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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (July 1, 1994)
ju s « o u t ▼ July 1. 19© 4 ▼ 13 he new face at Right to Privacy may be a Jackson said. “And we have two more running.” familiar one to some Portland residents. A Right to Privacy will continue education, lob former local television news reporter and bying and outreach efforts throughout the state producer, Greg Jackson became the executive di under Jackson’s leadership. rector of the civil rights group in April. Right to “My vision is to let people know that gays, Privacy advocates full lesbians and bisexu civil rights, human als are in every walk rights and social equity of life,” Jackson said. for lesbians, gay men “By being out, we can and bisexuals by in break a lot of stereo forming and educating types. For som e policy-makers and the people, th a t’s public. It has been in spooky—but it’s im portant to have role existence 13 years. models, and to remain Jackson says that visible, to let people civil rights work is know that gays and very much like media lesbians are not so work. “You’re craft threatening.” ing a message, and Right to Privacy getting it out to the is planning a fund public,” Jackson said. raising event July 10. He added that, with the Tickets to the Garden radical right groups Party are $25, and distributing informa Jackson expects 300 tion about gay men, to 400 people to at lesbians and bisexual tend. Local politi people, “Our job is to cians will speak, and balance that effort, and the party is a chance to get the correct in for those in atten formation out there.” dance to talk to their Right to Privacy elected officials. seeks to take a pro-ac “You do have ac tive role in Oregon cess,” Jackson said. politics, Jackson said. “I was lucky, in that The group supports Greg Jackson people invited me to gay and lesbian candi get involved in the po dates as well as those litical process—before, I was intimidated. straight candidates who are supportive of sexual “But it’s all of our responsibilities to become minority rights. The group also writes legislative involved. Politically, the gay, lesbian and bi bills and works to get them passed. sexual movement needs to have everyone in “Change takes time," Jackson said. “It takes a volved in making phone calls, giving their time, long time to change the hearts and minds of stuffing envelopes, walking door to door. It's not people.” But, he added, the five openly gay legis a thing that’s up to somebody else— it’s up to lators in Oregon are proof that change is possible. every one of * j s .” “No other state has this level of elected officials,” zaaz T Washington campaigns go ail-out to keep initiatives off ballot A statewide effort is underway to prevent dis criminatory initiatives from getting on the ballot in Washington. Leading these efforts is Hands Off Washington, a group that learned from Oregon’s fight over Measure 9, according to spokesman Robert Harkins. “We’re very excited at the energy and the progress we’ve been mak ing,” Harkins said. “We learned a lesson from the No on 9 campaign.” Harkins said the Wash ington group started their efforts early and targeted their cam paign on nonurban areas. The state wide group has 30 coali tion councils around the state, including a chapter across the riverfrom Portland in Vancouver, Wash. The Vancouver-based chapter is the Southwest Washington Coalition Council. Headed by Arlene Blair, the group welcomes Oregon volunteers for fund-raising efforts and voter-identification drives. For more information call (206) 696-1002. Statewide, Hands Off Washington has aired some television ads during newscasts. The ads, which were also seen by viewers in the Portland area, define the two initiatives as seeking to pro mote and legalize discrimination against sexual minorities. The recent efforts have been aimed at educat ing people about the initiatives, to try to prevent them from reaching the November ballot. If enough signatures are gathered to get the initiatives on the ballot, campaign efforts will be switched to defeat ing them at the polls. Two groups are organizing the initiatives. The Citizens Alliance of Washington, spearheaded by Lon Mabon’s Oregon Citizens Alliance, is collect ing signatures for one initiative, while the Wash ington Public Affairs Council is collecting signa tures for another. Both groups must file their peti tions with the state by July 8. The two initiatives are very similar, Harkins said. Both would legalize discrimination by undo ing current laws and preventing future protections based on sexual orientation. Both would prevent schools from presenting homosexu ality in anything but a nega tive light. In addition, Initiative 608, sponsored by the Washington Public Affairs Council, seeks to prevent gay men and lesbians from having custody of their own children. Initiative 610, sponsored by the Citizens Alliance of Wash ington, includes an attack on transgender people and is seen as trying to prevent same-sex marriages though its definition of “natural gender.” “We’ll know after July 8 whether one of them, none of them, or both of them make the ballot,” Harkins said. He added that Lon Mabon’s group, the Citizens Alliance of Washington, had been very quiet during the signature-gathering process. The other group has been gathering signatures in churches and through organizations opposed to gun control, and recently has been showing up in malls, he added. Martha Allen cMrfù VETERINARY CLINIC PROFESSIONAL v PERSONALIZED v QUALITY CARE Fo r Over 25 Years 292-0149 10211 SW PARKWAY PEL F. ORCHARD P.V.M. Com plete Medical, Surgical & Dental Care For Your Dog Or Cat X-RAY • LABORATORY • VACCINES • BOARDING EMERGENCY CARE • PREVENTATIVE CARE Open MTWF 8-5 30 • THUR 8-7 30 • SAT 8 30-1 00 ONT BROADW 2300 NE BROADWAY • PORTLAND 2Ô4-2300 THOMAS M. 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