Swing vote now says he'll vote yes on state's gay civil rights bill

OLYMPIA — Republican Sen. Bill Finkbeiner today said he'd support gay rights legislation, potentially giving Democrats the votes they need to get past a decades-long blockade of the legislation by Senate Republicans.

The commitment represents an enormous boon for Democrats who've been trying to pass legislation banning discrimination based on sexual orientation for more than 20 years.

The bill has repeatedly passed the House only to be blocked by Republicans in the Senate. It died by one vote on the Senate floor last year. The measure is expected to pass the House again this year, said Rep. Ed Murray, D-Seattle, longtime sponsor of the bill.

That would throw the focus once again on the Senate. Democrats hold a slimmer majority in that chamber, and they have some conservative members who've sided with Republicans on the issue.

Finkbeiner, R-Kirkland, ended weeks of speculation with his statement of support today.

"I've had a number of conversations over the past year that have led me to more fully understand the level of discrimination against gays and lesbians, and I now find it is both appropriate and necessary for the state to make it clear that this is not acceptable," Finkbeiner said in a phone interview, reading from a prepared statement.

He also said the issue "has become a political football used by both parties. This bill failed year after year, even in years when Democrats have held strong majorities, because it motivates some party activists on both sides. And the issue has become one of many 'wedge' issue used to split our communities and divide us. I don't agree with the politicization of people's personal lives and I think it is time to move on."

State law now bans discrimination by race, sex, religion, national origin, marital status and other categories. The bill would add sexual orientation to that list.

Senate Majority Leader Lisa Brown said she expects the bill to pass this session. "I've felt all along that this year would be a good year to pass the bill. I think this gives us a good sense that is going to happen," said Brown, D-Spokane.

Some Democrats however said passing the bill this session isn't a slam dunk and getting it to the Senate floor for a vote could still be difficult.

Proponents of the gay rights measure have long seen Finkbeiner as the key to passing the bill. Finkbeiner voted twice for gay-rights legislation when he served in the House as a Democrat.

Finkbeiner is also considered a moderate in his party. And his 45th District, which includes rural parts of King County as well as more-urban areas like Redmond and Kirkland, is not a Republican stronghold.

Although 53 percent of his district's voters went for GOP gubernatorial candidate Dino Rossi in the 2004 election, an equal proportion voted for Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry. And last year, more than 60 percent of voters in the district opposed Initiative 912, which would have repealed a 9.5-cent gas-tax increase. The initiative was endorsed by the state Republican Party. Finkbeiner had voted for the gas tax in the Legislature.

Supporters had speculated Finkbeiner voted against the bill last year because he was the Senate Republican leader and had to accomodate more-conservative members of his caucus. And because Finkbeiner stepped down as leader in November, he's now free to vote his beliefs.