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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 20, 1995)
ju st out T oc to bur 20. 1005 ▼ 0 Goin' to the courtroom of love R o seto w n R a m b le r s pr esen t Two H a l l o w e e n D a n c e s D A new coalition vows not to part until same-sex marriages are recognized as legal partnerships ▼ IS C O D IS G U IS E A 7 0 S R E T R O DISCO by Bob Roehr he National Freedom to Marry Coa lition kicked off its activities with a press teleconference on Oct. 2. The coalition’s aim is “to win and keep the freedom to marry for same-gen der couples.” It is being prodded by Lewin, the Hawaii "gay marriage” lawsuit. Some come reluctantly to the issue. Lorri Jean, executive director of the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Community Services Center, counted herself among those “many activists [who] have not always been hot on the marriage issue.... We would not be doing this effort if it were not for the Hawaii case. “However, we recognized that whether we liked it or not, this case was like a train coming down the tracks. It would not be stopped. It was going to arrive sooner or later, and we had two choices: do nothing or prepare.” Evan Wolfson, an attorney with the Lambda Defense and Education Fund and co-counsel in the Hawaii case, sees victory in the court. That is because of the preliminary rulings by the Hawaii Supreme Court that the state must pass “strict & HOST RIDERS IN DISGOIS A HALLOW EEN H OEDOW N WITH LIVE D.J.S S aturday , O ctober 2 8 ,1 9 9 5 10:00PM T 0 1:30 AM D oors O pen 9:30PM CASH BAR PHOTO BY BOB ROEHR T effectively [including judges and legislators], we cannot wait until the question has been called. We must first create a climate of receptivity.” “One of our biggest opponents is ignorance,” believes Donald Suggs, associate director of the Gay and Baehr v. Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation. ‘Truth will be our biggest weapon. “Once Americans understand what an impor tant role marriage plays in supporting relation ships and families, it becomes clear why the decision to marry must belong to the couples themselves and not to the state.” He cited the historic context where interracial marriage was prohibited by some state laws until the U.S. Supreme Court struck them down in the 1967 case Loving v. Virginia. He believes the prohibition of same-sex marriages will one day be just as much of a historic relic as are those old statutes. Laurie McBride, executive director of LIFE, California’s lesbian, gay and AIDS lobby, raised the specter of backlash from the religious right. “There are those who will use this as an excuse to attack all of our hard-won civil rights, from hate C T i i S mS i 21 AND OVER $ 5.00 ADVANCE $ 7.50 AT DOOR T iffany C enter 1410 SW M orrison P ortland OR Members o f the National Freedom to Marry Coalition scrutiny” in showing a “compelling reason” to discriminate against a person’s choice of whom to marry. The case will be argued next July, and appeals will likely continue into 1997. “Litigation alone cannot secure people ’ s equal ity,” said Wolfson. “For us to not just win but also defend and build on this victory across the coun try, political organizing, coalition building and public education must accompany legal work.” He called on lesbians and gay men to “undertake the nitty-gritty work of democracy: asking for support.” He believes that explaining the difference between a “legal or civil marriage” and a religious one will be key to creating public understanding and winning support. “We do not believe that religions should be forced to recognize any mar riage they choose not to recognize or perform. On the other hand, religions and faiths should not be dictating to the government who gets a civil marriage license.” Wolfson cited “two big lessons” learned from the bruising fight to end homophobic discrimina tion in the military. One is the need to work in coalition, coordinating work by all of the part ners. The second lesson is, that “to reach people crimes to legal recognition of our relationships in any form.” The coalition is calling on gay men, lesbians and their allies to get involved at the local, state and national levels, to tell their stories and work to make same-sex marriage a reality. "We already have gay palimony cases, gay divorce, gay custody battles,” said Wolfson. “We have all these things without any of the legal protections, benefits, responsibilities, obligations and assistance that the law provides automatically to nongay couples. “What we are seeking is the same right to choose whether marriage offers them what they want in terms of legal protections and benefits, as well as social respect and support for their rela tionship. Gay people ought to have that right to choose. It ought to be a choice for the couple and not for the state.” For more information, contact the Freedom to Marry Coalition Clearinghouse at the Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund (212) 995-8585. To Have and to Hold: Organizing fo r Our Right to Marry, an "action kit, ” is available fo r $10 from the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force (202) 332-6483. C ostume C ontest * C ash P rizes C o s t u m e J u d g in g 12:00 M id n ig h t T he T iffany C enter is A S moke F ree F acility For advance tickets send a check and a self-addressed, stamped envelope to Rosetown Ramblers, PO Box 5352, Portland, OR 97228. Make checks payable to Rosetown Ramblers. Orders for tickets received after 10/18/95 will be held for pick-up at the door. For more information call 503-232-7643
