So... remember last year when the gay rights bill failed to pass the WA State Senate by, like, a single vote? The bill that adds "sexual orientation" to the law that prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex, race, etc?

Well, this year, maybe it will have a chance. Senator Bill Finkbeiner, former Republican Senate minority leader, announced this week that he has changed his position and will vote to support the bill. Why, you may ask? According to this Seattle Times article, "he has had several conversations that led to greater understanding of the discrimination gays and lesbians experience."

So, I have to wonder... does that mean that until now, he just thought that the bill wasn't necessary? He didn't really believe that gays and lesbians were actually discriminated against? I don't mean to get on his case or anything, and in reality, he was probably just voting party line, and I'm ecstatic that he has changed his mind. But it does cause me to wonder.

It reminds me of another bill... or, rather, an amendment, the infamous Equal Rights Amendment. The amendment itself is very simple: "Equality of Rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or any state on account of sex." Wow, pretty simple, it seems to me. But yet, although it was written in 1921 and has been brought before the congress every session since 1923, it is still not a part of our constitution. (It passed once, in 1972, but not enough states ratified it.)

All this makes me wonder. Unless you are a bonafide bigot and feel that people who are not white heterosexual males should be discriminated against, why do people vote against these kinds of things? I mean, I know that there are lots of bigots out there. But fully half of the Washington State senate? The other plausible explanations are that people vote against these sorts of things because either, 1, the bigots' scare tactics have worked on them (i.e. women, gay people, or whoever are "special interest groups" who want "special rights") or 2, they don't think it's important because they don't believe discrimination really occurs or that it's common enough to warrant legislation.

While it is hard for me to imagine anyone believing number 2, the silver lining is that all it might take to change that person's opinion is for them to talk to enough people who have experienced said discrimination. That appears to have been what happened with Senator Finkbeiner. The lesson here? One person can make a difference! Ok, I know it's cheesy, but sometimes it's nice to have a reminder that something you do can actually have an impact on the greater community. Share your stories, folks!

As for the gay rights bill, there's always a chance that someone else will change their mind... so we'll have to wait and see. But if everyone else maintains their previous positions, Finkbeiner's will be the decisive "yes" vote.

Now if we could only get that darned ERA passed...