NEWS RELEASE:
September 7, 2004

Contact: Tom Henry, Olympia Communications Group, 360-413-9300

Kemp disappointed, but not surprised by Thurston County ruling

(Bellevue) Families Northwest President Jeff Kemp said today he was, "disappointed, but not surprised," by Thurston County Superior Court Judge Richard Hicks decision overturning the state of Washington’s Defense of Marriage Act.

"The precedent to overturn the Legislature was set in King County," Kemp said. "What is new here is the judge saying in his conclusion that the morality of one class of people somehow trumps what society, and an overwhelmingly bi-partisan majority of elected officials have determined to be the definition of marriage in Washington."

Kemp said the combination of the King and Thurston County rulings finding Washington’s Defense of Marriage Act unconstitutional all but ensures an effort in the future to amend the state’s Constitution.

"It is not about sexual orientation at all," Kemp said. "Everyone deserves respect and dignity. However, the one class of people who are being ignored in this legal debate is children. Decades of research leave no doubt that children do best when they are raised by a mother and a father."

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