After years of relative silence about gay-rights legislation, religious conservatives are inundating state lawmakers with demands to block this year’s domestic partnership bill. They are aggressively targeting Democratic legislators in swing districts with personal emails, passionate phone calls, and by showing up by the hundreds for legislative hearings.

“We haven’t seen an angry far-right turnout against LGBT rights legislation like this in almost a decade,” says state senator Ed Murray (D-43), the bill’s prime senate sponsor. Similar bills that extended some marriage rights to same-sex couples passed over the last two years, but this year’s domestic partnership bill would grant virtually every marriage right.

Murray and others in Olympia says it’s unclear what’s behind the upswing in conservative pressure; the emails come throughout the week, not just following Sunday sermons. Although Murray is certain the bill can pass in the state house, he’s concerned the assault is weakening the chances for the senate-version of the bill, SB 5688.

“We have gotten maybe 250 emails in opposition that are very personal in the last two weeks,” says one swing-district legislator who asked to not be named. He describes the arguments against the bill as "quite Biblical" and "heated." At a senate hearing on the bill in February, senator Darlene Fairley (D-32) noted that “a ton of people” signed up to speak. The crowd of about 250 was stacked five-to-one against the bill, Murray says.

In contrast, bill supporters are making almost no phone calls, showing up for hearings in relatively small numbers, and sending “form emails” that have little impact, several legislators and legislative assistants say. Moreover, those emails are overwhelmingly being sent to representatives of Seattle districts—who are all but certain to vote for the bill—rather than swing-district representatives who have voted for the DP bills in past years but are feeling increasing pressure from their constituents to vote against this one. “We haven’t heard from anyone in support for the last few weeks,” says the legislator from the swing district.

“For legislators who could go either way, it’s not a great message,” says Murray. “Every organization has an online email form that goes to legislators.”

Equal Rights Washington (ERW), the primary statewide grassroots group advocating for marriage equality, is behind many of those form letters. The group is also pushing Marriage Equality Day, a rally on the Capitol campus and effort to lobby legislators. The problem: It’s scheduled on March 12—the day bills need to pass out of their house of origin—which is too late.

But Josh Friedes, spokesman for ERW, says the group is doing all it can. The nonprofit has been hard hit by the economic downturn, he says, which forced the organization to lay off one of its organizers. Supporters of the bill turned out in smaller numbers to hearings because legislators asked ERW to avoid a circus. “We can easily pack rooms in the future if that is what it takes,” says Friedes. He adds that many people edit form emails but don’t change the subject line, misleading legislators into believing all the emails are the same. But Friedes points to the responsibility of supporters to pressure legislators.

“The gay rights movement is getting a little complacent because we’ve had essentially years of continued success,” says Friedes. In addition to domestic partnership bills, the legislature passed a civil-rights bill providing protection for gay, lesbian and transgender persons in 2006. “People just assumed in this forth year passing the domestic partnership expansion bill of ‘09 would be a breeze,” he says, “and that does not reflect reality.”

What needs to happen? Supporters of domestic partnership who live in swing districts—i.e., outside of Seattle—need to make personal contact with their senator and representatives. Tell them about how your same-sex relationship is lovely and you support domestic partnership rights, or say that you want your lesbian daughter to have the same rights as your straight son (or whatever is personal to you). Here’s a map of the state and Puget Sound that shows your district and links to your representatives' contact info. Call them. Send an email. Live in Seattle? Call your parents or friends who live in the suburbs and ask them to help.