WHEREAS the City of Seattle embraces legal equality and fair treatment for all residents, including the freedom to marry; and

WHEREAS the City of Seattle has extended legal protections to protect its citizens from discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation since 1973; and

WHEREAS in July 1994 the City of Seattle approved Ordinance 117244, which created a Domestic Partner Registration program for unmarried couples in committed ongoing relationships to document their relationships, which program has registered over 4,500 partnerships since its inception; and

WHEREAS in February 1997, the City of Seattle adopted Resolution 29535 opposing discrimination against same sex couples in Washington State and supporting legal recognition of civil marriages for same sex couples; and

WHEREAS, in April, 2009 the Washington State Legislature passed Engrossed Second Substitute Bill (ESSB) 5688, which Bill expanded the rights, responsibilities, and obligations accorded to state-registered same-sex and senior domestic partners to be equivalent to those of married spouses, while acknowledging that a domestic partnership is not a marriage; and

WHEREAS the City of Seattle passed Resolution 31154 in October 2009, urging its residents to again support and protect the expansion of the rights and responsibilities afforded those individuals registered as domestic partners, by voting in favor of Referendum 71, which sought to uphold ESSB 5688, resulting in 53% of Washington voters and 68% of King County voters affirming these rights and responsibilities; and

WHEREAS, the 2012 Regular Session of the Washington State Legislature is considering the adoption of Senate Bill 6239, introduced in January 2012, which Bill is explicitly intended to end discrimination in marriage based on gender and sexual orientation, while respecting the religious freedom of religious institutions to determine for whom to perform marriage ceremonies; and

WHEREAS the residents of the City of Seattle overwhelmingly support the adoption of Laws that seek to eliminate and correct bias and discrimination in all its forms, including those Laws that do not provide marriage equality to all those that seek it;

NOW, THEREFORE,

BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SEATTLE, THE MAYOR CONCURRING, THAT:

Section 1. The City of Seattle urges the Washington State Legislature, in its 2012 Regular Session, to show its support for marriage equality through swift passage of Senate Bill 6239, which Bill is intended to end discrimination in marriage based on gender and sexual orientation in the State of Washington, while also respecting the religious freedom of clergy and religious institutions to determine for whom to perform marriage ceremonies and to determine which marriages to recognize for religious purposes.

Section 2. The City of Seattle declares that if the Washington State Legislature is unable to adopt Senate Bill 6239 prior to the end of its 2012 Regular Session, that it will continue to adopt legislation that enhances and enlarges the rights of those individuals that rely on domestic partnership in lieu of full marriage equality.

Adopted by the City Council the ____ day of ____________________, 2012, and signed by me in open session in authentication of its adoption this________ day

of ______________________, 2012.

_________________________________

President ___________of the City Council

THE MAYOR CONCURRING:

_________________________________

Michael McGinn, Mayor

Filed by me this ____ day of ________________________, 2012.

____________________________________

Monica Martinez Simmons, City Clerk

(Seal)

Michael Jenkins Resolution supporting marriage equality January 17, 2012 Version #1