Clerics step up debate on gay rights

By Janet I. Tu
Seattle Times staff reporter

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More than 200 religious leaders of varying faiths, but predominantly Christian and Jewish, have formed Religious Coalition for Equality to advocate for same-sex marriage and civil rights.

On Sunday, the group is holding its first event, a forum starting at 4 p.m. on faith and same-sex marriage, followed by an interfaith worship service at Seattle's Town Hall. The event is free and open to the public.

"The rights of gay couples — someone needs to stand up for that from a religious point of view," said Stephen Jones, coordinating pastor at Seattle First Baptist Church and coalition co-chair. Opposition to gay marriage has come in large part from conservative Christian groups, Jones said, but "we knew there were many, many clergy [locally] that were on the other side. We need to have our voice heard."

The group also plans to hold a rally in Olympia on Feb. 14 to urge the Legislature to pass a gay civil-rights bill and to overturn a state law that bans same-sex marriage and prohibits the recognition of such marriages performed elsewhere.

This development comes as another local pastor is playing a leading role in organizing a rally next week in the nation's capital.

Pastor Ken Hutcherson of Redmond's Antioch Bible Church, a key organizer of the Oct. 15 Mayday for Marriage rally planned for the National Mall in Washington, D.C., hopes to draw a million people to support keeping marriage between a man and a woman.

The rally is designed to warn politicians not to "vote wrong on traditional marriage," Hutcherson said. "If they do vote wrong, we're going to change their view from the office come Nov. 2."

The rally has already drawn a prominent list of speakers, including Anne Graham Lotz, head of AnGel Ministries and the daughter of the Rev. Billy Graham; Richard Land, head of the public-policy arm of the Southern Baptist Convention; and James Dobson, chairman of the national organization Focus on the Family.

Copyright © 2004 The Seattle Times Company

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