ju s t o u t ▼ July 2 1 . 1 0 9 9 T 9
How is YOUR money being spent?
It’s time YOU make a conscious decision where to spend YOUR money.
Tit for tat
A Seattle writer takes initiative in highlighting
the unfairness of a discriminatory measure
▼
by Inga Sorensen
s far as the movers and shakers of this
to the next generation.”
country’s political system are con­
Humphrey says, “I say ‘malicious mayhem’
cerned, there’s two types of people
because the right wing urges people to harass
making up the majority of voters: the
abortion clinics, and as for recruiting, when’s the
lazy and the crazy,” writes William
last time a gay person came to your door at 8 am
Steven Humphrey in the June 14 issue and
of tried
The to convert you?”
Stranger, an alternative Seattle newsweekly (simi­
He adds, ‘T ve had some straight people ask me
lar to the Portland-based weekly PDXS). “The
why I feel the need to do this, and I tell them that
former group is typified by their dislike of the way
this isn’t just about gays and lesbians—this is
our system is run, and just as determined to let
about the right wing trying to restrict all people’s
someone else fix it. The latter is known for their
rights except their own. We have to get involved so
willingness to stomp around in the freezing rain
this doesn’t happen.”
carrying signs, trying to palm dead fetuses to the
Sam Woodard, the CAW’s executive director,
President, even laying down their lives (or, prefer­
reportedly called Humphrey’s initiative “a joke”
ably, someone else’s) for their staunch belief in a
which “couldn’t hold up in any court of law [be­
single vague Bible verse or liberally interpreted
cause] it is directly against the Constitution and
constitutional amendment. Now, decide: To which
freedom of religion.”
camp do you belong?”
Woodard won’t, in fact, have to worry about a
No longer content to be a member of Camp
court challenge because Humphrey did not gather
Lazy, Humphrey recently decided to give thecrazies
enough signatures by the July 7 deadline. Never­
a run for their money—
theless, the journalist says
w hile sim ultaneously
his experiment has been quite
highlighting the unfair­
jgj; a success.
ness of an anti-gay initia­
“We filed the initiative
tive and, hopefully, com­
on June 1, and we didn’t get
pelling his “young, hip”
our ballot title and number
readership to get more
if until the end of June. We
involved in the political
only had until July 7 to gather
arena. And he did so by
more than 181,000 signatures
using a potent blend of
to get the initiative on the
satire, the published word
November 1996 ballot,” he
and the Northwest’s easy-
says. “With only one week to
to-access initiative pro­
collect signatures, however,
cess. In June, Humphrey,
we gathered 5,000 signatures
a self-described hetero­
and received the support of
sexual who originally
more than 400 volunteers.”
hails from the Deep South
He adds, “This caught on
(and a deeply religious
| like wildfire. I’ve gotten
background), filed an ini­
rgj media inquiries from all
tiative in Washington that
|; across the country, from Out
would bar state agencies
magazine to The New York
from placing children in the custody of anyone
Times. I’ve been on numerous radio talk shows.
who “practices right-wing fundamentalist Chris­
This has been a success because we’ve been able to
tianity.” The 33-year-old reporter filed the initia­
show how hypocritical the right wing is—and
tive as part of a Stranger story he was working on
we’ve done so to a national audience.”
that described how the initiative process works.
This isn’t the first time satire has been used
“I decided to do a story about how to draft and
during an anti-gay campaign. In 1992 during
file an initiative,” explains the amiable Humphrey,
Oregon’s angry struggle over Ballot Measure 9, a
an Alabama twang still quite discernible. “I also
group calling itself the Special Righteousness
thought it was important to highlight in a satirical
Committee (spoofing the name of the measure’s
way just how discriminatory Initiative 167 is.”
sponsor, the No Special Rights Committee) filed
Initiative 167 is an anti-sexual-minority-rights
an initiative petition that would have written all of
initiative being pushed by the Citizens Alliance of
the biblical Book of Leviticus into Oregon’s Con­
Washington, a spin-off of the Oregon Citizens
stitution, not just the proscription against homo­
Alliance. That measure would restrict adoptions
sexuality in Leviticus 18:22. The committee said
by gay men and lesbians. “All I did was substitute
Leviticus prohibited eating pork or shellfish, shav­
‘right-wing fundamentalist Christianity’ in the
ing, and wearing clothes made from more than one
places where ‘homosexual’ was,” he says.
kind of material—in addition to homosexuality
Humphrey’s initiative defines people who prac­
and adultery—and thus these practices should also
tice “right-wing fundamentalist Christianity” as
be outlawed.
“any person who believes the Bible in its entirety
Like Humphrey, the Special Righteousness
is the unarguable word of God, and based upon
Committee failed to gather enough signatures but
their interpretations of biblical scripture places
managed to draw attention to other people’s at­
negative moral judgments on individuals of dis­
tempts to make their personal morality into public
similar beliefs or sexual orientation, applies their
policy.
interpretations to form extreme political agendas,
What the two have also done is add fuel to the
and willingly self-identifies with the aforemen­
increasingly fiery debate over reforming the initia­
tioned beliefs.”
tive process.
A flier accompanying one of the petitions urges
“Here in the Northwest, you can’t swing a dead
citizens to “Stop the fundamentalist Christian right
cat without smacking some wild-ass group writing
wing from adopting children [because] right wing
a new loopy initiative, and it’s easy to see why they
fundamentalist Christians have a documented his­
enjoy it so much,” writes Humphrey. “Filing an
tory of malicious mayhem; [they] actively recruit
initiative is quite the easiest way of mainlining
and deny their children the freedom of religious
your crackpot idea into the vein of state govern­
choice; and [they] pass their legacy of hatred down
ment, and what’s more, itdrives the ‘lazies’ crazy!”
A
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