j u s t o u t ▼ a u g u s t 1 5 . 1 0 0 7 ▼ 13
local news
n July 3, with much fanfare, gay and
lesbian rights supporters in Wash
ington state delivered an estimated
230,000 signatures to the secretary
of state’s office to place Initiative
677 on the ballot.
They did so via a boisterous queer car caravan
that rolled from Hands Off Washington’s head
quarters in Seattle to the state capital, Olympia,
where the petitions were unloaded.
Enthusiasm permeated the moment, as an es
timated 100 activists took to the Capitol steps for
a press conference. Among those who expressed
their great joy were Seattle City Councilwoman
Tina Podlodowski, former councilwoman Sherry
Harris, and celebrated gay and lesbian rights
advocate Col. Margarethe Cammermeyer, a Wash
ington resident.
All came to herald Initiative 677, which seeks
to end job discrimination on the basis of sexual
orientation in Washington state.
The measure’s official title that will appear on
the November 1997 ballot reads: “Shall discrimi
nation based on sexual orientation be prohibited
in employment, employment agency, and union
membership practices, without requiring em
ployee partner benefits or preferential treatment?”
The celebratory feeling stemmed not only
from the relief of collecting enough signatures,
but of doing something proactive for gay
and lesbian rights.
“Whoopee! Yes, yes, yes, yes!” Janice
Van Cleve, state coordinator for the Legal
Marriage Alliance, told the Seattle Gay
News as the petitions were delivered. “Col
lecting those signatures was a really hard
job, and I’m so pleased we succeeded. LM A
is totally 100 percent committed to passage
of Initiative 677, and we will do everything
we can to make sure we have a victory in
November.”
O
Measure
measure
Those legislators who were moderately support
ive of it in 1 997 and those who might be lukewarm
in supporting it in later years will have the excuse
of saying ‘the voters have spoken.’ Failure will
Activists are pondering whether to follow Washington ys example place a huge obstacle in front of Rep. [Chuck]
Carpenter’s efforts to pass ENDA in the 1999
and mount a proactive job discrimination initiative in Oregon
Legislature and for any other legislator who might
▼
sponsor ENDA in future Legislatures....”
Eighmey adds that if an ENDA initiative were
by Inga Sorensen
to fail and more supportive legislators were not
including Suzanne Pharr of the Lesbian Commu
“lf it passes there, I think we definitely have to elected, it would be almost impossible to pass
nity Project, Love Makes a Family’s Bonnie
do it here,” she says, adding that BRO intends to
gay-friendly legislation.
Tinker, Portland attorney Charles Hinkle, cam
poll Oregonians to get the pulse of the people on
In his conclusion, he states: "For these rea
paign specialist Liz Kaufman, Dave Fidanque of
this issue. “Probably in January we would make
sons, I urge you to reconsider your decision to
the Oregon chapter of the American Civil Liber
the decision to pull the initiative or run with it,” gather signatures for an ENDA initiative....”
ties Union, the Rev. Cecil Charles Prescod, activ
she says.
Barry Pack, executive director of Right to
ist Kathleen Saadat, and three dozen others.
Pride, echoes many of Eighmey’s concerns.
During the meeting, participants outlined pos
n a letter to Harris, state Rep. George Eighmey
He notes that due to term limits more than 20
sible pluses and pitfalls of an ENDA campaign.
(D-Portland) highlighted his concerns about a
House seats and two Senate seats will be open
Among the listed pros: Keeps the [Oregon
proposed ENDA ballot measure.
during the next election cycle.
Citizens Alliance] on the defensive. Opportunity
Dated July 22, the letter reads in part: ‘T o be
“We have an incredible opportunity to really
for hope. Fills spiritual vacancy. Solidifies alli
successful in any initiative effort, groups must
make a difference in these races. If we had had just
raise in excess of $250,000 to pay for signature
ance with progressives. BRO phone-banking has
a couple more moderate Republicans instead of
positive response to proactive idea.
gathering, initial educational programs, polling
conservatives in the Legislature this session, ENDA
Among the cons: Next year could be a tough
and operational expenses. Assuming the initia
would have passed,” Pack says, adding that he is
tive makes it to the ballot, the campaign will cost
election year. Campaign could galvanize the op
concerned a push for an initiative could detract
at least an additional $1.5 million if it is to have
position. Complex logistics of organizing com
money and energy from critical legislative contests.
any chance of success....
munity meetings statewide. Costs.
"There’s also no guarantee that if an ENDA
Not surprisingly, there were copious ques-
“Such efforts will divert limited dollars away
initiative passed, the Legislature would leave it
alone,” says Pack, pointing to lawmakers
m
successful push this session to force Or
fMt
egonians to reconsider a "death with dig
•ft'
nity” initiative they previously approved
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at the ballot box.
Pack, who estimates that a proactive
campaign could cost as much as $2 mil
m
not wot.
*' **
lion says, “So then maybe we will have
bought
ourselves two $2 million cam
V
paigns if we have to do it again.”
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Additionally, he says since 1998 is not
a presidential election year, turnout will
likely be lower, which usually favors
more conservative-oriented candidates
mm as;
and issues.
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kip ahead a few weeks. Move south, to
Oregon. Activists here are beginning
to dialogue seriously about the possi
bility of launching a statewide campaign to
place an Initiative 677-type measure on
Oregon’s November 1998 ballot.
Some others, however, are expressing
strong reservations about doing so, at least
at this juncture. They include representa
tives from Right to Pride, Oregon’s largest
lesbian, gay and bisexual political organiza
tion, and state Rep. George Eighmey, an
openly gay lawmaker who has been an out
spoken advocate for gay and lesbian rights.
Among those who appear more enthusi
astic is Jean Harris, executive director of
Basic Rights Oregon, a statewide grass
roots group that promotes civil rights. BRO Basic Rights Oregon's Jean Harris
would be a key player in orchestrating an initia tions listed: What about outside the tri-county
tive effort.
area; can we do it? We must build regional teams;
“Many people, myself included, think this is a
can we get them up to capacity? Is there a way to
very positive and exciting prospect,” says Harris.
go proactive other than through a ballot measure?
“Rather than always having to react, it will feel
What are the consequences of losing? What if the
incredible to be proactive.”
OCA gets on the ballot; can we do both at once?
Harris says language is still being drafted, but
What do we know about the opposition and their
will likely resemble the Oregon Employment
organizational capacity?
Non-Discrimination Act, a bill which failed to
Additionally, participants crafted a “to do”
clear the state Legislature this past session. (An
list, which included lining up chief petitioners
initiative would be statutory in nature, not a
and filing a measure, holding statewide discus
constitutional amendment, she says.)
sions to see where the community stands, and
Oregon ENDA sought to prohibit employ conducting polling.
ment discrimination statewide based on sexual
Harris says she would like to see an initiative
orientation. It was approved by the Republican-
filed as soon as possible, and come January hopes
controlled House by a 40-20 vote, but was ulti
to have 1,200 to 2,000 supporters throughout the
mately killed by GOP leadership in the Senate.
state committed to collecting 100 signatures each.
Similar bills have failed in the Legislature for
(According to the state Elections Division,
the past two decades.
backers would have to submit 73,261 valid signa
“It makes you wonder how much longer we
tures by July 2, 1998, to get the measure on the
November ballot.)
must wait,” she says.
BRO was slated to hold the first in a series of
n mid-July, a group of “community leaders”
30 statewide community meetings Aug. 14 (the
met at BRO’s invitation to ponder the idea of day we went to press) in Portland.
Harris says BRO is watching what happens in
. a proactive campaign.
The gathering featured politicos and activists
Washington “extremely closely.”
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from other equally beneficial causes within our
community such as those of Our House of Port
land, Phoenix Rising, Love Makes a Family, Rural
Organizing Project, Equity Foundation and Esther’s
Pantry. It will also drain money away from efforts
to elect gay and gay-supportive legislators... [and]
will divert funds away from fighting anti-gay mea
sures which might be on the ballot.”
Eighmey also argues that a proactive initiative
would most likely lose: “Positive/proactive-type
initiatives rarely pass. The minimum wage, and
possibly the bear and cougar initiative, are the
only two in recent memory I would consider
‘positive/proactive.’ Many other recent success
ful initiatives have been negative and/or anti-
government. . .an ENDA initiative would... require
the government to act to protect the rights of
individuals. Asking the voters to encourage the
government to do more...is rarely popular.”
Additionally, he states, “With the high prob
ability of the failure of such an initiative, we run
the risk of having the failure used against us for at
least the next five to 10 years. Our true hope of
passing ENDA lies within the Legislature. If an
ENDA initiative fails, our legislative progress
will be set back and made even more difficult.
arcy Westerling of the Rural Or
ganizing Project, a network of 60
.human dignity groups through
out the state, says ROP is backing the
initiative effort.
“We’ve been traveling throughout the
state and there seems to be real enthusi
asm for this,” she says. “I think it’s a good
thing whenever you see that.”
Westerling also says that enthusiasm
could ultimately boost signature gather
ing for other progressive initiatives poised
for the ballot.
At the same time, she says she “totally
agrees with [Pack’s] concerns” and ap
plauds RTP for the “fine and respectful” work it
has done statewide over legislative issues.
“RTP has got to at least be at the table,” she
says.
Kathleen Saadat, who was very active in the
1992 No on 9 campaign and the 1994 No on 13
effort, says she too supports the notion of a
proactive campaign.
“But I think maybe we should look at how we
define ‘win’ or ‘lose,’ ” she says.
Saadat says if the campaign is run in an inclu
sive, coalition-building fashion— and is designed
not solely to attract that 50-plus-1 vote but rather
to educate the public and “change hearts and
minds”—then it’s basically a win-win situation,
even if the initiative goes down.
“And really, what are our choices here?” she
asks.
For her part, Harris hopes the community
meetings, polling numbers and outcome of
Washington’s vote on 1-677 make it a little easier
to answer that challenging question.
“We’ll have to look at all of that,” she says.
Basic Rights Oregon can be reached at
222-6151. RTP may be contacted at 228-5825.