june 18. 1999 • Jaaat m * j 15
PHOTO BY LINDA KLIEWER
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PHOTO BY LINDA KLIEWER
*-
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Left: Gail Shibley circa April 1996; above: Chuck Carpen
ter on the campaign trail in 1998
W here A re T hey N ow ?
These days, things are pretty straight in Salem,
but life goes on for queer lawmakers of yesteryear
by P at Young
Senate Minority Leader Kate Brown
George Eighmey in May 1998
uring the early 1990s, Oregon led
the nation in terms of out gay, les
bian and bisexual state legislators.
We had enough for our own cau
cus; heck, we even had an openly
gay Republican!
Things are different these days, however, as
we approach the new millennium. During this
1999 session, there is just one lawmaker who has
publicly identified as a member of the sexual
minorities community: Senate Minority Leader
Kate Brown, a Democrat from Portland, has
described herself as bisexual.
“It’s quite lonely down here in Salem," notes
Brown, when asked about legislative life with
out former state Reps. Gail Shibley and George
Eighmey, both Portland Democrats; Rep. Chuck
Carpenter, a Republican from the Portland area;
Rep. Hedy Rijken, a Newport Democrat; and
Rep. Cynthia Wooten, a Democrat from
Eugene.
So, where are they now? Just Out is still try
ing to track down Rijken and Wooten, but
here’s the scoop on the others.
I I 7 hen Gail Shibley was appointed to the
V V Oregon Legislature in 1991, she became
the state’s first openly gay representative. She
was re-elected twice before making a failed bid
for a Portland City Council seat.
Last summer, she headed to Washington,
D.C., where she now serves as the public affairs
director for the U.S. Department of Transporta
tion’s Federal Highway Administration.
Oregon is very much her home, however,
and she considers her tour of duty in D.C. tem
porary. Still, she says it’s a duty that’s brought
her tremendous enjoyment.
The FHWA makes sure the bridges and roads
get built. You know, all the things that make it
easier for us to get around town.
N eorge Eighmey was a state representative
J f from 1993 through 1997. Term limits
stopped him from running for the post again,
and last year he made an unsuccessful bid for a
Multnomah County Commission seat.
Eighmey retired from his law practice and is
currently the executive director of Compassion
in Dying of Oregon, an organization that deals
with issues pertaining to end-of-life care.
Getting back into politics is always an
option, but Eighmey says he likes his work and
may do it for a few more years. Occasionally he
goes to Salem to discuss death with dignity mat
ters with lawmakers.
Eighmey says it’s a privilege to work with
people facing life-ending decisions.
“It’s renewed my faith in people’s commit
ment to help others. And that’s what I want to
do,” he says.
C
P arty P ause
K, House Joint Resolution 29 got tabled— essentially meaning the anti-gay bill is kaput—
but don’t pull out your partyware quite yet.
Seems that Republicans have turned to House Joint Resolution 4, which would put the def
inition of marriage as the union between a man and a woman into the Oregon Constitution.
HJR29 was crafted in response to a December ruling in Tanner vs. Oregon Health Sciences Uni
versity that stipulated state and local governments must offer domestic partner benefits to same-
sex couples, and that gay men and lesbians are protected from employment discrimination.
HJR29 would have both defined marriage as the union between a man and a woman and
invalidated Tanner. The more streamlined HJR4 specifically targets same-sex marriage.
“It’s basically a clean [Defense of Marriage Act] bill,” explains Jean Harris, executive director
of Basic Rights Oregon, the gay rights group that is lobbying lawmakers. “On the one hand, I’m
glad Republicans killed their own bill [HJR29], but at the same time, they seem committed to
passing some piece of anti-gay legislation before they leave.”
Like HJR29, HJR4— if approved by the Legislature— would go to voters. The measure was
passed June 16 by the House Judiciary Committee on Civil Law.
To learn how you can help, call Basic Rights Oregon at (503) 222-6151.
O
I
n 1994, Chuck Carpenter made history when
he became the first openly gay Republican in
the nation to win a state legislative office.
■ Reported by I n g a SORENSEN
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let ut ee>unt the cfayi !
JUNE
18 19 20
Last year, he lost an excruciatingly tight Ore
gon Republican primary race to conservative
Bill Witt, sponsor of a slew of anti-gay bills this
session.
Carpenter recently received a master’s degree
in business administration from Portland State
University. He is the executive director of Man
ufactured Housing Communities of Oregon, and
sometimes interacts with the Legislature on
landlord and tenant issues. And that’s about as
close as he wants to get to politics. W hile Car
penter says he enjoyed being a state representa
tive, he has no desire to run for office again.
Why? He says existence as a politician was
very demanding and left little time for his per
sonal life. He’s at the point now where he wants
to spend more time with his partner.
Carpenter comments that life goes on and,
yes, he’s still a Republican.
s for Kate Brown, well, she misses the gang
but really likes working with Barry Pack, a
Democratic caucus administrator and former
Right to Pride executive director and gay rights
activist.
As Senate minority leader, Brown spends her
hours focusing on myriad issues important to
Oregonians, and she strives to make sure the
process works smoothly and people are treated
fairly on the Senate floor.
In the past, Brown honed in on more specif
ic items such as domestic violence, women’s
issues and mental health.
She says being in a leadership post has its
challenges, but overall she’s pleased. So pleased,
in fact, she wants to stay in office and be re
elected.
A
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