Oregon daily emerald., May 12, 1978, Page 4, Image 4

The big debate over 51
Sides fail
to straighten
issues out
By TOM WOLFE
Of the Emerald
The moderator spent the first five minutes
outlining procedure for a fair panel discussion
on gay rights Thursday night — participants
spent the next two hours polarized over what
fairness means for gays.
“Homosexuality is not a civil right and it's not
a human right,’’ maintained Brent Rich, lawyer
representing Volunteer Organization In
volved in Community Enactment (VOICE), a
group demanding that Eugene remove a
clause in its human rights amendment protect
ing gays in housing and employment.
“The basic reason for this ordinance is to
insure equality of treatment for both groups,”
countered Dominick Vetree of Eugene Citi
zens for Human Rights (ECHR).
The panel discussion,held at the Eugene
Public Library, entertained questions and
comments from an intense audience of about
100 people.
"Homosexuality is not normal,” asserted
Maureen Giebar, also of VOICE. “People
lose their jobs and their housing by their own
conduct.”
“What you’re saying is that it’s alright to be
(gay) as long as you don't have to know it
exists ..It’s musty in that doset and it’s dark in
that closet and besides that, it’s beneath
human dignity," said Vetree.
Handclapping from different parts of the
room broke out after nearly every panelist’s
reply as people began disagreeing on every
thing from statistics to the language of the
human rights amendment itself — all fed from
the equally divergent points of view from on
lookers.
While panel members agreed
discrimination against gays took place in
housing and employment, they disagreed both
on the extent of the discrimination and its
malevolence.
“The threat of discrimination is pernicious,’’
said Vetree. "Gays are forced to live a life of
insecurity, always living under the threat of
their employers finding out and firing them. Life
for gays is a charade."
Geiber countered saying, "We all need jobs,
houses etc., but this ordinance will not solve
your problem — it's your conduct that might be
losing those jobs and houses.”
And so discussion continued — those op
posed to the ordinance refusing to read the gay
rights amendment as a civil or human right and
defenders of the ordinance demanding that it
be kept as the only available means protection
for homosexuals.
Photos by Adrienne Salnger
Marilyn Osgood-Knight, who is against Ballot Measure 51 and Thursday's debate. Audience members (above) participated
Maureen Giebar, a VOICE leader, exchange words at questions and applause throughout the two hour banter.
Groups plot strategy for campaign utilities
By ANNTRENEMAN
Of the Emerald
Billboards ask you to vote yes. Buttons
ask you to vote no. Proponents and oppo
nents debate the issue on radio and televi
sion. Letters to the editor abound on it.
Newspapers are peppered with ads. And
chances are someone has come to your
door within the last few days to talk you into
or out of it.
“It" is Measure 51 on the May 23 ballot.
The measure, if passed, would repeal the
human rights ordinance passed last fall by
the Eugene City Council, which prohibits
discrimination in employment, housing and
public accomodations on the basis of sex
ual orientation.
The two major groups actively campaign
ing for and against the measure are the
Eugene Citizens for Human Rights
(ECHR), which urgesa “no" vote that would
allow the ordinance to stand, and Volunteer
Organization Involved in Community
Enactments (VOICE), which urges a “yes"
vote to repeal the ordinance.
The campaign has been hot and heavy
on both sides, and although each group
saysit is sticking to the issues, campaign
Page 4
literature shows the issue is a different one
for each.
ECHR literature says the issue is human
rights and that the ordinance insures basic
rights for homosexuals not protected by
law. VOICE literature cites the issue as
special privileges for homosexuals and the
effect the ordinance will have in the future.
The ordinance is a “mild and innocuous
statement,” according to ECHR member
Mary Ann Johnson, quoting from a
Register-Guard editorial endorsing a “no”
vote. “It doesn’t even specify gay or
homosexual in the ordinance,” she says.
Larry Dean, VOICE campaign manager,
says the issue is about homosexuals and
that it would limit the freedom of employers
and landlords.
Several Eugene Ciiy Council members
will hold a press conference Monday at 9:30
a.m. in the McNutt Room of the city council
chambers to clarify the ordinance's inten
tion.
“A lot of people are confused,” Council
member Scott Lieuallen says. The ordi
nance is not designed to give anyone any
special privileges.'’
Until May 23, both sides will debate the
issues in public forums and on television
and radio. (See related story on Thursday
night’s debate).
Dean says that early next week VOICE
may release some information that could
"change the nature of the campaign.”
When asked what it was. he said he
couldn’t say but to call back next week.
Both sides say the key to their success
lies in the amount of voters that turn out to
the polls May 23.
"There’s still a large portion of undecided
voters out there," Dean says. He says the
preliminary results from a VOICE
sponsored survey show more than 25 per
cent of the voters are still undecided on how
to vote. He’s sure that with the proper in
formation that block will vote “yes."
“We are registering as many people as
possible,” Johnson says. "We firmly be
lieve the majority of people agree with us.
Their votes are essential.”
The University vote is important to
ECHR, and voter registration booths have
been in the EMU and will continue to be
there until next Tuesday. Cars and shuttle
buses are planned for May 23 to take stu
dents to their polling locations.
Dean says VOICE has 400 active can
vassers out, and that the group should soon
reach its goal of knocking on every door in
Eugene. ECHR has more than 100 canvas
sers, according to Johnson.
Human rights ordinances similar to
Eugene's have been repealed in St. Paul,
Minn., Wichita, Kan. and Miami, Fla. The
recent repeal in Wichita has bolstered the
VOICE camp.
"I’m delighted," Maureen Giebar, a
VOICE leader, says. Dean says he doesn’t
think Wichita’s repeal will change the vote
countin Eugene, however, because VOICE
has been running a different campaign than
Wichita’s.
"This is Eugene, not St. Paul," Johnson
says. "In Eugene discrimination has no
place.”
Although both groups agreed early in the
campaign to keep outside influences out,
both have accused the other of bringing
them in.
In response to charges that VOICE has
been quoting from outside irrelevant
sources in its literature. Dean says the
group has "quoted very conservatively”
(Continued on Page 6)
Friday, May 12, 1978