1992 ▼ 13
Oregon Supreme Court “Although the argument
is really novel, we still think it’s very sound, and
we will be pursuing it one way or another,” said
Stevie Remington of the ACLU. Remington said
that if the ballot measure remains on the ballot and
is voted into law, the lawyers will challenge its
constitutionality.
Jeff Williamson
Specter of Springfield
measure taints proceedings
Interviews of ten applicants for three open
seats on Springfield’s Human Rights Commis
sion were laden with questions about that city’s
anti-gay-rights measure. Applicants were ques
tioned by members of the Springfield City Coun
cil about their views on the measure and whether
they would follow its intentions. City Council
man Ralf Walters led most of the questioning on
the gay-rights issue, seeking to discern if appli
cants supported the intent of the measure. W alters
and Councilman Larry Schanz publicly admitted
that they would use the issue as a litmus test in
their consideration of candidates for the vacan
cies. Both men said they would work to shift the
commission’s membership to a conservative ma
jority.
None of the applicants said that they would
seek to overturn the measure. However, some
admitted their feelings against the charter amend
ment and their belief that it would be challenged
in the courts. Applicant Joyce Shiro, a Springfield
attorney, commented, “It’s vague and very broad.
So what it means will be what the courts tell us it
will be.” Other applicants said they hoped to
facilitate healing within the community in the
aftermath of the measure’s enactment. Candidate
Darrell Neet, a maintenance supervisor at the
University of Oregon and husband of Loretta
Neet, OCA member and chief petitioner for 20-
OS, spoke freely about his support for the mea
sure. In a written statement he proclaimed he
wanted to be on the panel because “ the rights of
legitimate minorities are being stifled nation
wide, and it is time to halt this descent into social
irresponsibility.”
One of the vacancies arose after Chairwoman
Sydney Kissinger was asked to resign by the
council on June 9. Kissinger had made an unflat
tering reference to Springfield at a statewide
meeting of human rights groups the day after the
four Los Angeles police officers were acquitted in
the beating of Rodney King. LaFay Floyd re
signed some months before. The third open posi
tion is a student seat on the 15-member board.
Jeff Williamson
OCA and Robertson
group link arms
Pat Robertson’s “Christian” soldiers have al
lied themselves with the OCA’s battle to pass
Ballot Measure 9. The Virginia-based political
group, the Christian Coalition, set up an Oregon
charter in mid-August. At the same time, the
group presented its intended moral, financial and
staff support for the OCA’s discriminatory mea
sure.
Earlier, officials from the Christian Coalition
announced that they would give $20,000 to No
Special Rights PAC coffers. Ralph E. Reed Jr.,
executive director of the national Christian “edu
cation” and lobbying group, visited Medford,
Eugene, Salem and Portland. Reed said of Ballot
Measure 9, “It will clearly have an impact on what
will happen in this nation throughout the next
decade.” He said the coalition would be expand
ing its grassroots organization into every state,
adding that in Oregon, the group plans to distrib
ute 500,000 of its voters’ guides and place a full
time lobbyist in Salem for the next legislative
session.
The non-profit group was created out of Pat
Statewide organizations mobilized to fight the OCA
Coos Bay Citizens for Equal Rights, Hany
Viar, 954 Commercial, Coos Bay, OR 97420.
No on Hate, Portland Metro, Sharon Hill,
PO Box 6611, Portland, OR 97229, 222-9885.
No on Hate, Lane County, Alan Brown, 135
N Seneca, Eugene, OR 97402, 688-1601.
Gorge Alliance for Human Dignity, Spike
Livermore, POBox 321, Hood River, OR 97031.
No mi 9, Peggy Norman, PO Box 3343, Port
land, OR 97208,232-4501.
G rants Pass Group, PO Box 182, Grants
Pass, OR 97527.
People for Human Dignity, PO Box 2995, La
Grande, OR 97850.
Columbia County Citizens for Human Dlg-
nity, Marcy Westerling, PO Box 262, St. Helens,
OR 97051.
C orvallis H um an R ights C oalition,
Annabelle Jaramillo, PO Box 1828, Corvallis,
OR 97339,757-1532.
Southern Oregon Human Rights Coalition/
Jackson County, PO Box 3176, Ashland, OR
97520.
Citizens for Human Dignity-Blue Moun-
tain Region, PO Box 152, Pendleton, OR 97801.
Human Rights Coalition, Bob Lobe, 555
Bond St., Astoria, OR 97103,325-8438.
GALA, PO Box 813, Roseburg, OR 97470.
Lambda Eastern Oregon Association, PO
Box 382, Baker City, OR 97814.
Malheur County, Yasha Sitz, PO Box 745,
Ontario, OR 97914, 889-6316.
Newport Citizens for Equal Rights, Tom
Gravon, POBox 1427, Newport, OR 97365,563-
4510.
Columbia County Citizens for Human Dig
nity, Marcy Westerling, POBox 262, St. Helens,
OR 97051.
Tillamook County Citizens for Human Dig
nity, PO Box 763, Tillamook, OR 97141, 842-
1068.
OUTPAC, POBox 5263, Eugene, OR 97405,
687-9226.
Coalition for Human Dignity, Box 40344,
Portland, OR 97240, 232-5070.
Deschutes County, Mike Craven, PO Box
5676. Bend, OR 97701,388-2395.
Klamath County Coalition for Human Dig
nity, 1504 Oregon Ave., Box 7, Klamath Falls,
OR 97601, eves. 882-7531.
Mid-WUlamette Chapter Campaign for a
Hate Free Oregon, Anne Bounds, 1420Bellview,
Salem, OR 97301,399-7025.
Robertson’s unsuccessful bid for president of the
United States in 1988. The Christian Coalition
does not have a political action committee, unlike
many political groups, so they do not report con
tributions and expenditures to the Federal Elec
tions Commission. Currently, the group is being
audited by the Internal Revenue Service.
The OCA and the Christian Coalition will
remain separate organizations. The two groups
have eyed affiliation for more than a year. Lon
Mabon will be the state chairman of the Christian
Coalition. OCA members that will serve on the
board include Darrell Fuller, A1 Mobley, Scott
Lively, Phil Ramsdell and OCA’s Springfield
City Councilwoman Loretta Neet, who champi
oned that city’s anti-gay charter amendment.
Other board numbers include James Atkinson,
the president of Chrome Data Corp. in Portland;
KDOV-M edford General M anager Perry
Atkinson; Stuart Barr, presdient of Indudstrial
Finishes and Systems, of Eugene; Portland real
estate developer Louis Beres; and Bill Witt, presi
dent of Wittco Systems of Tigard and an Oregon
delegate to the Republican National Convention.
us .... This is one more defeat for the OCA,”
claims Rogers.
Lively and OCA lawyer Bruce McCain imme
diately used the occasion to rally support for
Ballot Measure 9. Lively told reporters that the
event would galvanize Measure 9 supporters in
Multnomah County. McCain attacked the court
room presence of Mary Wendy Roberts, saying,
“I think it’s rather telling that in a challenge to a
local ordinance, [the labor bureau] was repre
sented by Mary Wendy Roberts. You have to
wonder what her interests are.” Roberts’ agency
filed a brief in support of the city, and a spokesper
son from her office says that she was pleased with
the ruling. The state labor bureau is the enforce
ment arm of the city ordinance.
McCain said the OCA was not certain whether
they would appeal the ruling. “I think time and
resources are geared to the passage of Measure 9,
which would make this [city ordinance] moot,”
asserted McCain.
Jeff Williamson
OCA loses court fight
After only minutes of deliberation, Multnomah
County Circuit Judge Lee Thomas dismissed an
OCA-supported lawsuit to overturn the Portland
ordinance that prohibits discrimination on the
basis of sexual orientation. The Aug. 27 decision
ended the suit, which was filed late in 1991 by
William Casey, former OCA director for
Multnomah County. OCA spokesman Scott
Lively told the court that Casey was no longer a
member of his organization but that the suit had
been filed on behalf of the OCA. The case was the
first legal challenge seen by the civil-rights ordi
nance, which would become invalid if Ballot
Measure 9 were to pass in November.
Casey’s suit asserted that Portland’s ordinance
is illegal because it is pre-empted by a state civil-
rights statute that does not prohibitdiscrimination
on the basis of either sexual orientation or income,
two areas covered by the city’s ordinance. The
city’s attorney, Jeffrey Rogers, says that local
governments can enact local ordinances to ex
pand on state laws, as long as no conflict exists
between the two, “as long as it goes in the same
direction.” Rogers saw the judge’s ruling as im
portant “The city’s ordinance is precedent-set
ting in this state and is a very important issue for
the many Oregonians who believe that the mea
sure is wrong. “This was a real grassroots effort
from all over this state to fight the measure,” she
commented.
Meanwhile, Lon Mabon claimed that the OCA
had collected 25 voters* pamphlet statements
from several organizations, but that they "lim
ited” themselves to 11 submissions.
Jeff Williamson
GAP speaks out
Cascade AIDS Project has issued a statement
saying Ballot Measure 9 would be “catastrophic”
for Oregonians living with HIV. The statement,
signed by Executive Director Mica Smith, ex
plains that the measure could eliminate govern
ment-funded case management positions and jeop
ardize fundraising efforts. County health clinics
could also be affected.
“Organizations providing these services stand
to lose moneys which support prevention and
outreach programs because they are currently
targeted to gay and bisexual men,” Smith’s state
ment read.
Pro-OCA chaplin ousted
A chaplain at Eastmoreland Hospital claims
he was presented with a forced resignation after
The Oregonian reported he gave money to the
OCA and called homosexuality an “abomina
tion.” David Hardisty said Scripture was the basis
for his anti-gay sentiments.
The Oregonian recently ran an article about
Ballot Measure 9 supporters in which Hardisty
was quoted as saying that gays and lesbians ”... are
not going to see the kingdom of heaven. Plainly,
people who live according to that lifestyle are
thumbing their nose at G od.” Perhaps
Eastmoreland officials felt that his attitude would
prevent him ministering to the spiritual needs of
their gay and lesbian clients.
Hardisty does not plan to pursue any legal
action.
Fighting the OCA more
urgent than party politics
State Reps. Gail Shibley and Beverly Stein
announced at a Democratic fundraiser that they
considered defeating Ballot Measure 9 more im
Jeff Williamson portant than regaining Democratic control of the
House.
“I’d rather have [House] Speaker Courtney
Bye-Bye, SLAPP
than [House] Speaker Campbell,” said Shibley.
The suit filed by Paul de Parrie against almost “The last I heard, conventions aren’t coming
every liberal in Portland (as well as the city of here, and people aren’t turning back at the borders
Portland) was thrown out of court. DeParrie could because Larry Campbell is speaker. He just
always appeal the ruling, but it is thought that he doesn’t enjoy that prestige.”
won’t Several countersuits are being considered
at this time. Only four OCA supporters were in
the courtroom to hear the dismissal. The room Not your everyday
was filled with many supporters of the defen shopping trip
dants, including people from Seattle.
The Hundredth Monkey Theater Collective of
Portland is staging a series of theater actions in
Oregon’s biggest voters’
Portland metro-area shopping malls in an effort to
educate people about the negative implications of
pamphlet ever
the OCA’s BallotMeasure 9. The feminist theater
They came in by the dozens. Lon Mabon group will tour the malls and stage impromptu
jealously called them “overkill.” Whether voters and scripted conversations “in the hopes that
will read them all or not, the number of voters’ innocent, yet nosey bystanders will overhear our
pamphlet statements against Ballot Measure 9 stories and begin to think about the ramifications
broke records at the secretary of state’s office. if Ballot Measure 9 passes, ” says Laura Graves,
More than 40 statements against the measure met collective member and actress.
the submission requirements, in contrast to 11
Individuals who wish to join the group’s mall
statements supporting the measure. Groups rang actions or other collective projects should call
ing from ACT UP/Columbia to the National Or 284-1705 for a complete update on planned ac
ganization of Women to the Oregon Psychiatric tivities. Graves adds, “No prior theatrical experi
Association submitted statements against Ballot ence is required. We will provide a brief training
Measure 9, as well as numerous businesses and before the mall actions, but you need only give a
few hours, if that’s all you can commit”
individuals.
Jeff Williamson
Sherry Oeser, chairwoman of the No on 9
campaign, called the statements a cross section of