j u s t o u t ▼ S e p te m b e r 1 0 , 1 0 0 7 ▼ 17
The Community’s Home Loan Resource
RTP dinner to honor
Work, PFLAG
Right to Pride will honor central Oregon activ
ist Elli Work and Parents, Families and Friends of
Lesbians and Gays at the 16th Annual RTP Din
ner on Oct. 4.
Work will receive the Sanford Director Award
and PFLAG will be honored with the Right to
Pride Award.
The Sanford Director Award, named in
memory of a former RTP board member and
community activist, is given each year to a “mem
ber of the lesbian, gay and bisexual community
who on a statewide or community level provides
Elli Work
outstanding leadership in securing equal rights.”
Work helped found the Deschutes County
Coalition for Human Dignity and has served as its
chair for a number of years.
She made headlines in 1993 by testifying in
support of nondiscrimination legislation before
the state Senate Judiciary Committee as a uni
formed, openly lesbian member of the Oregon
National Guard.
She subsequently challenged discharge pro
ceedings and continues to serve her country openly.
In 1996 Work unsuccessfully ran for a state House
seat, but may try again in 1998.
The Right to Pride Award, RTP’s highest
honor, is given to an individual or organization
who “consistently exemplifies outstanding com
mitment and support for gay and lesbian civil and
human rights.”
The honor was first bestowed in 1981 to
Portland City Commissioner Gretchen Kafoury.
Portland Mayor Vera Katz and former Gov. Bar
bara Roberts are among those who have since
received the award.
The first chapter of PFLAG in Oregon was
founded in 1981 by Bill and Ann Shepherd and
Charles and Rita Knapp. Since then Oregon PFLAG
has developed 18 affiliates across the state and
meets monthly to provide support for parents and
family members of gay men and lesbians.
In addition, many PFLAG members have been
dedicated volunteers opposing anti-gay ballot
measures and supporting legislative efforts toeradi-
cate discrimination based on sexual orientation.
PFLAG members have served on Gov. John
Kitzhaber’s Task Force on Youth Suicide Pre
vention and lobbied extensively for Oregon’s
Employment Non-Discrimination Act in Salem.
Activities vary by chapter, from working with
local school districts for understanding of youth
issues to serving as spokespeople and educators
to community groups and organizations.
RTP is Oregon’s oldest lesbian, gay and bi
sexual civil rights organization. Formed in 1981,
it backs candidates and campaigns supporting full
equality for lesbians, gay men and bisexuals and
lobbies state and local government for nondis
crimination laws and other legislation.
RTP’s political action committee contributes
as much as $100,000 an election cycle to candi
dates who support full equality.
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► Appointments at your convenience
The RTP Dinner will be held Oct. 4 at the
Portland Hilton Hotel Grand Ballroom, 921 SW
Sixth Ave. Cocktails are served at 5:30 pm, the
dinner begins at 7 pm.
The special guest is comic Marga Gomez;
additional entertainment will be provided by From
Top to Bottom, a San Francisco-based quintet.
Tickets are $125. For more information or to
obtain tickets, call RTP at 228-5825.
** I ’m available when you are! ”
Office
Draft ballot title issued
The Oregon secretary of state’s office has
received a draft ballot title from the attorney
general’s office for initiative petition No. 50, a
proposed statutory amendment that seeks to pro
hibit employment discrimination based on sexual
orientation in Oregon.
The draft ballot title, issued Sept. 9, reads:
“Prohibits employment discrimination on the basis
of sexual orientation.
“Result of ‘Yes’ vote: ‘Yes’ vote prohibits
discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation
in employment decisions, opportunities, and mem
bership.
“Result o f ‘No’ vote: ‘No’ vote keeps current,
more general, prohibition on discrimination in
employment.”
The summary reads: “Adopts statute prohibit
ing employers, employment agencies, labor unions
from discriminating on the basis of sexual orien
tation in connection with employment opportuni
ties, employment decisions, membership, or mem
bership privileges. Prohibits interfering in exer
cise of rights protected by measure. Prohibits
retaliation for opposition to practice prohibited
by measure or assisting in action brought under
measure. Does not require provision of partner
benefits, preferential treatment on basis of sexual
orientation. Allows regulation of employee work
place conduct. Certain religious organizations
may discriminate. Enforceable under current pro
cedures for challenging employment discrimina
tion.”
Portland attorney Charles Hinkle, represent
ing the American Civil Liberties Union of Or
egon, says the wording is too “mushy and vague.”
“It doesn’t make clear that under current law,
it is perfectly legal for employers to fire people
based on their sexual orientation,” Hinkle says.
He adds that the portion reading “ ‘No’ vote
keeps current, more general, prohibition on dis
crimination in employment,” may lead one to
believe sexual orientation employment protec
tions are currently in place statewide.
“This is already a widely held misperception,”
says Hinkle, who is drafting alternatives to the
wording.
Critics of the draft ballot title may submit their
written comments and concerns to the secretary
of state’s office during an appeals period which
ends Sept. 23.
The secretary of state will deliver all written
comments to the attorney general, who in turn will
certify either the draft ballot title or a revised ballot
title no later than the fifth business day after
receiving the comments from the secretary of state.
Backers of the nondiscrimination initiative,
which is poised for the November 1998 general
election ballot, must submit 73,261 valid voter
signatures by July 2, 1998.
The prospective initiative petition was sub
mitted on behalf of Basic Rights Oregon, an
Oregon human rights group, on Aug. 29 by chief
petitioners Cheryl Perrin, senior vice president of
public affairs for Fred Meyer Inc., Ron Fortune,
executive secretary treasurer of the Northwest
Labor Council/AFL-CIO, and BRO co-chair
McKinley William.
BRO is currently sponsoring a series of state
wide community discussions aimed at getting a
pulse on how others feel about the initiative.
For more information, contact Basic Rights
Oregon at 222-6151.
Reported by Inga Sorensen
Colleen Weed
Evenings/Weekends
297-9900
780-1561
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