Initiative filed to clarify definition of marriage in Washington

John Baux, of Bremerton, Wash., places a sign against gay marriage in the Capitol rotunda Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2012, in Olympia. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)

As Gov. Chris Gregoire is expected to approve a bill passed by Olympia lawmakers that would legalize gay marriage in Washington, opponents have promised to fight back.

Stephen Pidgeon, an attorney and candidate for state Attorney General, appeared on 97.3 KIRO FM’s Ross and Burbank Show to discuss an initiative he is pushing to clarify the definition of marriage in the state of Washington.

“The initiative, I-1192, is designed to ask the voters to define and clarify the existing statute to read that marriage is between one man and one woman,” said Pidgeon. “Our initiative has to do with a kind of general push to make sure we get good clarity in the Defense of Marriage Act as to exactly what it means and exactly what it doesn’t mean.”

Listen to Attorney Stephen Pidgeon on Initiative 1192

Pidgeon said the clarification they’re seeking is a change from marriage being defined as a contract between “a male and a female” to one between “one man and one woman.”

“This measure would define marriage as a civil contract between one man and one woman and prohibit marriage when the parties are persons other than one man and one woman,” reads the description on the list of proposed initiatives at the Secretary of State’s website.

“It’s the question of how ‘a’ can be interpreted,” said Pidgeon.

Pidgeon told Ross and Burbank the initiative is “not about being against gay marriage.”

“This initiative is about being for marriage in its initial definition being between one man and one woman.”

To which host Luke Burbank asked, “Do you support gay marriage then, Stephen?”

“No I don’t support gay marriage,” said Pidgeon.

“I just find it interesting,” said Burbank. “A lot of times I hear from people […] who, at a sort of fundamental level, don’t agree with the idea of gay marriage, which is completely someone’s right, but oftentimes when it gets into a conversation about it, and the legality of it, you guys try to move the conversation away from the rightness or wrongness of gay marriage to the procedural things.”

Pidgeon told Burbank his personal opinion is not really relevant to what’s going on with the initiative.

By JAMIE GRISWOLD, MyNorthwest.com Editor
The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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