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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 21, 1994)
12 ▼ 2 1 . 1 W 4 ▼ ju st ou « local news FANTASY FOR ADULTS ONLY PRESENTS Out in the cold? -------------Michael Gabrielson C O N FID EN TIA L Lila A D isability Incoma lasaran«# Planning (5 0 3 )2 2 8 -1 3 9 3 @ Connecticut Mutual The Blue Chip Company THE PARTY CONTINUES!!! A B E N E FIT FOR THE BRINKER FUND ESTHER’S PANTRY FRIENDS OF PWA FOUNDATION DEEJAYS B « IJE R R Y MILLER & PATRICK JARVIS FIR ST PRIZE * AN E X C ITIN G W EEK EN D FOR T W O AT by Inga Sorensen re gay men and lesbians throughout Portland being denied housing due to their sexual orientation? Maybe, at least according to an organization that Fields housing discrimination claims. “W e’ve had several people call to say thought they had been evicted or denied a renting opportunity because of their sexual orientation,” says Pam Slaughter, a fair housing specialist for the Portland Housing Center, a private, nonprofit organization that provides a host of housing- related services. “ In most of these cases these people are gay or lesbian, but a few were simply perceived to be gay.” Under a pilot program approved last year by the Portland City Council, the Portland Housing Center became the starting point for discrimination com plaints in Multnomah County. According to Slaugh ter, the center receives the initial calls from people who think they may have been discriminated against, and then refers the cases to Multnomah County Legal Aid. “A typical case may in volve two women who show up together to take a look at a rental apartment. The land lord assumes they are lesbi ans and chooses to rent to someone else,” she says. “We had one case where a young man had already moved into an apartment. The landlady seemed to love him at first. T w o w eeks a fte r he m oved in, she commented on how sparse his apartment was and wanted to know when he was going to get some more furniture. He told her he was planning to do that when his boyfriend moved up from San Francisco. Two days later the man received a ‘no cause’ eviction notice.” According to Slaughter, landlords can issue 30-day “ with cause” eviction notices which cite the reasons for evicting a tenant, or “no cause” notices, in which the landlord is not required to cite the cause. She says during the past year she has Filed 50 claims o f housing discrimination based on familial status (for example, parents claim landlords w on’t rent to them because they have children); about 40 race-based claims; and 15 sexual orientation claims. State and federal laws ban housing discrimina tion on the basis o f race, sex, age, national origin, marital status and religion. A Portland city ordi nance also bans discrimination on the basis of A sexual orientation, source o f income and age. After handling the intake calls, the Portland Housing C enter passes the cases on to Legal Aid, which works with state and federal agencies to track and investigate housing discrimination claims involving protected groups in M ultnomah County. they The Housing Center, which serves low- to moder ate-income citizens, can only handle sexual orien tation cases involving Portland residents because it is the only locality within M ultnomah County to legally bar housing discrimination based on sexual orientation. “I’ve dealt with a handful o f [sexual orienta tion-based] cases,” says Hannah Callaghan, super visor o f M ultnomah County Legal A id’s housing unit. “There were more cases, but because these folks didn’t live in Portland, they were not a protected class. Basically there was nothing we could do.” According to Callaghan, most of the Portland cases have been resolved. “Many o f those cases involved a landlord send ing the tenant an eviction notice. In m ost o f these cases a fte r intervention from either ourselves or BOLI [the state Bureau of Labor and Industries, which has contracted with the city to investigate sexual orientation discrimination claims], the landlord has withdrawn the eviction notice.” Legal Aid also works with the U.S. Department o f Housing and Urban Development, a federal agency that investigates housing discrimination claims. Because there are no federal protections based on sexual orientation, HUD will not handle discrimination claims based on sexual orientation. Callaghan says, “ I would imagine this is a bigger problem than the numbers would indicate. For one, a lot o f people aren’t sure where to go when they think they ’ ve been discriminated against. Secondly, unless a landlord says something bla tant, it’s really difFicult to test for sexual orienta tion discrimination. And, o f course, if you are gay and you don’t live in a place that has approved housing protections, you’re basically stuck. You can be discrim inated against and there’s nothing you can do.” If you think you may have been discriminated against in housing, contact the Portland Housing Center at (503) 282-7744. If you are gay and you don’t live in a place that has approved housing protections , you ’re basically stuck. SATURDAY OCT. 29TH N W. 13TH AND HOYT 8PM TILL 1:30PM THEME COSTUME CONTEST A local agency can help Portlanders with bias-based rental or eviction problems ▼ M L W A THE VERSAILLES IN PALM S P R IN G S TIC K ETS $18 IN A D VANC E $ 2 0 AT T H E DO O R AVAILABLE AT: FANTASY FOR ADULTS ONLY, 23RD AVE. BOOKS, 310 HAIR DESIGN, JELLY BEAN, C C. SLAUGHTERS, EMBERS, JOQ’S, TURNTABLE MARYS, BALLOONS IN A BOX & ALL FASTIXX OUTLETS 21 AND OVER ONLY SPONSORED IN PART BY HYBRID STYLE BIKE UPRIGHT BARS. COMFORTABLE SADDLE. THE PERFECT CITY BIKE WITH STYLE! CARIBOU RESERVE AMBER ALE KODIAK REG $399 $ 375 ! SUSPENSION THAT'S FUN BUT NOT SPENDY - 18 SPEEDS A READY TO GOI f OH' - msSaffl PRODUCED BY BLACKOUT PRODUCTIONS CHECH OUR 1 2 MONTH SERVICE POLICY B l* IT SAVES YOU MONEY TIME A GRIEF OdWMTOWM US S I 1SU12MSJS » U l i OSKSO SI I STATE ST I » 4121 Coastal mayor proclaims “I’m no racist” Lincoln City’s mayor says he hopes assertions that he is a racist will Finally be put to rest following the recent passage o f a city council resolution condemning intolerance and discrimination. “ I’m no racist. Things just got blown out o f shape, that’s all,” says 73-year-old Sam Cribbs, who has been Lincoln City’s mayor for the past six years. Cribbs came under fire in August after he made what many feel was a racist remark while on a local radio talk show. Cribbs, who had previously been involved in a recall effort o f four city councilors after they voted to cut the city attorney’s budget— a move Cribbs opposed— says he simply became angry at a particular caller. Two days before, the caller, Jack Byrnes, had a letter published in the local newspaper criticizing the mayor and the recall effort. Bymes reportedly called in to the radio talk program and challenged Cribbs to hold more town meetings. At that point, Cribbs says he became agitated and remarked, “L et’s get to a white man.” “I guess I should have ju st called him a son of a bitch instead,” Cribbs reflects. “I had a slip of the tongue. That happens to everybody.” “ It was ju st incredible,” says Lincoln City resident Jim Boyer. “ I understand that h e’s part of the good o l’ boys network and has been involved in small-town politics for 30 years, but that’s no excuse for that type of rem ark.” Oct. 10, the Lincoln City Council approved a resolution denouncing bigotry, which Cribbs says he “totally supports.” For his part, Boyer says he wants city ofFicials to do more than simply pass a resolution. “How about we strive for real change?” he says. “ I’d like to see a city-sponsored multicultural festival or something along those lines. A resolution is a First step, but it really doesn’t do m uch.” inga Sorenson
