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Monday, October 21,2002
Oregon Daily Emerald
Commentary
Editor in Chief:
Michael J. Kleckner
Managing Editor
Jessica Richelderfer
Editorial Editors:
Salena De La Cruz, Pat Payne
Allow proposal of
domestic registry
to become new
social movement
On Oct. 14, the Eugene City Council heard public de
bate on two proposals from the Human Rights Commis
sion concerning gay, lesbian and transgender citizens.
Anywhere that gay rights are concerned, the city has to
contend with extreme-right groups who say that any
proposals that advance equality for homosexuals are an
“affront to God.”
The proposals would set up a domestic partner registry
and require that businesses allow those who identify with
an opposite gender to use the restroom facilities of that
gender. Both should be made city law.
The proposal for a domestic registry is a tolerant first
step. It is not a marriage, and it does not guarantee do
mestic partners benefits commensurate with what a
spouse would receive. However, many civil-rights ges
tures started symbolically. One has only to look at the
1863 Emancipation Proclamation to see how a symbolic
gesture eventually became a social movement.
While we do not harbor any illusions that the domestic
registry will substantially decrease dislike of or violence
against gays, we do think the program generally will in
crease tolerance for non-heterosexual couples. By show
ing the community as a whole that other couples are also
capable of being loving families, perhaps the taboos will
be further eroded.
Allowing transgender people to use restroom facilities
of the gender they identify with simply makes sense.
Some people opposed to the commission’s resolution
said they would feel extremely uncomfortable if a person
of the opposite gender were to walk into their restroom.
But many transgender people do not “appear” to be their
birth gender. Opponents would feel even more uncomfort
able if someone who appeared to be a man was forced to
use a women’s restroom simply because he had a vagina.
Other opponents were outraged that, as they said,
“predators” were being granted access to commit sexual
assaults. There are two problems with this.
For one, transgender people are not more likely to be
“predators” than any other demographic. This is an old
slander that needs to die. Second, a “women” sign on a
restroom door won’t stop predators intent upon assault,
regardless of their gender.
The benefits of this proposal — allowing transgender
people, who encompass a wide range of physical and
psychological difference, to feel and behave as if they
were full members of our community — far outweigh
the potential for others to feel uncomfortable.
Both of these proposals are smart, tolerant public poli
cy, and the majority of Eugeneans at public hearings
supported them. City Council should pass them both.
Editorial policy
This editorial represents the opinion of the
Emerald editorial board. Responses can be
sent to letters @dailyemerald.com. Letters to
the editor and guest commentaries are
encouraged. Letters are limited to 250 words
and guest commentaries to 550 words.
Authors are limited to one submission per
calendar month. Submission must include
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The Emerald reserves the right to edit for
space, grammawmd style.
Editorial board members
Michael J. Kleckner
Editor in chief
Salena De La Cruz
Editorial editor
Jessica Richelderfer
Managing editor
Pat Payne
Editorial editor
Jenna Cunningham
Student representative
Give a woman a chance
George W. Bush may not be my gener
ation’s greatest president. He’s inarticu
late, quick to judge and doesn’t identify
with today’s youth. In a nutshell, he’s a
man’s man.
A lot of my peers hate him and his
misogynistic policies. Luckily, in exactly
742 days, Bush could be replaced in our
democracy with someone more effective
— a woman.
With only two years to go, the Democ
ratic and Republican parties need to start
campaigning viable female candidates
now for the top job. After all, it’s going to
take two years worth of convincing the
millions of conservatives who uphold our
great patriarchy that a woman can han
dle the job — and might, in fact, fare bet
ter than the centuries of men in the past.
The United States needs a woman
president in 2004 because we have quali
fied candidates. In an era of glass ceilings,
the symbolic meaning of a female chief
executive would give hope to the “better
half’ of Americans struggling for equal
rights. And it would prove to the interna
tional community that we mean it when
we claim to value women as leaders —
unlike our misogynistic counterparts in
big, bad countries like Afghanistan.
If Evita Peron, Helen Clark or Megawati
Sukarnoputri can run a country, who’s to
say the same can’t happen in the most
powerful nation in the world? First we
need to give a viable woman nominee d*
fair chance to compete.
So, which female politician is experi
enced, marketable and could gamer
enough financial support to become chief
executive in 2004?
Elizabeth Dole briefly campaigned in
the 2000 election and would make an
ideal presidential candidate in 2004 with
her extensive background both in Wash
ington politics and as president of the
American Red Cross. But the problem
with Liddy is that her conservative con
stituents are unlikely to vote a woman —
any woman — into office. Republican
women have a hard enough time filling
seats in the Senate, let alone the Oval Of
fice; of the 49 Republican spots available,
only 3 females currently fill Senate seats.
Our first American female president
will have to be a Democrat, simply be
cause Democrats will vote for a qualified
Peter Utsev Fmeralrt
woman without getting muddled up in
ideals of morality, family values or pre
scribed gender roles.
Hillary Clinton is the model candidate
because of her experience in Arkansas pol
itics, as First Lady and now as a New York
senator. But according to a Marist Institute
for Public Opinion poll released last week,
69 percent of Americans say Clinton
should never run for president. Decline in
Clinton’s support has more than doubled
since the poll’s last finding in March 2001,
when 30 percent said she should run.
If Americans won’t support Clinton,
another Democratic party candidate
could be Dianne Feinstein. The senator’s
track record serving the 35 million con
stituents in California has been mostly
good, although she has made a few ene
mies within her own party for not voting
along the party line. Most recently, Fein
stein joined the ranks of Clinton to sup
port the president on'fbrce'in Irrtqwhen
both women originally opposed action.
Despite Feinstein’s frequent changes of
heart, she has the potential to become a
great national leader.
Barbara Boxer, Patty Murray and Mar
cy Kaptur are other names that come to
mind when compiling a list of potential
candidates. And some may argue Madon
na would make the ultimate president —
but I have a feeling she may want Tony
Blair’s job instead.
A new millennium should bring mod
ern changes in America’s political sys
tem. We have female candidates that
could do the same job as 43 men have
done in the past. Voters just have to find
the balls to elect them.
Contact the columnist
atjulielauderbaugh@dailyemerald.com.
Her opinions do not necessarily represent
those of the Emerald.
Letters to the editor
Campaigns support
improvements for students
After studying our gubernatorial and
Senate candidates’ platforms, I am writ
ing to urge the University community to
support Bill Bradbury for Senator and
Ted Kulongoski for Governor. Bill Brad
bury’s proposal to elevate Oregon’s econ
omy involves spending federal dollars to
improve our ports, roads, bridges and
mass transit systems. In addition to
bringing dollars to Oregon, these infra
structure improvements would provide
jobs. Bradbury is also committed to seek
ing federal funds to help build an engi
neering school in our state, making us a
logical destination for established and
growing tech firms seeking talent.
Bradbury’s opponent merely suggests
accelerating tax cuts — how could one
not remember the dismal failure of that
strategy on a national level? — and
extending unemployment benefits. Ore
gon families and students deserve more
than an improved last resort.
I support Bradbury’s “New Deal” for
Oregon, and urge students to begin to
consider which candidate will provide
them with the option of finding work in
Oregon after graduation. Kulongoski is
on record confirming his support for
raises for our educators through the
college level and holding the three-per
cent-per-year tuition increase cap.
Both of these things are possible from
a tenacious, intelligent problem-solver
with the proven will and skill to push
the state budget back in the black.
Please vote. And please vote for Ted
Kulongoski and Bill Bradbury, who have
made clear commitments to a brighter
future for our state, our educators and
our students.
Bethjuhas
senior
history
Cops are people, too
At 2:30 a.m. Sept. 28, my husband got
called into work on his weekend off after
only two hours of sleep. Not knowing
what was happening, I laid awake in bed,
literally sick with worry, until he finally
arrived home at 7 a.m.
The riot ruined what could have been
a great Saturday with the love of my life.
I’m a 25-year-old University student and
,. i-i ‘,i.: - > i > ..!
staff member. My husband is a Eugene
police officer. The behavior that took
place at the riot was very disappointing.
To make matters worse, I recently read
in The Register-Guard that during the
riot, a male student was passing out
chunks of concrete, telling partygoers to
throw them at the police.
Clearly, some people have forgotten
that cops are people, too. Just because
they wear a badge doesn’t mean that they
don’t fear for their own safety. They put
their lives on the line everyday and put
up with such insolent behavior as having
bottles and concrete thrown at them.
They also have girlfriends, boyfriends,
spouses and children waiting at home.
What they deal with on the job some
times affects their personal lives. Not to
mention that a concrete block to the
head can be fatal.
Being a cop is hard, and so is being a
cop’s wife. I have worried about my hus
band being hurt on numerous occasions.
I just never thought that I’d have to wor
ry about my fellow students being the
ones to bring such a fate to our family.
Darlene Gilbert
admissions & career services assistant
(j ‘* ' • ' i i.> .» . ! i law school
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