May 20, 2009 at 4:00 PM
Steve Ringman / The Seattle Times
Seattle firefighter and paramedic Penny Stone holds up her son, Calder, 4 months, as she cheers with her partner, Karen Kerr, a lieutenant in the San Francisco Fire Department. Gov. Chris Gregoire was being introduced Monday before she signed legislation granting domestic partners additional rights.
A marriage license doesn’t redefine the institution
Editor, The Times:
When Gary Randall of the Faith and Freedom Network states that there is no reason to redefine marriage [“Rights bill signed for same-sex couples,” NWTuesday, May 19], he shows his own misunderstanding of how marriage works. The state gives recognition to a relationship by issuing a marriage license, but it doesn’t define individual marriages. Marriages are defined by the two people who are in them.
If the state of Washington issues a marriage license to my same-sex partner and me, it would have no effect whatsoever on Randall’s or anyone else’s marriage or how they define it. So what is he so upset about?
— Bill Dubay, Seattle
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