Gay Washington senator remains rooted in faith

[rug]

Sen. Ed Murray, left, and his partner, Michael Shiosaki, wave at spectators in the upper gallery after the state Senate voted for a proposal to legalize same-sex marriage Feb. 1 in Olympia, Wash. (AP/Elaine Thompson)

by Julie Gunter | Oct. 11, 2012

Seattle -- Two churches in Elma, Wash. -- one Catholic, one Episcopal -- share a bond of flesh and blood: Both were built, in part, by state Sen. Ed Murray’s paternal and maternal grandparents, respectively. The town commemorates his family in other ways, too: a road, a park, huddled-together headstones in St. Joseph’s Cemetery. From these grandparents -- all Irish-born Catholics except for one Protestant grandmother who later converted -- as well as other relatives, Murray inherited an awareness of the “different faces of Catholicism,” a keen sensitivity to nuances of faith, ranging from his father’s family’s traditional stance to his mother’s lively theological debates.

Chair of the Washington Senate Ways and Means Committee, Murray holds a position of influence and power, yet he has made it his life’s work to represent the vulnerable and marginalized. Since his election to the state’s House of Representatives in 1995, he has focused on issues such as affordable housing, transportation and civil rights, including sponsorship of a “marriage equality” law, passed by the legislature in February 2012, that would grant civil marriage to same-sex couples if Referendum 74 is upheld this fall (NCR, Sept. 28-Oct. 10).

As a devout Catholic, his decades-long position on this last issue has also invited much scrutiny and debate, not least because he’s gay.

Murray’s resilient faith and his willingness to speak out on complex issues can be traced to his mother’s love of dialogue, especially when related to Blessed Pope John XXIII (whom she adored), and her affinity for Catholic writers such as Dorothy Day and Thomas Merton. At church and at school, Murray’s childhood was also infused with Catholic teachings focused on ministry to the poor. Beloved nuns and priests, representative of “a larger family in the best sense of that word,” offered support and care, encouraging Murray and his six siblings “to grow in our prayer lives and our commitment to other people,” he said.

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