ju s t o u t ▼ July 5 . 1 9 0 6 ▼ 13
Dance to the music
The Supreme Court decision on Amendment 2 clears the way
fo r the community to focus on proactive issues
▼
by Inga Sorensen
T
his has undeniably been a season to
celebrate.
After all, within the past several
weeks the nation’s highest court struck
down Colorado’s anti-gay Amend
ment 2. Soon after, the Oregon Citizens Alliance
announced it was abandoning its signature drive
to place another statewide anti-gay-rights initia
tive on the November ballot. And OCA leader
Lon Mabon garnered a tepid 8 percent of the
Republican primary vote in his failed bid for the
U.S. Senate. Not a bad way to kick off the sum
mer.
“But there’s still plenty of things for people
who are concerned with gay and lesbian rights to
do,” says Bonnie Tinker, executive director of
Love Makes a Family Inc., a Portland-based
group that promotes the visibility and rights of
lesbian and gay families.
Tinker is also co-chair of
the recently established Oregon
Freedom to Marry Coalition,
whose aim is to provide accu
rate information and increase
public awareness regarding le
gal marriage for same-sex
couples.
The coalition, whose mem
bers include political activists,
clergy, attorneys, parents and
others, seeks to do so by, among
other things, hosting public fo
rums where the issue of mar
riage rights for gay and lesbian
couples can be discussed
“hopefully, in a thoughtful
manner,” says Tinker.
The matter is currently be- Bonnie Tinker
ing mulled over in forums nationwide. Bills to
prohibit legal marriage for same-gender couples
have already been introduced—and a handful
have become law— in several states.
There is also movement at the federal level:
The so-called Defense of Marriage Act was intro
duced in early May by U.S. Rep. Bob Barr (R-
Ga.), and Sen. Don Nickles (R-Okla.). The legis
lation would define marriage in federal law as a
“legal union between one man and one woman.”
It also attempts to give states the authority to
reject the legality of same-sex marriages per
formed in other states, though such marriages are
not yet legal in any state.
The bill was recently approved by the U.S.
House Judiciary Committee and is headed to the full
House for a vote. President Clinton says he opposes
equal marriage rights for gay and lesbian Americans
and has said he will sign the bill into law.
The congressional bill and the 30-plus mea
sures introduced in state legislatures across the
country this year are in reaction to a pending
Hawaii legal case that many observers believe
will ultimately provide same-gender couples with
access to the legal contract of marriage in Hawaii.
The Hawaii State Supreme Court is expected
to render a decision soon on the constitutional
issue of whether gay men and lesbians have a
legal right to marry in the state. However, it may
take another two years before the case fully
wends its way through the courts.
In Oregon, Mabon has made public his future
intentions of pushing a measure prohibiting same-
gender marriages. Conversely, state Rep. George
Eighmey (D-Portland), has made noises about
introducing a bill next session granting equal
marriage rights to same-gender couples.
“This is a legal and economic issue, first and
foremost. As it stands, gays and lesbians cannot
legally marry and therefore cannot file joint tax
returns and cannot obtain joint health insurance,”
says Jon Terry, a Portland attorney and co-chair of
the Oregon Freedom to Marry Coalition. “[They]
cannot inherit automatically in the absence of a
will or right to survivorship, cannot obtain such
benefits as Social Security or Medicare, cannot
obtain wrongful death benefits for a surviving
partner and children, cannot take bereavement
leave when a partner or child dies and cannot
make medical decisions for partners.”
“This is much like the ‘gays in the military’
issue,” says Melinda Paras, executive director of
the Washington, D.C.-based National Gay and
Lesbian Task Force.
Paras was in Portland recently, where she
addressed, among other topics, the marriage ques
tion.
“No matter how you feel
about the military or the insti
tution of marriage, gay men
and lesbians should have the
same rights as heterosexuals.
Barring us is discrimination,
plain and simple. And discrimi
nation is wrong,” she says.
NGLTF has released a mar
riage organizing manual called
‘T o Have and to Hold,” which
is available for $10.
“It’s just one tool people
can use as they begin to orga
Registration
Fun Begins
nize around what is a some-
| what contentious issue,” says
- Paras. “We want to offer what
support we can to all of the
admirable grass-roots efforts taking place across
the country.”
Tinker says, “We think this is the kind of issue
that will capture folks’ imagination.” Not simply
classic activists, she adds, but gay and lesbian
parents and couples who may not have been
involved in, for example, fighting anti-gay initia
tives.
She says the Oregon Freedom to Marry Coa
Friends of People With AIDS Foundation wants you and your Best Friend
lition is currently seeking volunteers to get in
to put on your walking shoes and your best collar and leash and
volved in a variety of projects. The group plans to
come on out to help people with AIDS.
gather and archive information from gay and
lesbian couples who have had commitment cer
emonies.
The Friends Foundation helps people with AIDS in their everyday and
“We will archive that information here. It will
emergency needs for Food, Transportation, Medication,
be a record of who, what, when, where. When
Furniture, Entertainment, and Love
heterosexuals marry there is automatically a record
of their union, but we don’t have anything like
that. This is a way of collectively acknowledging
our relationships and creating a historical record,”
Pre-registration appreciated ( Not Required )
she says.
For information or to volunteer at the event call Corey Baker at
“We’re also looking for couples who may be
2 4 5 - 7 4 2 8
willing to talk to the press, and we’ve sent a letter
to print media in Oregon asking them if they have
Featuring The A.D.A.P.T. Canine Confidence Course
a policy regarding printing same-sex couples’
(Assistance Dogs and People Together)
commitment ceremonies. We could use folks to
Plus Other Great Events, Booths and Prizes!
work on all of these projects,” Tinker says.
The coalition is also planning a Freedom to
Marry Summit for July 27, to be held at the First
Pil-fafilifaU lof*
ilo t i MJéJJUUl fit
Unitarian Church in Portland. The all-day event
will address a variety of issues pertaining to same-
Pet Set
Northwest Animal Clinic
Man’s Best Friend
sex marriage.
1411 SW 14th. Avenue
1320 NW 20“.
3445 SE Hawthorne Blvd.
For registration information or to volunteer
for the Oregon Freedom to Marry Coalition, call
Rose City Vet. Hospital
Bonnie Tinker at 228-3892 or Jon Terry at
809 SE Powell
248-1063. To receive a copy of NGLTF’s mar
co-sponsored by ju s t o u t
riage organizing manual, call (202) 332-6483.
t 0
* ♦
-
' ’T
. . \ \ \ - . V T T T T T T 77T77T t è t I i » • » I < • • I i t < è * é • é ♦
è é •
Best Friends
Wal k For
Friends
Saturday July 27
9 am
10 a m
Laurelhurst Park
3*ict /ItttlUXlC
Benefit Dog Walk For The
Friends of People With AIDS Foundation
Hosted By Parcelle XV
/