reject the domestic partnership law (Senate Bill 5688) passed by the 2009 legislature. This important law ensures that all Washington families have the same protections, the same rights, and the same obligations as their neighbors.
Committed couples who want to take care of each other should be allowed to visit each other in the hospital, take family and medical leave when a loved one is seriously ill, and have insurance coverage. The ACLU urges voters to Approve R-71.
The financial support for the campaign comes from the ACLU of Washington and the national ACLU LGBT Project. The American Civil Liberties Union is a non-profit, non-partisan organization devoted to defending the principles of the Bill of Rights and extending them to individuals and groups that historically have been denied equal treatment under the law. The ACLU of Washington is the state affiliate of the ACLU and has more than 25,000 members throughout Washington State.