Oregon’s reputation questioned
(AIM - An anti-gay rights in
itiatives is drawing international
media attention to Oregon with
stories and editorials that say .1
state known for its liberal tradi
tions risks earning a reputation
for intolerance
In an informal survey of
newspapers and broadcasters.
The Register-Guard found a
wealth of material about Meas
ure 9 and opinions about the
state that produced it.
if approved by voters Nov. 3.
Measure 9 would amend the
Oregon Constitution to declare
homosexuality “abnormal,
wrong, unnatural and per
verse."
Reaction has boon building
nationally along with media
coverage.
On the morning of Sept. 3,
any of the 1 million readers of
The New York Times could
find a guest column in the edi
torial section headlined "Re
hind the Hate in Oregon.”
Illustrated by a stark,
uncaptioned drawing of a dag
ger-toothed demon, the article
by gay-rights advocate Michel
angelo Signorilo wasted no
time making its main point.
"In Oregon, something simi
lar to an ‘ethnic cleansing’ is
under way,” the column began.
"It has transformed a once tol
erant. progressive state into a
repressive, frightful place.”
Little more than a week earli
er, nearly 600,000 British read
ers could find a story in Lon
don's Sunday Telegraph Limit•
mi headlined "Gay-bashers ride
the Oregon Trail," focusing on
the city of Springfield. Eugene's
conservative next-door neigh
bor.
"An Oregon mill town has
become a fierce battleground in
the backlash against homosexu
als," the story began. "Leaflets
calling for the release of canni
balistic murderer Jeffrey
Dahiner 'because all he did was
kill homosexuals' have evon
been distributed in Spring
field."
un nug. iu, muni man
(100,000 Dust Coast realtors of
Nowsday were treated to a
guest article by Jim Leinfelder.
who described louving Minne
apolis last year to take a job as
senior producer with Oregon
Public broadcasting.
Headlined "Letter from Port
land. Oregon's Sparkling Image
As A Liberal State Is All Wet.”
the article began:
" You’ll love it out there,’ my
friends assured me when 1 left
Minneapolis to start a now job
in Portland 10 months ago. 'Oh,
sure, it rains almost constantly.
But we hear it’s a very liberal,
progressive state. Just like Min
nesota.' They were wrong on
both counts."
The author wont on to note
that Springfield voters in May
approved an anti-gay rights city
ordinance that, like Measure 9,
was sponsored by the Oregon
Citizens Alliance, based in
Wilsonville.
The OCA. the Newsday arti
cle stated, "preys on economic
ally depressed areas of the
state, like Springfield, where
dosperate men and women are
eager to lash out at the demons
conjured by the citizens alli
ance."
Newsweek's Sept. 14 cover
story. "Gays under fire,” read,
in part: "The most bitter battle
ground is Oregon, whore a
movement heavily financed by
Christian fundamentalists is at
tempting to all but codify gays
and losbians out of existence."
Even conservative columnist
William F. Buckley Jr. got in a
dignified lick in his Sept 15
column. "Arc Oregonians real
Iv prepared to ask the state to
codify all capital sins'' li so,
why not throw in sloth and
greed?" Buckley wrote
On television, syndicated
talk show host I’hil Donahue
questioned Springfield City
Councilman Half Walters about
the town’s version of Measure
9, which Walters supported
At one point in the show,
Donahue said. "Oregon, your
liberal and longtime tradition
of compassion and freedom for
all is in jeopardy this Novem
ber. How will Oregon vote? I
want to know. Inquiring minds
want to know.”
National media critic Nor
man Solomon, a former Orego
nian who now lives in tho San
Francisco area, says ho expects
many people would be shocked
to see how their state has laron
portrayed in the national and
international media.
"Wo often don’t recognize
ourselves in such coverage,"
Solomon said.
As might be expected, each
sifir in (hr Measure 9 debate
places full blame for all the me
dia coverage at (hr other's
doorstep.
Measure 9 opponents |H>tnt
their fingers at the OCA and its
chairman, Lon Mabun.
Martin Hiraga, a spokesman
for the National Gay and Lesbi
an Tusk Force, says Mubon has
mndn Oregon into a testing
ground for a more sweeping na
tional movement against gay
rights.
Mubon replies that homosex
uals are working overtime with
the "liberal" media to foster
negative images about Oregon
Ho notes that Measure 9 has
gotten positive reviews only on
conservative Christian pro
grams such us televangelist Pat
Robertson's 700 Club.
Still lie agrees with Hiraga
about the national scope of
Measure 9
"Hundreds of thousands of
people across the country ure
looking on Oregon as a bell
wether state — a place where
Christians are taking a stand for
them,” Mahon said.
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