inïïîTlneics
N otable T rio to P resent
at P ortland ’ s HRC G ala
I deas A bound
for E quality C ampaign
issouri Democrat Dick Gephardt, the
U.S. House minority leader; Oregon’s
U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden; and author and presi
dential advisor David Mixner are slated to speak
at an upcoming gay political dinner in the Rose
City. The three
politicos are sched
uled to present at
the Human Rights
Campaign’s annual
Portland fund-rais
ing gala on Feb. 13
at the Portland
Hilton, 921 S.W.
Sixth Ave.
Headquartered
in
Washington,
D.C., the Human
Rights Campaign is
the largest national Sen. Ron Wyden
lesbian and gay
political organization with members throughout
the country.
The group’s board of directors— which
includes Terry Bean of the Portland area—met
in early December to plan its 1999 legislative
year. At the two-day meeting, the federal
Employment Non-Discrimination Act, the
Hate Crimes Prevention Act, and a number of
health initiatives were established as top legisla
tive priorities. Other issues addressed included
passage of a resolution supporting trans issues.
In the wake of controversy that enveloped
HRC’s endorsement this year of Sen. Alfonse
D’Amato, a New York Republican, the board
began a review of its endorsement policies.
"We adhered to established and publicized
criteria in making our endorsement of Senator
D’Amato. We believe it would have been high
ly unethical to change that criteria in the mid
dle of an election cycle. Now that the election
cycle is over, we have an obligation to address
the level of discontent that this endorsement
caused some of our membership,” says Jeff
Sachse, HRC board co-chair. “While maintain
ing our firm commitment to bipartisanship,
HRC will immediately begin a review at both
the staff and board level of the endorsement
process, with a specific focus on selection crite
ria.”
At the same meeting, the board passed a res
olution stating, in part: “The Human Rights
Campaign strongly supports public and private
initiatives to counter discrimination based on
real or perceived gender identity. We acknowl
edge the extraordinary work of transgender
organizations and leaders and view them as
important friends and powerful allies. The
Human Rights Campaign is committed to a
mutually beneficial relationship with the trans
gender community. It is our hope that such a
relationship will help inform and craft a shared
vision of a world that honors and respects all
people regardless of sexual orientation or gender
identity.”
HRC’s Portland gala includes a reception,
cocktails, silent auction and dinner. Tickets are
$150 per person and can be obtained by calling
1-800-494-8497.
ince Nov. 30, Basic Rights Oregon has been
holding Equality Begins at Home meetings
in Portland, Coos Bay, Ashland, Eugene, Salem,
Bend and Corvallis.
The project is a counterpart to the contro
versial Millennium March, a national queer
march planned for Washington, D.C. in 2000.
The Equality Begins at Home campaign empha
sizes coordinated actions in state capitals around
the country. The effort is sponsored by the Fed
eration of Statewide Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and
Transgender Organizations. As a member of the
federation, BRO received a $5,000 grant from
the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force to
defray local organizing costs. In Oregon, orga
nizers say the project will likely culminate in a
major demonstration in Salem on March 21,
1999.
According to BRO, ideas for making the
event a success are rolling in. They include ask
ing elected officials to pass resolutions support
ing a state law for queer equality; launching a
voter registration drive; asking the governor to
convene a statewide conference on equality;
getting organizations to sign an agreement to
become more diverse; holding a networking
conference for organizations to assist in the
building of leadership; and releasing a State of the
State report on queer issues in Oregon.
M
' M
Scott Botttra, GR1
Gerry Federico, GR1
John Terrill, GR1
Kirsten Jenkins
Associale Broker
George Marvin
Kathleen Ira
Jim Bean. GR1
Cenivi WacMurov
GRI
Terri Hunt
Tamie Brown
Associate Broker
Jeffery Anderson
Juke Yoho, GRI
tm
Jay Pevney
Jeff G allagher
Kathy Tysinger
Tracy Thomas
Gary Sadlelr
Chris Hardy
M att Bahr
Jaye Kraus
Not Pictured: Kelly Newton, Mike McLaughlin
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BRO also reports that several youth activists
in Oregon would like to generate meetings of
queer youth and legislators to discuss education
issues.
The Equality Begins at Home volunteer
committee meets weekly at BRO’s office, Suite
105, 3430 S.E. Belmont St. in Portland, on
Thursdays at 7 p.m.
Those interested in getting involved should
contact Nerissa Ediza at 222-6151 or e-mail her
at bronerissa@aol.com.
P rogram H opes to A ssist
S exual M inority F amilies
L
ove Makes A Family Inc. is launching a new
project to assist sexual minority families.
The project, funded by the city of Portland,
aims to identify sexual minority families and
connect those families with existing communi
ty-based resources and professional services. It
also seeks to bolster families’ self-advocacy skills.
Love Makes a Family’s purpose is to work for
social change “and provide a public voice for all
families, especially those subjected to social,
economic and legal discrimination due to sexu
al orientation or gender identity/expression.”
For more information, call Kerri Dee at
228-3892.
■ Compiled by I nga
SORENSEN
The buzz on gay-friendly businesses
5 0 3 /6 9 8 -5 4 2 9
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foyer 503/870-1666
ju s t o u t
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•President’s Chib
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is pulling together a story about gay-friendly businesses in Oregon and
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