Gay marriage opponents receive $1 million for campaign

Opponents of gay marriage say they’ve already received $1 million to fund the campaign for a ballot challenge that would halt any summertime weddings in Washington.

They won’t say where the money came from, but Q 13 reports opponents of gay marriage received a million dollar commitment from an out-of-state organization.

The money will help the campaign gather the 120,000 signatures needed to get the issue on the November ballot. The money will also go to a major blitz of ads.

The National Organization for Marriage, based in Washington DC, says it’s committed to overturning this legislation. It has helped do the same thing in California and Maine and is currently working on campaigns in North Carolina and Minnesota.

An official referendum campaign to overturn the law hasn’t yet been formed, but opponents say that are in the process of organizing one.

“This is an issue that moves people unlike most,” said Joseph Backholm, executive director of the Family Policy Institute of Washington.

Backholm’s group was among those who unsuccessfully tried to overturn the state’s 2009 expansion of domestic partnership rights for gay and lesbian couples, known as the “everything but marriage” bill. The law was upheld by 53 percent of voters.

Backholm said this campaign will be different than that behind R-71.

“We’re going to be more organized,” he said. “We’ll have a strong state effort and a larger national presence as well.”

Opponents must turn in 120,577 signatures by June 6. If opponents fall short in the number of signatures they turn in, gay and lesbian couples would be able to be wed as soon as the signature count is done, likely sometime in June. Otherwise, they would have to wait until the results of a November election.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.