Victory for Marriage in Idaho

The Idaho Senate’s decision to defeat the Marriage Amendment last year made little sense. The State with the most Republican legislature in the nation couldn’t get the Marriage Amendment passed while our Blue State neighbors in Oregon did. That had to give political observers a strong, “What the heck?” reaction at the Senate’s 21-14 vote against the Marriage Amendment, the year after State Affairs Committee Chair Shelia Sorenson led a Majority to bottle the bill up in the Senate.

Today in a suprising move the worm turned with 5 Senators switching their position as the Amendment cruised to a 26-9 passage. The Marriage Amendment never lost because Senators were strongly for Homosexual marriage, but rather arguments like this from Senator Gary Schroeder (R- Coeur d’Alene):

He told fellow lawmakers on the floor he is concerned what the nature of this amendment could do to the state’s continuous efforts to attract businesses with a domestic and international clientele.

“Are we going to jeopardize good jobs and a good standard of living and a good economy for our people because a couple of politicians have figured out a flash passionate issue to tap for votes in yet one other election?” he asked the senators.

So big Corporations get to define what issues we can and can’t debate? Not in Idaho, Senator. Plus, how many states are having this debate or have already had it? What are they going to do? Switch their sites to Oregon? Oops. What about Montana? Already passed.

However, the argument didn’t prevail because of a realization of many opponents of the measure:

Senator John Goedde says he changed his vote because, “It will keep coming back in one form or another until it gets to the people.”

I was not feeling well enough to go and testify before the State Senate, but this is the point I was going to make. The idea that the State couldn’t afford this debate is absurd because we’re going to have the debate. The question is whether it was going to have an end game, which is what the Senate guaranteed with its vote today.

Rep. Nicole LeFlavour (D-Boise) as Idaho’s lesbian State Representative is not happy with the decision saying she thinks this is going to pass. She makes it out to be a loss for homosexual groups, as State Senators stop protecting the radical gay agenda from the people of Idaho having a say.

Bryan Fischer had a good piece on the Idaho Values Alliance in response to a Statesman article on a homosexual couple in Idaho:

In a transparent attempt to sway senators emotionally on the day of the vote, today’s Idaho Statesman carries a front-page story about a gay couple in Boise. The splashy article is illustrated with seven color photos, including a picture of a text message in which one member of this couple addresses his partner as “pumpkin.”

However, the Statesman has unwittingly made our case for us. We have contended all along that the amendment will not take a single right away from gays, does not interfere with their freedom to enter into private relationships of their choosing, and does not interfere with their ability to make legal arrangements with their partners on matters such as hospital visitation, medical decisions, and inheritance.

The article admits that, since gay marriage is already illegal in Idaho, the amendment will have “little immediate practical impact” on this couple. Translation: it will not take any of their rights away.

They’ve made legal arrangements “to deal with issues like joint property ownership and hospital visitation rights.” They are “the beneficiaries on each other’s life insurance policies” and “each other’s emergency contact.”

Translation: contrary to emotionally charged testimony before House and Senate committees, this amendment will not interfere with their freedom to make arrangements for hospital visitation, medical decisions, or disposition of assets.

One partner is quoted in the article saying, “This is my partner and I want him to be for the rest of my life.” Translation: there is nothing in Idaho law that prevents them from making and keeping a commitment like that to each other.

I can’t mention Bryan without tipping my cap to him for the effort of the Idaho Values Alliance/Keep the Commandments Coalition activists in making this bill a reality. When Senator Andreason opposed the bill, it was Bryan and Keep the Commandments that let Andreason’s constituents know.

I’ll be honest. I didn’t think it could be done. Part of the reason I didn’t go down to the Hearing Room on Friday is I figured we’d be having this debate again in ’07, but Bryan and the state’s Conservative activists (people like Henry Kulcyzck come to mind) had the grit to bring it back one session after it lost and turn this thing around. So many of you called your Senators, thus showing that in Idaho, the people’s voice does count.

Its been a discouraging time for Social Conservatives with the 2005 Marriage Amendment failure, the Brandi campaign losing (though the campaign itself was great fun), and the Ten Commandments Monument, yet Bryan has been the most unflappable courageous person I’ve ever met. The moment righteousness gets a sucker punch, he gets right back and keeps plugging away, looking for the next angle, always ready, always vigilent. Watching, Bryan Fischer, I’ve learned more than a hundred books on politics can teach. Congratulations, my friend.

Now, lets get this passed in the fall.

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Idaho, Gay Marriage