Discrimination Still Reigns Supreme

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By By Ken Schram

Summary

Republicans in the State Senate pulled a fast one and managed to bury a civil rights measure because it would've protected gays and lesbians.

Story Published: Apr 8, 2005 at 10:58 AM PDT

Story Updated: Aug 31, 2006 at 1:54 AM PDT

Discrimination Still Reigns Supreme
SEATTLE - It was a purely spiteful act.

Republicans in the State Senate pulled a fast one and managed to bury a civil rights measure because it would've protected gays and lesbians.

Lord only knows, those damn homosexuals deserve to be discriminated against when they're out there trying to find a place to live, going for a job, or hoping for a promotion.

Of course, the noble folks in the State Senate would never say anything like that out loud.

No, they'd rather hide behind pithy little political comments about parliamentary procedure and such, barely able to keep the snide tone out of their voice.

The bottom line though is that Republican members of the State Senate - along with a couple of rogue Democrats - have decided that it's their personal responsibility to keep gays and lesbians under an oppressive thumb.

Basic human decency is only a vague notion to those who won't extend legal protection to people who find themselves discriminated against because of their sexual orientation.

To bury a civil rights bill by shuffling it off to a hostile committee; to pretend it's nothing more than procedure, is not in the least bit clever.

It is nothing less than sad.

And something more than spiteful.

Want to share your thoughts with Ken Schram? You can e-mail him at kenschram@komo4news.com