Eyman's clever word games

Initiative promoter Tim Eyman is betting voters are either clueless or lazy, or both.

Eyman has filed two measures, a citizen's initiative and a referendum, aimed at undoing the common-sense gay-rights bill signed into law in Olympia earlier this week.

Let us be clear, since he is peddling uncertainty and fog: The bill that passed the House and Senate harms no one, excludes no one and merely says a person cannot be discriminated against on the basis of sexual orientation in matters of housing, employment and finance.

It is very basic legislation that has nothing to do with hiring quotas, affirmative action, preferential treatment or gay marriage.

Yet Eyman, the magician, packed his two proposals with misleading, high-octane rhetoric about quotas and preferential treatment. It's the ultimate straw-man approach — sign here and these things won't occur, even though the legislation doesn't do any of these things. In fact, the bill specifically says it does not require employment goals or quotas based on sexual orientation.

Eyman obviously doesn't expect people to read that far.

"This measure would prohibit state government from requiring any school, church, employer or other public or private entity to impose quotas, set-asides or other preferential treatment to any individual or group based on sexual orientation or sexual preference," the initiative states. The referendum includes similar verbiage.

The initiative goes on to say, "The people do not support preferential treatment because the people do not want it to be used as a basis for requiring the legalization of same-sex marriage."

Clever, hyperbolic, very Karl Rovian.

Eyman couldn't come out favoring discrimination in basic everyday areas of life such as employment, real estate and checking into hotels, because that would not sell. A lot of voters who do not favor gay marriage, quotas or special treatment would be fine with equal treatment, which is exactly what House Bill 2661 provides.

The word game is intentional and the public will hear the words "special" or "preferential treatment" about a million times if the initiative or referendum makes the ballot.

Political observers should note Eyman is venturing out from the umbrella of Tim Eyman, anti-tax crusader, to Tim Eyman, über determiner of all laws he doesn't like.

HB 2661 adds the words sexual orientation to existing law that says one cannot discriminate on the basis of race, creed, sex, age, marital status and other factors.

There are no quotas or preferential treatment, only equal treatment under the law. White males can sue an airline for hiring only women as flight attendants.

Another way to think about this initiative is that its drafters are trying to set an outer limit on gay-rights legislation. If the referendum recalling House Bill 2661 doesn't make it, it is conceivable the legislation opposing discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation would stand as law and Eyman's initiative would stand next to it in law books. That would leave it to a judge to interpret the distance between the two.

Everyone who gets caught in these unpleasant debates with Eyman has to remember he is only as powerful as the voters who support him — and fund him.

Clearly, this anti-gay measure is designed to generate revenue for Eyman and his fellow initiative sponsors. Send money; they're expecting it. Who knows, maybe the hot-water heater went out at home or they need new carpets up in Mukilteo?

If House Bill 2661 is a civil-rights, anti-discrimination bill, this new initiative and referendum are anti-civil-rights, pro-discrimination. There is no way to pretty them up.

"I'm surprised someone would file an initiative to say let's discriminate against our fellow citizens," Gov. Chris Gregoire said in news accounts. "It strikes me as counter to the values of the state of Washington to have an initiative now that would say to the people of the state of Washington it's OK to discriminate ... against gays and lesbians."

A new campaign being organized to beat Eyman's two proposals will include clergy, business leaders and a broad range of fair-minded people who do not believe in discrimination of any kind.

The expectation is progressive, fair-minded Washington voters will see these proposals for what they are and turn down this divisive, mean-spirited campaign.

Joni Balter's column appears regularly on editorial pages of The Times. Her e-mail address is jbalter@seattletimes.com