in Washington state’s senate … just announced on KUOW (Seattle NPR). Here’s what the Seattle Times is reporting:

A gay civil rights measure passed the state Senate today, a major victory for gay rights activists who have watched the measure fail in the Legislature for nearly 30 years. The bill passed on a 25-23 vote, with a lone Republican joining majority Democrats.


The measure adds “sexual orientation” to a state law that bans discrimination in housing, employment and insurance. Sixteen states have passed similar laws for gays and lesbians; six … have passed laws for transgendered people.


Sen. Bill Finkbeiner, R-Kirkland, [More about him below the fold … maybe someday i’ll be able to vote for a Republican again!] was the lone Republican [to vote yes] … a year after it lost by just one vote … Two Senate Democrats voted against the measure [Susan’s note: Including one of my senators, Jim Hargrove-D*].


[The bill] now goes back to the House, which has said it would agree with the [amendments]. It could be on Gov. Chris Gregoire’s desk by the end of the day, and the Democratic governor is expected to sign it into law.


The measure passed the House last week on a 60-37 vote, with six Republicans joining 54 Democrats …


A “flamboyant pastor of the Eastside’s enormous Antioch Bible Church,” writes Geov Parrish for the Seattle Weekly, had vowed a nationwide boycott against the major corporations that had endorsed the bill, including Microsoft and Boeing. Parrish’s fascinating column is titled, “The Futility of Boycotts: Planning to boycott Microsoft? Get in line,” and cites numerous examples of failed boycotts and failed minority shareholder movements.
Who is Sen. Bill Finkbeiner, R-Kirkland?

Senate Minority Leader Bill Finkbeiner, R-Kirkland, is a member of the new generation of the GOP leadership in Washington state that includes state Attorney General Rob McKenna, state Senate Floor Leader LukeEsser, and failed gubernatorial candidate Dino Rossi. Finkbeiner, like the others, hails from the eastside of King County, the 45th District (Kirkland, Redmond, Woodinville, Duvall), and has terrific personal skills that can distract swing voters from his conservative politics. Finkbeiner was originally elected as a Democrat to the state House and actually voted for the gay civil rights bill in the past. “There is nothing wrong with being gay. I don’t think gay people should be discriminated against, but I don’t think this bill is the right way to go about that,” he says. Democratic senators, including Lake Forest Park’s Darlene Fairley, say that Finkbeiner would lose his leadership post if he supported the bill because the majority of his fellow Republicans are more conservative on social issues than he is. Finkbeiner says, “I’ve taken a lot of tough votes on social issues.” For example, he points out that he was the lone Republican senator to support stem-cell research in this year’s vote on the matter. Even Democrats acknowledge that Finkbeiner hasn’t created that much vulnerability for himself and that opposing the gay-rights bill alone probably isn’t enough by itself to cost him a senate seat.

From “The Longest Yard, Seattle Weekly, June 22, 2005


I’m glad he changed his mind in the intervening time. But, I can’t vote for a Republican at this time. We must regain power through seats at every level of government. But, in times past, we had incredibly good public servants who were Republicans, and I’d like the option of voting for an exceptional Republican candidate at some time in the future.


*My note: Strangely, I don’t condemn Jim Hargrove. He’s a devout Catholic but he’s been an influential Democrat in the Senate for a long time, and we’re so lucky to have TWO Democratic senators in this district, given its pro-logging, anti-Native American, trending-conservative, strongly libertarian-leaning views.