Gov. Christine Gregoire will welcome more than 200 political heavy-hitters and openly gay officeholders from around the country who plan to gather in Seattle next week and call for closeted gay officials to go public. Participants at the 21st annual Gay and Lesbian Leadership Conference, which runs Nov. 17-20, also plan to pass resolutions to decriminalize same-sex relations internationally with input from a German legislator and gay and lesbian leaders from Poland, Sri Lanka and Quebec.
The international conference comes as Washington residents await a decision from state Supreme Court on the legality of same-sex marriage here. Other local concerns such as adoption laws and the 2006 midterm elections are also on the agenda.
