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The Russell Street Clinic at Oregon
A helping hand
The Human Rights Campaign changes tack to bring support
to the state-level struggle for civil rights
▼
For m ore information, call:
by Inga Sorensen
494-6300
t can be described as a learning experience
needs.”
for all of those involved. At least that’s the
Zingale says HRC is currently involved in
way Daniel Zingale, political director for
developing campaign messages. He says his or­
the national Human Rights Campaign, sees
ganization has been conducting focus groups to
it.
find out what language is most effective with
“For many years HRC worked nearly exclu­
respect to gay rights campaigns.
sively on ensuring that the views of gays and
For example, Zingale says recent data indicate
lesbians were represented in Congress,” says
the phrase “religious right” is less effective than
Zingale, whose Washington, D.C.-based organi­
its use among activists would indicate.
zation works toward gay and lesbian equality.
“People seem to associate that terminology
“We certainly continue to do that, but things have
with the rights of a person to express his or her
changed largely due to that first round of anti-gay
religious views,” he explains. “ ‘Radical right’
initiatives— specifically Oregon’s Measure 9 and
has been pretty effective—but in light of the
Colorado’s Amendment 2.”
Oklahoma City bombing, people seem more likely
HRC officials will be the first to admit that
to associate the term ‘radical’ with blowing up
buildings.”
relatively few dollars and little guidance were
directed to either of those 1992 campaigns. In­
He says, “The phrase ‘religious, political ex­
stead, HRC was still nearly exclusively focusing
tremists’ seems to strike a chord, probably be­
on lobbying federal lawmakers on AIDS and gay
cause it links religion with political activism and
issues—the group’s pri­
extremism. I think you’re
mary task since it was
going to hear that phrase
established in 1980.
a lot more.”
“Statewide organiza­
“I think here in Or­
tions really had to fend
egon we probably
for them selves,” says
struggle with the prob­
Zingale. “In Oregon,
lem of terminology less
they were successful. In
than other places,” says
Colorado, they obvi­
Davis. “All you pretty
ously weren’t.”
much have to say here is
‘OCA’ and it says it all.”
The force of both
In addition to work­
an ti-g ay -rig h ts cam ­
ing on initiative cam­
paigns stunned many,
paigns, HRC plans to be
prompting organizations
involved in the race to
at all levels to rethink
fill the seat of outgoing
how they did business.
U.S. Sen. Mark Hatfield,
When Oregon voters
as well as in more than
were asked in 1994 to
150 other congressional
cast a ballot on Measure
races in 40 states.
13, a watered-down ver­
In the recent special
sion of Measure 9, HRC
dispatched trained cam­ “ / think there was a realization election to replace former
Sen. Bob Packwood,
paign workers to the state
that
what
happens
at
the
state
HRC contracted with lo­
and dumped an estimated
$ 136,000 into the No on
level does in fact impact what cal political professional
13 effort—a hugely dif­
happens inside the Beltway. It Jean Harris, who worked
full time to mobilize
ferent response than the
was
becoming
obvious
that
if
more than 200 HRC vol­
one two years earlier.
voters were passing statewide unteers to staff phone
The organization
sim ilarly became in­
anti-gay initiatives, there was banks and distribute lit­
erature for Democrat
volved in other states
little
chance
a
federal
civil
rights
Ron Wyden’s campaign.
where anti-gay initia­
bill would pass. ”
According to Zingale,
tives were being pushed.
“I think there was a
— Julie Davis there are 1,400 HRC
members in Oregon.
realization that what hap­
HRC’s political action committee also con­
pens at the state level does in fact impact what
tributed $10,000 to Wyden’s campaign, the maxi­
happens inside the Beltway,” says Julie Davis,
mum allowed by law, plus $5,000 to the Oregon
executive director of Basic Rights Oregon, the
Democratic Party, and $5,000 to the Democratic
successor organization to the No on 13 campaign
Senatorial Campaign Committee.
(which Davis managed). “It was becoming obvi­
As you undoubtedly know by now, Wyden—
ous that if voters were passing statewide anti-gay
who
supports gay and lesbian civil rights and
initiatives, there was little chance a federal civil
same-sex marriage—defeated his opponent, the
rights bill would pass.”
anti-gay-rights Republican Gordon Smith, by a
With other statewide anti-gay initiatives poised
slim margin.
for Oregon’s November ballot, HRC again ex­
One other Oregon/HRC connection worth
pects to raise and contribute funds to defeat the
noting revolves around former Oregon Gov. Bar­
measure(s) and send in staffers with substantial
bara Roberts, a longtime friend of the gay and
campaign experience.
lesbian community. Roberts, who left office in
“We view our relationship with Oregon as a
1994, currently works for Harvard University’s
partnership. There clearly is an abundance of
John F. Kennedy School of Government and sits
expertise already there,” says Zingale. “What we
on HRC’s board of directors.
do is ask, ‘What do you need from us?’ ”
“She is one of our most active board mem­
“That was certainly our experience during
bers,”
says Zingale. “She has already risen to co­
Measure 13,” adds Davis. “In 1994 what we
chair of our public policy committee, a very
needed most was financial resources and staff.
prestigious committee. Barbara is a doer, and yet
That’s exactly what HRC gave us.... I think HRC
she’s friendly and accessible. We love her.”
has done a good job trying to be sensitive to our
I
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