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An Oregon senator takes a trip to Portland to eat Brussels sprouts and meet with gay folks
(not necessarily in that order) by Inga S o ren sen
A
heavy-lidded Gordon Smith tilt­
ed precariously toward his
mashed potatoes.
Snoozing, it appeared, was
imminent. And no wonder.
After all, the United States senator had just
tucked another 2,800 miles into his briefcase via
this excursion from the nations capital to Port­
land.
It can be an exhausting trip, as those who
have taken it can attest. Yet, despite the appar­
ent jet lag, Smith soon snapped to attention for
his 11:30 lunch date at Zefiro Restaurant on
Northwest 21st Avenue.
The Republican lawmaker from Pendleton
didn’t make the foray to chew chicken with
G O P cronies, mind you, but rather to meet with
a basically gay, basically suit-and-tie crowd.
T hat’s right. Smith, a devout Mormon, was
in the Rose City Nov. 19 to mingle with local
supporters of the Human Rights Campaign, a
national gay and lesbian political organization.
Roughly 40 people, nearly all men, plunked
down the $25 to munch with the senator, who
was introduced by connected Portlander Terry
Bean, a well-known fund raiser, H RC honcho
and avowed Democrat booster.
Bean recounted the preconceived notions he
initially harbored about Smith, most notably
that, given his party affiliation, the lawmaker
must be “anti-gay and noncompassionate.”
“I thought he was probably just right of Atti-
la the Hun,” laughed Bean.
But soon after Smith was elected to the U .S.
Senate in 1996, Bean met with the man and got
a dose of the unexpected: a sense of warmth and
integrity.
The two have been friendly ever since. In an
Oregonian article earlier this year, Sm ith said of
Bean: “Terry has helped me understand how I
can be helpful to him without compromising my
principles.”
W hen Republican leaders blocked President
C lin ton ’s nomination of James Hormel as
ambassador to Luxembourg because Hormel is
F airness
in S eattle
he Seattle City Council has passed an
ordinance requiring contractors to offer
equal health insurance benefits to the domestic
partners o f their workers.
The equal benefits measure was appioved
by a 9-0 vote on Nov. 22. It was sponsored by
Seattle City Councilwoman Tina Podlodows-
ki, an out lesbian.
Five days earlier, the Los Angeles City
Council passed a similar measure. Both bills are
modeled after San Francisco’s landmark Equal
Benefits Ordinance, which has been in effect
since 1997.
“Municipal governments have sapped up
to demonstrate that they will not tolerate
workplace discrimination— in their own work­
forces or by companies with which they do
business,” says Kim Mills, the education direc­
tor for the Human Rights Campaign, a nation­
al gay and lesbian political organization. "It if
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Republican Sen. Gordon Smith, a devout Mormon, was in the Rose City
Nov. 19 to mingle with local supporters of the Human Rights Campaign,
a national gay and lesbian political organization.
gay, Smith argued HormePs nomination should
be brought to the Senate floor because it was
unfair to exclude him on the basis of sexual ori­
entation.
In the end, Hormel was in fact installed in
the post thanks to a procedural move by C lin­
ton. But the struggle brought Bean, Smith and
Hormel closer. (Bean says Smith plans to visit
Hormel in Luxembourg in December.)
Smith has also been a leading advocate for
federal hate crimes legislation that includes sex­
ual orientation. Unfortunately, a hate crimes
measure he supported was killed two days before
his visit.
“Don’t be discouraged,” he told his audience.
gratifying to see local governments recognizing
the importance of equal pay for equal work,
which is what these ordinances are all about.”
Mills testified in favor of the Seattle mea­
sure at two hearings held in October.
The Seattle ordinance applies to businesses
entering a contract with the city after June 1,
2000, if the contract exceeds $30,000. The
ordinance will affect only major contractors
that already offer spousal benefits to employees.
“Seattle law already prohibits discrimina­
tion based on sexual orientation and marital
status,” Podlodowski says. “This legislation,
which will help to lead the charge for other
cities to pass similar protections, simply puts
our money where our mouth is. Seattle is say­
ing that it is not only against the law to dis­
criminate but that, as a city, we will enforce our
nondiscrimination laws."
Podlodowski estimates that between 700
and 1,000 companies will be affected by the
ordinance.
The Los Angeles measure applies to compa­
nies with contracts valued at $5,000 or more.
In 1996, San Francisco became die first city
“W hen you’re a pioneer for any cause, you get
arrows in the back, but they don’t usually kill
you.”
Sm ith’s advice? Pluck it out and persevere.
Smith was asked whether he would take a
public stance against an Oregon Citizens
Alliance initiative poised for the November
2000 ballot.
The measure, aimed at Oregon’s public
schools, strives to prohibit the discussion of
homosexuality or bisexuality “in a manner
which encourages, promotes or sanctions such
behaviors.”
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to pass a law requiring companies doing busi­
ness with the city or county to provide the
same benefits to workers with domestic part­
ners as they give to married employees. Since
the measure went into effect in 1997, more
than 2,000 employers have instituted domestic
partner benefits to come into compliance with
the law.
In 1998, meanwhile, the Portland City
Council approved an ordinance co-sponsored
by Mayor Vera Katz and Commissioner Erik
Sten that requires companies contracting with
the city to formally agree they will not discrim­
inate against their workers and/or prospective
employees based on sexual orientation.
Many companies that contract with Port­
land are owned and operated outside the city
limits and aren’t covered by city anti-discrimi­
nation ordinances. T he 1998 law provides
additional protections by requiring ail entities
seeking to contract with the city to comply
with Portland’s existing anti-discrimination
rules.
■ Reported by I nga S orensen
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