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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (April 2, 1999)
J u s t o u t » aprii 2. 1999 rTTTiTl news Now H ear T his Continued from the cover 11 the anti-gay hills before the state House currently sit in the Civil Judici- JL ary Committee and are referrals, mean- ing if they gamer a thumbs up in the Republi can-controlled Oregon Legislature, they go directly to the ballot for a vote, thereby circum venting a gubernatorial veto. BRO’s Jean Harris met with House Civil Judiciary Committee chair Lane Shetterly, R- Dallas, and vice chair Max Williams, R-Tigard, on March 25. She says at this point it appears HJR29 is the only measure of the four poised for action. HJR29 reads, in part: “No law shall be passed granting to any citizen or class of citizens privi leges, or immunities, which, upon the same terms, shall not equally belong to all citizens.... “No provision of this Constitution requires the granting of marriage licenses, rights or ben efits to unmarried individuals.... To be valid or recognized in this state, a marriage may consist only of the union of one man and one woman.” “W e’re vulnerable on the marriage issue,” Harris concedes. Although a hearing date has yet to be solidi fied, she says, BRO is seeking people, particular ly within the business community, to testify against the bill. “We need to line up support now,” she says. Vicki Walker, a Eugene Democrat who serves on the House Civil Judiciary Committee, would like to sink the anti-Tanner proposals. “W e’re doing the best that we can, but it’s hard when you’re not the majority,” she says. “Voters two times have defeated [Oregon Citi /J tk JL North Portland Veterinary Hospital Like any family member our pets need good healthcare. At North Portland Veterinary Hospital, we provide the very best medical care along with big doses of tenderness and compassion. 285-0462 2009 N.Killingsworth Inside the legislative chambers in Salem zens Alliance] measures. It’s a waste of time and taxpayer money. It’s another attack. [Some law makers] have made it their mission to he very mean-spirited.” Walker then promises: "If [extreme conserv atives] are just going to shove it down our throats, then I’m gonna give it right back." In other news, House Bill 2076— the first legislative item dealing with sexual minority issues— spent only minutes on the House floor March 23 before being pushed back into com mittee. “The timing wasn’t right, mostly,” says J.L. Wilson, spokesperson for House Speaker Lynn Snodgrass, R-Damascus. HB2076 would prohibit the Oregon Health Plan from paying for sex-reassignment surgery. (Some say the measure is unnecessary given the Oregon Health Services Commission’s Feb. 25 vote to exclude sex-reissignment surgery from the list of treatments covered by the Oregon Health Plan.) For pundits and activists alike, HB2076 would have been a crucial barometer for mea suring how the state House might split on con troversial social-issue votes. Wilson says that Snodgrass was surprised the hill made it out of com m ittee so quickly. “[GOP members] agreed at the beginning [of the ses sion], we wouldn’t take on social issues so early on,” he explains. There’s no word on how long the House Human Resources Comm ittee will sit on the sex-change bill; it may simply allow the legisla tion to languish and die. ■ To get involved in the legislative goings-on, con tact B asic R ights O regon at 222-6151. P lugging into M r . M abon ondering what’s up with Lon Mabon? OK, maybe not, but we’ll tell you anyway. Seems the Oregon Citizens Alliance leader, known for orchestrating anti-gay- rights campaigns— including two new anti-gay initiatives aimed at the Novem ber 2000 ballot— is on tap to speak before one of the Bonneville Power Administra tion employee organizations: the Christian Values Resource Group. Judi Johansen, administrator and chief executive officer at BPA, which is part of the U.S. government’s Department of Energy, issued a March 16 memo to all employees saying BPA “is proud of its Christian Values Resource Group and the cultural richness and diversity they bring to the work force. By Diversity Office proclamation, April is designated for programs sponsored by the CV RG .” Those activities include Mahon’s scheduled April 20 chat titled God’s Sovereignty and the Implications for Us. The noon presentation will be held at BPA’s headquarters in Portland. In keeping with tradition, Mahon’s slated appearance is causing a stir among some employees, including Tina Conover, who has worked for BPA for a dozen years. She is also a member of BPA’s sexual minorities resource group. Conover, 40, lives in Vancouver, Wash., with her female partner. They have five “really well-adjusted, happy kids.” W Seeking news reporters and correspondents Orecmn anrl t ,o, a ,7 J~ c f: Lon Mabon [center) Conover, a BPA office manager, says she’s heard the ffee-speech pitch from some co-workers, but she nonetheless finds it highly discon certing that Mabon is coming into her workplace with his offerings. He s such a hateful man," she says. Karen DeLano, president of the gay resource group, adds shes appalled and offended" by it all, but notes she wouldn’t want speakers sponsored by her group to be blocked from appearing at BPA. The always-sparkling Darcelle; human rights activist Kathleen Saa- dat; and members of Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays are among the folks previously brought to BPA by the gay group. I m not thrilled that Mahon’s coming, but still..." DeLano says. Johansen did not respond to Just Chit’s inquiry. ■ Reported by I nga SORENSEN » \ \ C u UCe neTS rePOIters and news correspondents from throughout ^