Paul Barwick
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Paul Barwick (born 1946) is an American former
LGBT rights Rights affecting lesbian, Gay men, gay, Bisexuality, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) people vary greatly by country or jurisdiction—encompassing everything from the legal recognition of same-sex marriage to the Capital punishmen ...
activist and
same-sex marriage Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same legal Legal sex and gender, sex. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 38 countries, with a total population of 1.5 ...
pioneer. In 1972, he filed one of the first lawsuits in the history of the
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
regarding the right of
gay ''Gay'' is a term that primarily refers to a homosexual person or the trait of being homosexual. The term originally meant 'carefree', 'cheerful', or 'bright and showy'. While scant usage referring to male homosexuality dates to the late ...
s and
lesbians A lesbian is a homosexual woman or girl. The word is also used for women in relation to their sexual identity or sexual behavior, regardless of sexual orientation, or as an adjective to characterize or associate nouns with female homo ...
to marry, after he and the late fellow activist John Singer were denied a
civil marriage A civil marriage is a marriage performed, recorded, and recognized by a government official. Such a marriage may be performed by a religious body and recognized by the state, or it may be entirely secular. History Countries maintaining a popul ...
license A license (American English) or licence (Commonwealth English) is an official permission or permit to do, use, or own something (as well as the document of that permission or permit). A license is granted by a party (licensor) to another part ...
at the
King County Administration Building The King County Administration Building is a nine-story office building in Seattle, the seat of King County, Washington, King County, Washington (U.S. state), Washington, United States. Completed in 1971, the building is located at 500 Fourth Avenu ...
in
Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...
,
Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...
. The case, '' Singer v. Hara'', was the best-known gay marriage case in the state of Washington until '' Andersen v. King County'' in 2006. He moved to
San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...
,
California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
, which was his residence for 30 years, but he now currently lives in Centralia WA.


Biography

Born in Washington, Barwick served three years in the
U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of the United Stat ...
during the
Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...
, working as a military policeman. Later, he became an emergency
dispatcher A dispatcher is a Communication, communications worker who receives and transmits information to coordinate operations of other personnel and vehicles carrying out a service. Emergency organizations including police, police departments, fire de ...
for the
Washington State Patrol The Washington State Patrol (WSP) is the state patrol agency for the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington. Organized as the Washington State Highway Patrol in 1921, it was renamed and reconstituted in 1933. The agency is charged with the ...
, and attended
Olympic College Olympic College is a public community college in Bremerton, Washington. It opened as Olympic Junior College on September 5, 1946. Olympic College serves Kitsap and Mason counties in Washington. The college's service area contains two major n ...
in
Bremerton Bremerton is a city in Kitsap County, Washington, United States. The population was 43,505 at the 2020 census and an estimated 44,122 in 2021, making it the largest city on the Kitsap Peninsula. Bremerton is home to Puget Sound Naval Shipyard ...
. Barwick ran unsuccessfully for vice-president of the student body, while attending Olympic. It was at Olympic where he disclosed to a nurse on campus that he believed there was a possibility he could be gay. The nurse supported Barwick after his disclosure, and went with him to the
University of Washington The University of Washington (UW and informally U-Dub or U Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington, United States. Founded in 1861, the University of Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast of the Uni ...
, where the Seattle chapter of the
Gay Liberation Front Gay Liberation Front (GLF) was the name of several gay liberation groups, the first of which was formed in New York City in 1969, immediately after the Stonewall riots. Similar organizations also formed in the UK, Australia and Canada. The GLF p ...
was holding meetings once a week. It was at that meeting where he encountered John Singer. After the gathering, the nurse decided to invite the Front members to a seminar on campus, where more than 200 students were in attendance. When one of the guest speakers ended up calling in sick to the seminar, Barwick stepped in to replace them. After he outed himself in the presence of the students in Bremerton, he made the decision to move to Seattle to join a commune of LGBTQ activists, not returning to his job at the State Patrol, where he would have to remain
in the closet "In the Closet" is a song by American singer-songwriter Michael Jackson, released on April 13, 1992, as the third single from his eighth album, '' Dangerous'' (1991). The song was intended as a duet between Jackson and Madonna, and features fem ...
. It was at the commune where he met up with Singer again, and they became partners. Singer was the only one who held down a job in the commune, working for the federal government. It was Singer's salary that financed their activism; opening the first LGBTQ community center in Seattle, a
safe-house A safe house (also spelled safehouse) is a dwelling place or building whose unassuming appearance makes it an inconspicuous location where one can hide out, take shelter, or conduct clandestine activities. Historical usage It may also refer to ...
for LGBTQ parolees, and establishing a center for LGBTQ people to receive counseling. The residents of the commune also coordinated protests in opposition to the
Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...
. Barwick and Singer also organized, and held meetings, for the Seattle chapter of the 'Gay Vietnam Veterans Against The War', an organization that attempted to expose the "atrocities that have been committed against gay servicemen and women". In April 1973, Barwick was involved in a protest against the beating of a lesbian at the hands of the police. He, along with three others, met with a police official who informed them that their complaints would be considered unfounded, unless an "impartial witness" came forward to verify their stories, and a gay person did not qualify as an "impartial witness".


The license and lawsuit

On September 20, 1971, the couple went to the King County auditor's office and asked for a marriage license from Lloyd Hara, the auditor. For his part, Hara was unsure of the legality of the request, and he contacted the prosecutor's office, asking if it was legal to issue the couple a license. They were denied the license. Singer had argued that same-sex couples should get the same benefits, like the tax break, that heterosexual couples were receiving. Barwick also asserted that they should qualify for the G.I. family plans if they were allowed to get married, since he was a veteran. The pair was supported by the Seattle Gay Alliance, and the Seattle chapter of the Gay Liberation Front, in their effort to obtain a marriage license. Many years later, Hara told ''The Seattle Times'' that he agreed with the pair, stating: "I thought it was wrong then and I still firmly feel the same way." On April 27, 1972, they filed a lawsuit against Hara, claiming the denial violated their constitutional rights, because "equality of rights and responsibilities under the law shall not be denied or abridged on account of sex". King County Superior Court Judge Frank Howard rejected Barwick and Singer's claims of discrimination. In 1974, the
Washington Court of Appeals The Washington Court of Appeals is the intermediate level appellate court for the state of Washington. The court is divided into three divisions. Division I is based in Seattle, Division II is based in Tacoma, and Division III is based in Spok ...
upheld Howard's ruling, saying that the "auditor's office was within its right to make the refusal". The court also stated that marriage existed as a protected legal institution "primarily because societal values associated with the propagation of the human race". Their reasoning for not appealing any further was basically for two reasons; they were strapped for cash, and they didn't want to be responsible for setting the wrong precedent, thinking a denial from the
Washington Supreme Court The Washington Supreme Court is the highest court in the judiciary of the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington. The court is composed of a chief justice and eight associate justices. Members of the court are elected to six-year terms. ...
could close off the debate. Many LGBTQ activists described the rejections as having been "laughed out" of two courts. Marriage equality was signed into law in Washington by Governor
Christine Gregoire Christine Gregoire (; née O'Grady; born March 24, 1947) is an American attorney and politician who served as the List of governors of Washington, 22nd governor of Washington, from 2005 to 2013. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), D ...
on February 13, 2012.


See also

* History of the LGBT community in Seattle *
LGBT rights in Washington `LGBTQ rights in Washington may refer to: * LGBTQ rights in Washington (state) * LGBTQ rights in the District of Columbia, LGBTQ rights in Washington, D.C. {{Short pages monitor