14 ▼ Ju ly 1 9 9 2 ▼ ju s t out
oca w a tch
Petition drive deadline nears,
Bigot Busting continues
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July 3 is the day that the Oregon Citizens
Alliance needs to have the required 89,028 signa­
tures delivered to the office of the Secretary of
State in order to place their initiative amending
the state constitution on the November ballot. The
group has also been sponsoring an initiative re­
quiring voter approval for all new tax or fee
increases. The ÒCA has been unavailable to com­
ment on the status of their initiatives since a June
1992 release which indicated that they have “only
half as many signatures as needed statewide.”
The Bigot Busters have continued their work,
scouting out signature gathering sites and dis­
patching their group members. Reportedly, OCA
gathered signatures at the Rose Festival Parade,
and the Rose Festival Air Show at Hillsboro
airport.
Bob Ralphs, coordinator of Bigot Busters,
submitted advertisements to radio stations KUPL
and KWJJ but the two country western stations
refused to air the 60 second spots. Ralphs had the
money to pay for the ads. He says that the ads were
requests for support of Bigot Busting and inquir­
ies to anyone who felt that they had been misled
into signing the petition with misinformation and
lies.
National leather community
addresses OCA threat
In a recent news release from the National
Leather Association’s International Advisory
Council, the group stated that at their May 25
meeting in Chicago they “voted unanimously to
make as its number one goal defeat of the Oregon
Citizen Alliance’s current petition drive, and de­
feat of a similar measure slated for Colorado’s
November ballot.”Over2,000 activists from North
America and beyond, converged in Chicago for
the meeting and the International Mr. Leather
Contest.
K.T. Chase and Susie Shepherd mailed out
information to NLA activists, disseminated in­
formation in conference packets, and addressed
the council about the current political situation
with the OCA in Oregon. “The OCA is trying to
pit one minority against another.” says Chase.
Chase and Shepherd are continuing to inform the
international leather community about the OCA,
providing materials for fundraisers and anti-OCA
T-shirts for titleholders to wear in their travels.
Says Chase, “I am truly proud of the lcatherfolks ’
strong show of solidarity with our diverse gay and
lesbian communities across the nation.”
Definitely not a class act
WAYNE BOULETTE
TRAVEL CONSULTANT
Kaz Travel Services , Inc .
1975 .VIV First Avenue, Suite K
Portland, Oregon 97201
(503) 223-45H5 FAX 223-2361
Toll Free 1-800-637-3874
Motions to dismiss the civil action brought by
Paul C. deParrie against the City of Portland, Fred
Meyer, Right to Privacy PAC, Campaign for a
Hate Free Oregon, Lesbian Community Project,
No on Hate PAC, Bigot Busters, Queer Nation/
Portland, Radical Women, Charles Hinkle, Tom
Potter, Katie Potter, Cheryl Perron, Donna Red
Wing. Sherry Ocser, Bob Ralphs, Tom Strong
(sic), John Baker, and Adrienne Weller will be
heard Tuesday, July 7, 9:30 am at the United
States District Courthouse, 620 SW Main, Room
71. Judge Robert Jones will be presiding.
The plaintiff, deParrie, is seeking a total of $ 12
million in punitive damages from the defendants.
The defendants are anticipating the dismissal
of the civil action.
OCA springs bomber
Although group leaders regularly claim that
they are “against violence in any form,” the
Oregon Citizens Alliance recently bailed one of
its members out of jail. Greg Lathrop had an
outstanding warrant for federal charges of unlaw­
BY JEFF WILLIAMSON
ful manufacture and possession of explosive de­
vices, as well as the reckless endangerment of
others. Lathrop was arrested on April 28 at the
Beaverton Mali for trespassing charges. Lathrop
was at the shopping center gathering signatures
for the group’s anti-gay ballot measure, and
refused to leave when asked by security agents at
the mall. The OCA bailed Lathrop out with money
raised by the group for its statewide No Special
Rights campaign.
Apparently, the outstanding charges on Lathrop
arose from a 1990 raid on his home in Aloha, by
agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and
Firearms. Lathrop also has a prior conviction
from 1985 for manufacture and possession of
methamphetamines. After the incident, Lon
Mabon told the press that the OCA did not know
about Lathrop’s outstanding charges, but that the
group felt that they should pay his bail since he
was arrested circulating their petition.
Needless to say, OCA petition gatherers are no
longer welcome at the Beaverton Mall.
OCA plans party in Salem
Town Center. Judge Raymond Bagley Jr. barred
all petitioners from collecting signatures for 10
days. Clackamas Town Center representatives
said they had received over 140 calls from people
complaining about the OCA petition gatherers,
and that businesses were suffering as a result.
Clackamas Town Center could use a few sup­
portive calls about now. Call 653-6913.
Librarians show solid
support
The Oregon Library Association, and its mem­
bers, jumped into the fight against the OCA’s
statewide initiative campaign.
In news conferences in Corvallis, Springfield
and Portland, the association announced its fight.
Ginnie Cooper, director of the Multnomah
County Library, said members of the board feared
that “basic civil rights would be taken away by the
OCA initiative.”
The group had numerous books on display to
illustrate the depth of written works that would be
banned if the OCAs initiative were to become
law. Some of the books shown were children’s
books, books for teens and classics by Walt
Whitman.
According to the State Fairgrounds Office in
Salem, the Oregon Citizens Alliance has made
reservations to use those facilities this summer.
The group plans to meet there on July 18. Sources
speculate that the right-wing group plans to hold
its convention at that time, possibly to prepare United Springfield
Simultaneously with the enactment of the new
endorsements for candidates in the November
elections. As usual, the OCA was unavailable for anti-gay rights ordinance, a group of Springfield
comment to a Just Out query.
citizens have started a petition drive to put a
measure on the November ballot that would re­
peal the charter amendment To get the measure
on the ballot petitioners need to collect 1,928
signatures by July 22, says the City Recorder’s
office.
Jesse Maine, a member of the city planning
commission, is the chief petitioner. Maine and 17
supporters, who include City Councilor Bruce
Berg and former planning commission member
Greg Shaver, have formed a group known as
United Springfield.
The group will work to have their measure
replace the Oregon Citizens Alliance’s charter
amendment that was approved by voters on May
.0
19. United Springfield’s measure seeks a “com­
promise” for the nearly 54 percent of Springfield
who approved the amendment. If passed,
Springfield ordinance faces voters
the OCA’s amendment would be repealed, but a
city
wide vote would be required before any new
initial challenges
group would be granted civil rights protection.
“These are offensive things to conservative
people,” says Larry Allwander, the Lane County
director of the Oregon Citizens Alliance. The “ Selective Shopping” a
“things” Allwander and the OCA do not condone
are the books Heather Has Two Mommies, wise investment
Daddy’s Roommate , and The Duke Who Out­
In response to the recent passage of the Or­
lawed Jellybeans. The former two books were egon Citizens Alliance’s anti-gay rights ballot
donated to the Public Library of Springfield by measure 20-08 in Springfield, a group of local
OUTPAC and the newly named anti-OCA group, community activists have inaugurated what they
the Traditional Families’ Values Coalition. The term a “selective shopping” campaign. As part of
third book has been on the shelves of the library the campaign, supportive businesses can place a
since March. The two groups also staged a public small sign in their window which simply states:
reading of the books in the Springfield Utility “This Establishment Honors Diversity.” "The
Office on June 18 in an event billed as one to signs, provided free to any interested business,
“facilitate, promote, and encourage homosexual­ encourages all individuals who are concerned
ity,” says Scott Seibert of OUTPAC.
about the current state of human and civil rights in
Seibert adds, “Once people see the books for Lane County to patronize those businesses which
themselves they’ll laugh. They are the most in­ have recognized the value of diversity within our
nocuous books imaginable.” Lane County OCA community,” according to Alan Gossett, spokes­
officials apparently don’t view the books as such, person for the community coalition sponsoring
and immediately denounced the donations. The the campaign.
OCA said it would enter the dispute only if a
“We see this as an extension of ‘ethical invest­
Springfield citizen were to formally challenge the ing’ which has been going on for years for envi­
books, according to Allwander. “[We] would take ronmental and ‘global’ human rights issues,
it all the way to the United States Supreme Court, Gossett said in reference to the campaign.
if necessary,” said All wander, indicating that the
According to Gossett, the Selective Shopping
OCA would willingly finance a major lawsuit.
campaign is a very ‘proactive’ step in the fight for
equal rights in our society.
For further information about how you or your
OCA gets the ax [again!
company can participate in the Selective Shop­
This time the Oregon Citizens Alliance whs ping campaign, contact Gossett at 343-3838.
banned from one of its major “digs." Clackamas
'