Rally: Karen Minnis stalls bill in the House
Continued from page 1
demonstrator Elizabeth Tschalaer
of Salem said.
Between 800 and 1,000 support
ers showed up at the Capitol steps
Wednesday evening, said Eugene
activist Sally Sheklow, who led the
crowd in a series of cheers and
chants supporting the bill and criti
cizing Minnis and the legislative
progress of the House.
The hour-long demonstration in
cluded speakers such as Gov. Ku
longoski, BRO Executive Director
Roey Thorpe, Portland City Com
missioner Sam Adams and State
Senators Ben Westlund and Alan
Bates. The senators wrote the bill
along with Senators Kate
Brown and Frank Morse, who were
not present.
BRO provided “While You Were
Out” mock phone message sheets
for supporters to fill out in
response to the House’s recess
earlier in the day, and delivered the
messages to Minnis’ office the fol
lowing morning.
Participants of the demonstration
included BRO volunteers, religious
organizations, GLBT activists and
friends and family of those who do
not currently have the rights laid
out by the bill.
Phaedra Harris, of Southern Ore
gon University, came to the demon
stration with a sign covered in
hearts and peace symbols made
by her 5-year-old daughter,
Indigo Rose.
“My 5-year old made this sign
because she knew we were coming
to talk to some people who are in
charge of the laws,” Harris said.
“She wants them to know that love
is good.”
Wednesday’s demonstration was,
in part, an effort to draw public at
tention to the House, and place
pressure on Minnis to put the bill to
a vote.
“I think at this point in the ses
sions, organizations give up,” Re
bekah Kassell, BRO communica
tions director, said. “It’s our job to
make sure the speaker cannot
go home without addressing
this issue.”
BRO promoted the bill with the
support of the Senate and Gov. Ku
longoski.
“This is a collective call for the
House to put it to a vote,”
Kassell said.
Before the House can vote on the
floor, the bill has to be read by a
committee appointed by the Speak
er, which is where the bill
could stall.
Minnis does have a responsibili
ty to assign the bill to a committee
within seven days, Kassell said, but
she can assign it to a committee
that she trusts will not pass it, or
pressure the committee to prevent
the bill from ever going to a vote.
“She has the power to put it to
committee and not allow it out of
committee,” said Bates.
According to Basic Rights Ore
gon, that’s just what Minnis did.
The morning after the demonstra
tion, Minnis referred the bill to the
House Budget Committee for a re
write, replacing the bill with “
reciprocal benefits.”
The committee convened, led by
Chairman Wayne Krieger, and
banned any public, activist or
legislative testimony.
The bill was then referred to the
Budget Committee.
Normally, representatives could
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pull a bill out by a majority vote,
which in the House would require
a minority of Republican represen
tatives, in this case, at least four, to
vote along with Democrats.
“The four republicans that would
vote to do that would be ostracized
from their party,” Bates said. “I
think it’s extremely unlikely.”
However, typical procedural
methods for pulling a bill out of
committee are prohibited for bills in
the Budget Committee.
Oregon State Senate passed the
bill July 8.
“It passed almost 2 to 1 in the
Senate,” said Sheklow, who be
lieves this bill could pass in
the House.
The vote mostly fell along party
lines with the exception of two re
publicans who supported the bill
and one democrat who opposed.
The bill’s passage came as no ma
jor surprise given the Democratic
majority in the Senate.
Despite efforts to prevent the bill
from going to a vote, Wednesday’s
demonstrators are optimistic about
its outcome.
“It’s going to be a fight, but I
think it’s a winnable fight,” demon
strator Chuck Wynn of Salem said.
“I strongly believe it will pass;
it’s just a matter of when,” Oregon
State student Dau Nguyen said.
Regardless of whether the bill
passes, supporters see the bill as a
moral victory.
“I realized that was my defining
moment,” Bates said about his
writing and supporting the bill. “I
took a vote and sponsored a bill
that could potentially lose my Sen
ate seat. I’d rather lose my seat.”
r
1
Mad $
DuCkLIn
r |~i Childri
JHEATRS
Presents
Judith Vi
Al
Book ani
Musi
July26-3\
All shows begf
Join us on the lawn of the Robinson
Theatre on the UO Campus!
Limited free parking is available.
Discounts for groups of 10 or more.
For information
I9.7tm & reservations call
O” 346-4192
fStVEKSlTY
Mad Duckling is made possible with
Festival: Groups collaborate
to support civil rights causes
Continued from page 1
craft, merchandise and community
organization booths; food and a
beer garden.
From about 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
the main stage was busy with drag
shows, dancing and auctions. It
was The Lady Bianca’s first per
formance in a gay pride event.
The Lady Bianca performs in drag
weekly at Neighbors Bar & Bistro.
“I think it’s positive for the
community to have something
like this,” The Lady Bianca said.
“This is completely different than
performing at a bar. It’s more
energetic (and) has a different
age bracket.”
The American Civil Liberties
Union of Oregon provided infor
mation about Senate Bill 1000, the
state legislative proposal that in
cludes legalizing civil union rights
to same-sex couples. The bill was
stalled Thursday by House
Speaker Karen Minnis after the
Senate’s approval just two
weeks prior.
“We’re here defending civil lib
erties for all people,” ACLU intern
and University student Dan Platt
said, “and we’re active in defend
ing the rights of the LGBT com
munity. ” The Oregon ACLU chap
ter, a leader in the fight for
marriage equality, according to
its flier, is attempting to establish
a Lane County chapter as well.
The Log Cabin Republicans,
represented by Derek Hanna, also
had a booth at the PRIDE festival
advocating gay rights for Oregon
college students.
“Our Log Cabin chapter is here
to gather signatures to end the
military’s Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell
policy,” Hanna said.
Also among the information ta
bles was the Network for Repro
ductive Options.
“We started here the day after
Eugene’s primary abortion clinic,
All Women's Health Services,
closed (in July 2002),” board
member and staff fundraiser Mar
ti Black said. “Our principle em
phasis is on abortion funding,
and we are the largest abortion
funding organization in Oregon. ”
Jennifer Webster coordinates the
NRO’s grassroots health education
program that promotes cultural
diversity in fertility awareness, birth
control, self-examination and
developing positive views of sex
through workshops.
“We’re promoting reproductive
rights and transgender rights as al
lies,” Webster said.
Sam’s Place, Sundance Natural
Foods, Budweiser, HIV Alliance, High
Priestess Piercing, Hilton and several
other businesses sponsored the festi
val this year, and more than 22 other
local companies supported the PRIDE
Festival with donations for two differ
ent raffles. More than 40 booths from
community organizations, some of
them festival contributors, lined the
outer edges of the festival with infor
mation and merchandise.
nwilbur@dailyememld.com
MEETINGS
Equality Network Monthly Meeting
Events affecting the LGBTQ community.
The Baker Downtown Center
10th Avenue and High Street
7 p.m. July 28
ACLU annual membership meeting
Free and open to the public
7 p.m. Oct. 11
Training Center Room, EWEB
500 E. Fourth Ave. Eugene
Contact Polly Nelson: 345-6162
www.aclu-or.org
ORGANIZATIONS
Network for Reproductive Options
P.O. Box 10894
Eugene, OR 97440
www.NR0ptions.org
Office: 345-5702
Hotline: 513-6607
Toll Free: 1-866-355-9100
Log Cabin Republicans
Contact: Derek R. Hanna
Phone: 317-1287
www.wethepeoplecentraloregon.com
Sexual Assault Support Services
"Providing services to victims and survivors
of sexual violence”
24-Hour Crisis/Support Line: 343-7277
Toll Free: 1-800-7884727
IN BRIEF
Lane Independent Living
Alliance 'flies high'
To celebrate the 15th anniver
sary of the Americans with Dis
abilities Act, Lane Independent
Living Alliance will host a per
formance of “Flying High,” a se
ries of four one-act plays by Bjo
Ashwill.
The plays are comedies that
deal with disability issues.
The plays begin at 7:30 p.m. to
day in the Hult Center’s Soreng
Theater. Before the show, at 6:30
p.m., there will b§ a reception in
Studio One hosted by Eugene
Mayor Kitty Piercy. Tickets cost
$15 and can be purchased online
at www.hultcenter.org.
For more information, call Lane
Independent Living Alliance at
(541) 607-7020.
— Gabe Bradley
ISZZ0
AFTER 10 PM SPECIALS
FREE DELIVERY 1809 Franklin Blvd. 284-8484 • Sun-Thu. Ham-Midnight * Fri.-Sat. 11am-1am