Gay Rights Opposition more less
Gay Rights as a Civil Rights movement
Ken Hutcherson strongly objects to suggestions that the current gay civil rights movement bears a resemblance to the African-American civil rights movement in the 1960s. An opinion piece by Hutcherson published in The Seattle Times on March 29, 2004, stated, "It has been said loudly and proudly that gay marriage is a civil rights issue. If that's the case, then gays would be the new African Americans. I'm here to tell you now, and hopefully for the last time, that the gay community is not the new African-American community." Hutcherson has been reported as saying that he is offended by those that say same-sex marriage is a civil rights issue and instead is “a moral and sexual preference issue.”
On April 25, 2008 Hutcherson protested at a school hosting the National Day of Silence. DAY of SILENCE : April 17, 2009 He planned on organizing, and took an ad out in a local paper calling for, 1,000 people to protest Mount Si High School, the school his daughter attended, in Snoqualmie, Washington. The National Day of Silence brings attention to anti-LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender) name-calling, bullying and harassment in schools.
On March 2, 2006, Hutcherson and King County Executive Ron Sims, himself a Baptist Minister and a supporter of same-sex marriage, met at Seattle Town Hall to debate publicly the question "Is the gay rights movement the new civil rights movement?" The debate, sponsored by The Stranger was arranged as a dare and drew a crowd of around 800 people.
Anti-Discrimination legislation
In 2005, the Seattle weekly newspaper The Stranger reported that Hutcherson persuaded Microsoft to withdraw support for the Washington anti-discrimination bill that would have made it illegal to fire an employee due to their sexual orientation. Hutcherson had reportedly told the Microsoft general counsel that 700 evangelical Microsoft employees attend his church, and all of them opposed the bill. He added that if Microsoft did not withdraw support of the bill, he would organize a national boycott of the software maker. Sometime after the meeting Microsoft changed its long held position on the issue from support to neutral stating that anti-discrimination was not a priority for that legislative session.
A few weeks later, after furious protests from Microsoft employees and advocacy by GLEAM, Microsoft’s gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender employee resource group, the company reversed itself and pledged to support future anti-discrimination legislation.
The Anderson Murray Civil Rights Bill was passed in the Washington State House on January 20, 2006, in the Senate on January 27, 2006, and signed into law by Governor Christine Gregoire on January 31, 2006. When the bill was passed, Hutcherson again called for a boycott, but no such organized effort emerged.
On January 25, 2006, Hutcherson called for supporters to take action against Microsoft for reinstating its support of the Washington State Anti-Discrimination bill by driving down the company’s stock price. Hutcherson asked that supporters purchase one or two Microsoft shares over the following months with the goal of selling them on May 1, 2006. Market experts stated that the “buy-and-dump” plan had no realistic chance of affecting Microsoft stock while legal scholars warned that the plan could be considered illegal market manipulation. Microsoft maintained its support of the bill and on May 1, 2006 Microsoft shares closed up 14 cents on the previous day’s close.
Hutcherson committed to take the issue before the voters in a referendum. On February 9, 2006, Tim Eyman lodged referendum Initiative 65 which sought a public vote to repeal the Murray Anderson Civil Rights Bill before it could take effect on June 7, 2006. Hutcherson supported the initiative and conducted petition signature gathering at his Antioch Bible Church. When the June 6, 2006 deadline arrived the campaign announced they had failed to collect the 112,400 signatures required to qualify for the ballot.
Still focused on overturning anti-discrimination protection for gays and lesbians, Hutcherson lodged his own ballot initiative on January 19, 2007. Initiative 963 proposed removing any reference to sexual orientation or sexual preference from existing anti-discrimination legislation and required 224,800 valid signatures be collected by the July 6, 2007 deadline to qualify for the ballot.
On January 27, 2007, The Seattle Times reported that Hutcherson had allied with a network of churches, including Watchmen on the Walls, that are tied to conservative evangelical Slavic communities in Washington State and California that have been active in anti-gay causes. The stated purpose of this alliance was to collect signatures for initiative 963 to overturn the recently passed state law that banned discrimination based on sexual orientation.
On June 29, 2007, Hutcherson told The Seattle Times that he had dropped the initiative some months earlier at the urging of Pastor Joe Fuiten, who argued that the time was not right for the campaign and asked instead for his help in opposing domestic partnership rights for gay and lesbian couples.
Hate Crimes legislation
On April 17, 2007, Hutcherson was scheduled to participate in a press conference hosted by Exodus International opposing passage of the federal Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2007. The event, to be held at the National Press Club, was intended to put pressure on lawmakers to drop the legislation which proposed adding sexual orientation and gender identity to the currently protected classes of race, color, religion and national origin. The press conference was cancelled in the wake of the Virginia Tech shootings. The Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2007 passed the House on May 3, 2007 by a vote of 237 to 180.
On June 18, 2007, Hutcherson and 29 other African-American pastors in the High Impact Leadership Coalition publicly opposed the Senate hate crimes bill renamed The Matthew Shepard Act on 1st Amendment grounds.
Same-Sex marriage
On May 1, 2004, Hutcherson organized a "Mayday for Marriage" rally against marriage rights for lesbian and gay couples. The highly-publicized effort drew an estimated 20,000 supporters from around the Puget Sound region to Safeco Field in Seattle, Washington. Later, in October 2004, he organized another "Mayday for Marriage" rally in Washington, D.C. which attracted an estimated 140,000 participants.
After switching focus from opposing anti-discrimination legislation to fighting recognition of domestic partnerships in early 2007, Hutcherson claims that the Christian group who were in charge of the effort failed to follow through on their plans. Despite opposition from Hutcherson and Christian groups the Domestic Partnership bill passed the state legislature and was signed into law on April 21, 2007. Angered by the situation, Hutcherson has said he intends to force a state-wide debate on legal recognition for same-sex relationships which he and other opponents see as an incremental step towards securing same-sex marriage rights. Speaking with The Olympian, Hutcherson said “I am going to do something that deals with the main issue,” adding that he intends to provide broader political leadership for Christians that he believes has been absent in recent years.
Shareholder Advocacy
On November 13, 2007, Hutcherson addressed the Microsoft Annual Stockholders meeting. During the question and answer session he referred to previous discussions with Microsoft executives regarding their support for anti-discrimination legislation in Washington State and threatened further action against the company without clearly specifying the policy position or activity he hopes to change. Hutcherson stated "I could work with you, or I could be your worst nightmare, because I am a black man with a righteous cause, with a host of powerful white people behind me...".
After Hutcherson's comments, one attendee asked what shareholders could do to help the company to oppose Hutcherson. Microsoft General Counsel Brad Smith responded, "As a company, we've had a clear policy with respect to the way we treat our people, and we believe in that policy. It's a policy that's founded on non-discrimination, it's a policy that we believe has served our employees well, it's served our shareholders well, and I think that was reflected last year when all of our shareholders were asked to vote on that policy, and over 97 percent of you and all of our other shareholders stood up and agreed with us. And I think that it is precisely in that form that shareholders have the opportunity to continue to make their views known, and we very much appreciate that support".
On November 16, 2007, an interview appeared in The Daily Telegraph, a UK tabloid publication, where Hutcherson described his plan to ask millions of evangelical activists, Orthodox religious and other allies, to purchase Microsoft shares and demand a return to 'traditional values'. He described Microsoft as just the first company to be targeted in a larger campaign which will attempt to force American corporations to support only biblically-based social policy positions. In the article Hutcherson alleged "There are 256 Fortune 500 companies alone pouring millions upon millions of dollars into pushing the homosexual agenda..." but he has yet to provide any evidence for his claims.
However, in accordance with a May 6, 2005 e-mail where Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer laid out guidelines and restrictions for future public policy engagement, the company has expressed no position on same-sex marriage, civil unions, or domestic partnership legislation at the Washington State or Federal levels.
In a January 12, 2008 radio interview on Sirius OutQ with Michelangelo Signorile, Hutcherson once again claimed that Microsoft was advocating in support of same-sex marriage:
MS: So you won't buy up the stock if they decide not to support gay rights anymore...KH: No, outside of their four walls... don't forget that I'm not asking...MS: Well it's already done now, Microsoft has already helped to give its support to change the law in Washington State.KH: Yeah, but they're not through Michael, you know they're not through. They are gonna come back and they are gonna be pushing other laws. The number one thing they want here in this state, and you know this, is same-sex marriage.
On January 8, 2008, Hutcherson announced details of his "Buy Three, Donate One" campaign which asked supporters to purchase three shares of Microsoft stock, donate one share to the AGN Financial Network, and prepare to vote on a Shareholder Proposal that would be presented at the next Microsoft Stockholders Annual meeting in November 2008.
Hutcherson's goal of gaining control of 100 million Microsoft shares by the next Annual meeting is unlikely to have any impact on Microsoft public policy engagement. The goal is around one percent of the total 9.4 billion outstanding shares, 59 percent of which remain in the hands of institutional investors.
On March 21, 2007, Seattle attorney Dave Coffman filed a complaint with the Federal Bureau of Investigation asking them to investigate whether or not Pastor Hutcherson violated federal law by claiming to be a White House "Special Envoy" on a recent trip to Latvia. Seattle Lawyer Files Complaint With FBI Over Ken Hutcherson's Claim that He Is a U.S. "Special Envoy" | Slog | The Stranger | Seattle's Only Newspaper Hutcherson claims his work and trip were sanctioned by the Bush White House. The trip was the centerpiece of a four-day anti-gay "crisis conference" held in Latvia.
Hutcherson claims that the director of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives Jay Hein appointed him as a "special envoy" for the Latvia trip, where he appeared with Scott Lively, an opponent of gay civil rights and author, with Kevin Abrams, of the book The Pink Swastika which documents the role of homosexuals in the formation of the Nazi Party and the administration of the Third Reich.
According to Eli Sanders of the Seattle alternative weekly newspaper The Stranger, who spoke to an agent at the FBI, the agency does investigate allegations that people have represented themselves as speaking for the White House.
Hutcherson has claimed that he was made a Special Envoy for Adoptions, Family Values, Religious Freedom, and Medical Relief by the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives.
White House spokesperson Alyssa J. McLenning communicated to the newspaper that Hutcherson was never given the title of Special Envoy. In her statement, McLenning wrote "The White House Office of Faith-based and Community Initiatives did not give Hutcherson the title, 'Special Envoy for Adoptions, Family Values, Religious Freedom, and Medical Relief.' The White House did not give Hutcherson any other titles and did not coordinate with Hutcherson on his recent trip to Latvia." UPDATE: White House Contradicts Local Pastor Ken Hutcherson on His Claim that He Is a U.S. "Special Envoy"; Hutcherson, in Response, Says He Will Provide Video Proof | Slog | The Stranger's Blog | The Stranger | Seattle's Only Newspaper
Hutcherson claims the White House is lying and told The Stranger that they should speak with Hein, who met with him at the White House and in Seattle.
Hutcherson claims to have met with Hein at least twice in person about this partnership, once in January 2007 in Seattle, and once in February 2007 at the White House. Hutcherson said of the title and partnership relating to his work in Latvia, "In my meetings, I can represent as being with them (the Bush White House) and having the power I need to get things done."
Hutcherson claims there is a video that was shot after a meeting on 8 February 2007 at the White House between himself; Jay Hein; and Alexei Ledyaev, pastor of New Generation Church in Riga, Latvia.
Hutcherson said this White House meeting was the second of two meetings he had with Hein about his plans in Latvia. The first meeting, according to Hutcherson, took place on January 18, 2007 during a conference in Seattle on faith-based initiatives that was attended by Hein.
"That was when he made his first commitment to me and said it was a done deal," Hutcherson told me. Hutcherson describes the "done deal" as "our partnership." Hutcherson claims requested the first meeting with Hein because "I just wanted Faith-Based to give me the power to do what I needed to do" and that "the Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives did just that." according to Hutcherson.
Hutcherson claims that in the video from the second meeting on February 8, 2007 in Washington D.C., the three men...Hutcherson, Hein, and Ledyaev...are standing on the White House lawn answering questions from a Latvian television reporter. Hutcherson claims the video will show that Hein met with him, knew of his new title, and approved of his mission to Latvia. Hutcherson told the Seattle Stranger newspaper "I’m gonna prove that I had those meetings, I’m gonna prove that I got that title behind me, and I’m gonna show you the video that says I was coming to Latvia and the purpose why."