Opponents of equality are currently collecting signatures in an attempt to challenge Washington state’s new marriage equality law at the ballot through Referendum 74. But Washington conservatives have pushed back on same-sex couples’ recognition before, through 2009s failed Referendum 71, a challenge to the state’s “everything but marriage” domestic partnerships. Despite attempts to keep the signatories of that campaign hidden, they are now publicly available at whosigned.org, and one activist is attempting to reach out to all of them.

So far, Paul Thomasson has emailed almost 2,000 of the R71 signers, identifying himself as a gay veteran and encouraging them not to sign R74. So far, he has received 60 email responses, all of which he has published on his webpage. Many, if not most, of those who reply take time to explain why they oppose same-sex marriage and reaffirm their Christian beliefs, like this prototypical example:

“The reason I did, and will again, is simple. The family is the foundation of our country. Relationships have been created and defined by God. When you start to redefine and do things outside of that, it is destructive. I am not a hater of homosexuals. I have good friends that struggle with it. I will not endorse the practice though. It is a counterfeit love that comes from pain/woundings. It is no different than the sins I struggle with. I don’t seperate you from me. We both fall short. And we both have a Savior who paid the price for our sins. I love you and hope GOD’s will for your life. Thanks for the email.”

Full Story from Think Progress

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