Anti-gay rights activists are filing a referendum with the Secretary of State today to repeal the domestic partner laws passed by the state legislature that put the legal rights and responsibilities of domestic partners on par with married couples.

Now they've got to out out and get the signatures, which isn't a very high hurdle for a referendum, about 120,000 are needed to put the referendum on the ballot. 

I do think, however, they'll have a hard time passing it. As Josh Marshall at TPM has been reporting, public sentiment is shifting in favor of gay marriage rights. 

The numbers seem to back up the mini-essay  I wrote about this a few days earlier arguing that gays should welcome the referendum.  

In response to the filing, Sen. Ed Murray (D-43, Seattle), a sponsor of the legislation—along with Rep. Jamie Pedersen (D-43, Seattle), said:  

“In Washington, we value fairness. While it’s regretable that a referendum is being filed to undo the progress we made this session to treat gay and lesbian families the same as married families, I don’t believe that voters will decide in November to take away rights from anyone.”

I have a call into the Faith and Freedom Network, the group that's been pushing the referendum, to get their statement.