Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (Aug. 1, 1991)
1 4 ▼ A u g u s t 1 9 9 1 ▼ Ju s t o u t Lodging - where mountain meets sea Brainstorming session See Vue 95590 Highway 101 6.2 miles south of Yachats, Oregon 97498 ( 503 ) 547-3227 Reservations Recommended The first statewide gathering drew over 150 people to develop strategies to defeat OCA-sponsored initiative T Please & thank you aren't: the only magic words: When supporting our advertisers mention Just Out. W o rkin g Tow ard a Just Society Mark Kramer Andrew Toth-Fejel KRAM ER & TO TH-FEJEL A TTO R N EY S • Adoption and Family Law • Domestic Partnership Issues • Bankruptcy • AIDS Issues • Felony and Misdemeanor Defense • Workplace Concerns • Disability/Social Security Evening appointments Free parking Brochure & Reservations C all « 0 0 962-0186 960 Camino Paracela Palm Springs, CA 92262 619 327-6413 243-2733 506 SW 6th, Suite 510 Portland, OR 97204 SUBSCRI BE For just $17.50 (bulk rate) or $30 (first class) you can receive ju st out for one year, at your home or office. N am e___________________________________________ Address ............................ City/State/Zip - just out PO Box 15117, Portland, OR 97215 • 503/236-1252 KNOW WHAT YOU’RE BUYING « * ‘ Complete automotive service of foreign and domestic cars and light trucks - Free Ride to MAX • USED VEHICLE INSPECTIONS. • CONVENIENT BUS ROUTES. G&M Automotive Inc. PDX Automotive 6006 E Burnside • Portland Phone 231-8486 Gerard Uttte 5934 N.E. Halsey • Portland Phone 282-3315 Michael Cox "Mechanics With A Conscience" by Inga Sorensen n estimated 150 lesbians, gays, and their supporters congregated re cently in a Salem church basement to share ideas and information about how to defeat a proposed ballot ini tiative that seeks to amend the state constitution to declare homosexuality a “perversion.” The July 20 collective brainstorming session attracted civil rights supporters from across Oregon, mark ing the first statewide gathering designed to bring together diverse constituencies and begin to de velop strategies to defeat the Oregon Citizens Alliance-sponsored initiative. Members of the Portland Lesbian Choir kicked off the five-hour meeting at the First Congregational Church by providing song and inspiration. Participants then listened to an abridged history of the conservative OCA, shared ideas about possible barriers to creating a successful anti-initiative campaign, pondered ways to overcome those barriers, and discussed the pros and cons of a proposed campaign struc ture. The gathering was organized by the Interim Anti-OCA Measure Organizing Group, a collec tion of various organizations ranging from the Right to Privacy PAC and American Civil Lib erties Union, to the National Leather Association and Queer Nation. Representatives from reli gious groups, social organizations, labor unions, and non-gay supportive groups such as Parents and Friends o f Lesbians and Gays, were also among those on hand. The need to respect such diversity was, in fact, a re-emerging concern among participants at the meeting. Many stressed that it is essential that gays and lesbians “not trash one another” and instead unite to defeat the OCA. Many also called for forming solid bonds with others both within our community, and non-gay population as well. Scot Nakagawa of the Coalition for Human Dignity, a group that monitors extremist, rightwing organizations such as the OCA: “The OCA’s most recent act of forming pro-troop ral lies during the Gulf War was the most significant step they have taken to broaden the scope of is sues they are involved with. They’ve legitimized themselves to a larger audience...they are now in a much more popular position than they have been in the past,” explained Nakagawa. He added that during the OCA’s four-year existence, it has opposed state-aided pre-kindergarten pro grams, state divestment from South Africa, pa rental leave measures, reproductive freedoms, and basic civil rights for lesbians and gays. “What the OCA does is work to create these voter blocks, which they then use to leverage themselves into different positions of power.” The scheme, he says, is paying off. “When the OCA ran its vice-chair A1 Mobley as its pro-life, independent candidate for governor last election, they did so to punish the Republican Party’s candidate David Frohnmcycr for not taking anti- choice, anti-gay stances. They split the Repub lican vote and gave Barbara Roberts the election. That move gave them the political clout to make alliances with the Republican Party." Political observers agree, pointing to Oregon Senator Robert Packw ood's recent dialogues with the OCA. Many believe that Packwood, who is pro-choice, is attempting to appease the group so it doesn’t run a candidate and possibly split the vote during his re-election bid. Nakagawa adds that the OCA is extremely A effective in appealing to disenfranchised citizens who yearn for “ the good old days” that never really existed. “Their No Special Rights cam paign is sort of the kick in the ass that gets them going,” he says. "The traditional family values concept is the carrot that continues to lead them forward.” Remember, too, that appeal seemingly reached into the hearts and minds of the 586,311 Oregonians who voted in favor of Ballot Meas ure 8. W hile N akagaw a’s m essage was a serious one, his presentation didn’t appear to leave par ticipants with a sense o f hopelessness. In fact, shortly following that analysis, the audience split into smaller groups where members engaged in enthusiastic, active dialogue about possible bar riers to creating an effective anti-initiative cam paign, and ways to overcom e those barriers. Among the most commonly mentioned barriers were the lack o f coalition-building and organiz ing skills among the gay and lesbian community, internalized homophobia, apathy, a lack of clear, unified message and strategy, poor media access, questions about how to handle divisive issues, and the problem of community in-fighting. Proposals to build a strong, unified campaign, meanwhile, included the need to respect diver sity, create coalitions, conduct outreach cam paigns to rural areas, conduct a media blitz espe cially in the counties where Ballot Measure 8 won, encourage active participation among sup porters within the religious and business commu nities, and develop effective lines of communica tion among all the groups involved in the cam paign. Toward the end o f the meeting, organization representatives discussed the merits of a specific campaign structure proposal put on the table by some members of the interim organizing com mittee. With the aid o f a hired campaign con sultant, those members drew up a draft that out lines a four-pronged campaign structure. It calls for the creation o f a grassroots network consist ing primarily of individuals working on a volun teer basis. Under the plan there would also be a Coalition Council composed of designated repre sentatives from all supportive organizations statewide. Its role would include recruiting new organizations, holding regular statewide meet ings, developing an appropriate form of internal communication, and activating and informing its memberships. There would also be a Technical Group composed of people with campaign expe rience and “demonstrated political and organiz ing savvy.” It would hire a campaign manager, and essentially make the decisions about the campaign's strategy, budget, and media and fun draising plans. Finally, additional staff would be brought on to help with various aspects of the campaign. Reaction to the proposal was mixed. Some said it was better than no structure at all, while others questioned whether the plan was demo cratic enough. Many stressed the importance of trusting the individuals who would be making the decisions. While the plan is just a preliminary proposal, Right to Privacy’s Welch says she’d like to see a campaign structure in place by the end of Sep tember, at which point the Interim Anti-OCA Measure Organizing Group will dissolve. Until then, anyone interested in becoming involved in the interim committee should contact the Right to Privacy PAC at 228-5825.