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National org. prepares for gay marriage repeal effort in Washington

OLYMPIA, Wash. – Gay marriage isn’t the law in Washington yet, but national opponents are already preparing for a repeal campaign.

The Washington House Wednesday is expected to send a same-sex marriage measure to the governor for her signature. Christopher Plante with the National Organization for Marriage is in Washington for the vote. He says a fall referendum campaign will target voters who are not comfortable with gay marriage, but have resigned themselves to it becoming legal.

“Well, they have to understand that this is not live and let live. We need to look forward 2, 3, 4, 7 generations to how redefining marriage, how redefining husband and wife, redefining mother and father will impact our society,” Plante said.

Plante predicts supporters of traditional marriage will have no trouble gathering the necessary signatures to put a repeal measure on the November ballot. He expects both sides will spend millions of dollars waging their respective campaigns.

In 2009, Washington voters upheld gay domestic partnerships, but Plante says marriage is different.

Since January 2004, Austin Jenkins has been the Olympia-based political reporter for the Northwest News Network. In that position, Austin covers Northwest politics and public policy as well as the Washington State legislature. You can also see Austin on television as host of TVW's (the C–SPAN of Washington State) Emmy-nominated public affairs program "Inside Olympia." Prior to joining the Northwest News Network, Austin worked as a television reporter in Seattle, Portland and Boise. Austin is a graduate of Garfield High School in Seattle and Connecticut College in New London, Connecticut. Austin’s reporting has been recognized with awards from the Association of Capitol Reporters and Editors, Public Radio News Directors Incorporated and the Society of Professional Journalists.