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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 17, 1999)
22 J»** decemtær 17. 1999 OCA, will it ever go away? all it a blessing in disguise, that entity known as the Oregon Citizens Alliance. OK, call it what you will, but know that the OCA’s multiple campaigns targeting gays have been a catalyst for queers to come out, shake their apathy, get involved politically, establish gay rights organizations and essential ly alter the cultural landscape. Groups such as Basic Rights Oregon and Rural Organizing Pro ject, for example, were spawned from those by I nga S orensen volatile cam- N ews E ditor paigns. Though the The 1990s were truly remarkable years for queer folk in Oregon. OCA had a suc cessful anti-gay It was a decade that saw more activism—and advances—around gay ballot measure in and lesbian issues than any other era in the states history. 1988, it wasn’t until 1992’s Ballot Measure 9 that the At the close of this decade, we take note of regional news stories fireworks began— that have left an imprint on our community. Bob Ralphs, Bigot Buster perhaps the hyster ical tone of the extraordinaire, exempli proposed constitu fied the passion of the tional amendment grass-roots anti-OCA Democrat wowed efforts of the early 1990s woke up everyone. The measure many Capitol col sought to bar civil rights protections based on n October 1991, the Portland City Coun leagues on both sides sexual orientation and declare homosexuality cil approved an ordinance prohibiting of the aisle with her “abnormal, wrong, unnatural and perverse.” It discrimination based on sexual orienta straightforwardness also said government could not “promote, tion and source of income. and work ethic. encourage or facilitate homosexuality, Immediately following the unanimous Shibley, a pragmat pedophilia, sadism or masochism." vote, the City Hall chamber, which bulged ic progressive, was Reports of hate crimes skyrocketed during with lesbian and gay rights advocates, erupted remarkably composed given the campaign, and the tension was palpable. into applause. the fact that she was very much Gail Shibley Thousands rallied against the initiative and A Multnomah County circuit judge would in the public spotlight—one must donned purple political buttons. later declare a vital component of the mea remember she took office at the same time the Measure 9 would eventually fail at the polls sure invalid, prompting the city to appeal. OCA unveiled Ballot Measure 9. with 43 percent of the vote. Despite that set The case remains mired in the judicial sys Shibley later lost her bid for the Portland back, the OCA won a series of local anti-gay- tem. City Council. C A D ecade to R emember Politics (not) as usual I n 1994, Oregon’s Chuck Carpenter became the first openly gay Republican ever elected to a state legislature. A popular and highly effective lawmaker, he was overwhelmingly re elected in 1996. In 1997, as chief sponsor of a statewide employment nondiscrimination bill, Carpenter stood up to his conservative caucus and forced the House of Representatives to a standstill until the Republican leadership allowed his nondiscrimina tion bill a fair hear ing. Under his guid ance, the bill moved on to pass in the House by a margin of 40-20. Carpenter continued his advo cacy in the Senate, Chuck Carpenter falling one vote short of a majority—the closest such a bill had ever come to passing the Oregon Legislature. During the following primary election, con servative GOP candidate Bill Witt defeated Carpenter in a very tight race. I PHOTO BY CA7HEFX STAUHTR rights referendums across the state in 1993— hut the state Legislature blocked any of them from going into effect. In 1994, Measure 13—a statewide initiative similar to Measure 9—garnered 48.5 percent of the vote. While the OCA is certainly weaker these days, it’s still alive and has a new anti-gay ini tiative poised for the November 2000 ballot. ' ail Shibley made Oregon history in | y 1991 by becoming the state’s first open- ly gay state legislator when the Mult nomah County Board of Commissioners appointed her to fill the House District 12 seat. (She would be elected and re-elected to the post in the future.) Though she was just 32, the Portland y a 2-1 vote, the Benton County Board of Commissioners approved Oregon’s first anti-discrimination ordinance that includes transsexual and transgendered people as a protected class. The measure, which took effect Aug. 14, 1998, covers the unincorporated areas of Ben ton County—rural spots like Kings Valley, North Albany, Alpine, Blodgett and Adair. Following the measure’s passage, trans activist Derrick Travers told Just Out: “It’s very gratifying to see this pass, particularly given how explicit it is regarding transsexual and transgendered people. In society, there remains a lot of confusion around sexual minority issues...discrimination based on sexual orienta tion is not the same thing as discrimination based on gender identity.” The ordinance prohibits discrimination in employment, housing and public accommoda tions. The characteristics covered by the mea sure are race, religion, color, sex, national ori gin, marital status, mental or physical disability, familial status, sexual orientation, source of income, and gender identity. Murders in. Medford edford residents Roxanne Ellis and Michelle Abdill were mur dered in December 1995. Both were found bound, gagged and shot twice in their heads on Dec. 7, three days after they were killed. The two women, both active in their church and community, had been part ners for 13 years. Robert James Acremant was appre hended Dec. 13 in Stockton, Calif., where he surrendered without incident. Initially he denied anti-gay bias played a part in the mur ders. However, he later told a reporter that the fact Abdill and Ellis were lesbians—informa-
