Minority leader Ed Murray, D-Seattle, has released a statement calling the Senate’s opening prayer, given by Jon Sanne of Olympia’s Calvary Chapel, regrettable and divisive.
The loaded phrase “strengthen marriage as you ordained it" is intended as negative commentary about gays and lesbians, and has no business being included in a prayer before this institution.”
Murray said that the invocation is supposed to be inclusive and not a platform for political views.
According to the Seattle Times, Republican leader Mark Schoesler R-Ritzville, invited Sanne to give the invocation.
In an interview on the Senate floor, Schoesler told the Seattle Times that he asked Sanne to speak, and that he doesn’t censor prayer
