FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 1, 2005

Dignity/Seattle Contact:
Leo N. Egashira, 206 723-4759 
Legashira@yahoo.com

DignityUSA contact:
Sam Sinnett
314 432-1744 office and fax
314 477-5798 cell
President@DignityUSA.org

DignityUSA Urges Washington State Supreme Court to Uphold Lower Court Rulings Affirming Marriage Equality

DignityUSA, the foremost organization for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (GLBT) Catholics along with our families, friends, straight allies, and other supportive people of faith, and Dignity/Seattle, the local chapter, are urging Washington Supreme Court Justices to uphold King County and Thurston County Court rulings last year which declared that denying same-sex couples the right to civil marriage violates the state Constitution.

In the midst of the international debate on marriage equality, DignityUSA affirms its commitment to work for full inclusion of same-sex couples in society and the end of unjust discrimination against our GLBT citizens. Same-gender marriage in no way is an attack on opposite-gender marriage. Society should affirm and support all loving families in the great diversity found in God's creation.

In August of 2003, the board of directors of DignityUSA and our membership assembled for our biennial national convention adopted a resolution, saying:

"As Americans, we remind our fellow citizens of a foundational principle of our form of government: all are created equal. Consistent with the pursuit of liberty and justice for all, same-sex couples should have full and equal access to the rights and responsibilities bestowed by civil marriage.

"As Catholics, we remind our Church of a foundational conviction of our faith: God is love and all who abide in love abide in God and God abides in them. The love that brings and binds two people of the same, or opposite sex, together has a divine source. It is therefore sacramental in nature and should be celebrated as such by our Church."

In celebration of the love and commitment of same-sex couples, DignityUSA offered a special Blessing of Couples on the closing day of that 2003 biennial convention. Over 40 couples participated.

"While we hope and work for the day when our unions will be recognized by society and blessed by our Church, we choose to live out the message of love and inclusion that our faith teaches, so we are celebrating the sanctity of our commitments now" said Marianne Duddy, then Executive Director of DignityUSA.

DignityUSA is the only national Catholic organization that offers a multifaceted program of support for same-sex couples and blesses their commitments in chapters across the country. DignityUSA maintains a national couples registry to recognize and record these unions.

— Sam Sinnett
President, DignityUSA

DignityUSA is the nation's foremost organization of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Catholics, their families, friends and supporters. Founded in 1969, it is an independent nonprofit organization with members and chapters across the country.DignityUSA works for full inclusion of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people in the life of the Church and Society. www.dignityusa.org

Dignity/Seattle has served GLBT Catholics and their supporters in Seattle and Western Washington since 1973.. It sponsors a liturgy on the second Sunday of the month at 6:00 p.m. at Ravenna United Methodist Church, 5751-33rd Ave NE in Seattle.   http://www.dignityseattle.org/