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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (May 19, 2000)
ü may 19.2000 * f u s t o u t m;ì i; i v i 4-1 mews Text of the OCA’s so-called Student Protection Act 0F DESTATE of Sccii, OfieniAiion „ " » " “ •) H ead to H ead Basic Rights Oregon prepares to battle the Oregon Citizens Alliance even before the group qualifies its ballot proposal by Jo n a th a n Kipp ike a recurring bad dream for Ore gon’s sexual minority communities, the Oregon Citizens Alliance has reared its head from relative obscuri ty, intent on bringing yet another anti-gay initiative to the state ballot for voters to ponder. Since last September, the O C A has been collecting the 66,786 signatures needed to qual ify its initiative for the November ballot. Jaime Balboa, executive director of the queer political organization Basic Rights Oregon, says BRO expects the O C A to acquire the needed signatures by the July 7 deadline. The 12-year-old O C A , still under the com mand of Lon Mabon, sponsored Measure 9 in 1992 and Measure 13 in 1994. Oregonians voted down both anti-gay initiatives after oppo nents spent a combined $3.9 million to defeat the OCA-sponsored proposals. But this time the O C A has help. The C he- gonian recently reported that the state chapter of the Christian Coalition stepped forward to help the O C A gain enough signatures to qualify the "Student Protection A ct"— the provocative name the O C A has assigned the proposed statute. The Christian Coalition is “fighting to pro tect our kids from the homosexual agenda,” Lou Beres, executive director of the Oregon chapter, told The Oregonian. The initiative would essentially prevent pub lic schools, including community colleges, from presenting any information about homosexuali ty or bisexuality “in a manner which encour ages, promotes or sanctions such behavior.” The proposed statute also outlines the consequences for schools crossing the line— the withholding of state funds. Balboa says the language in the initiative is so “wide and ambiguous that they’d be able to drive a truck through it." The initiative does not define “encourages, promotes or sanctions” and does not address anti-gay speech or information. Balboa believes the consequences of the initia tive would be far-reaching and devastating. “It’s clearly destructive to all Oregonians,” he says. arly on Saturday, May 13, 65 seem ingly diverse people gathered on the downtown campus of Portland State University for Oregon Bi Conference 2000, a day of workshops and social izing put on by the Portland Bisexual Alliance with the assistance of PSU ’s Queers & Allies. They came to the event from Newport and Corvallis, Ore.; Seattle and Olympia, Wash.; Vancouver, British Columbia; and, of course, Portland. What brought them all together was an affinity with PBA’s mission— to build a sense of community among bi people and to secure for everyone “the freedom to follow love." Workshop titles and presenters included: “Understanding Your Bi C hild” by Ileana Strauss, board member of Portland PFLAG; “Intro to Bi Political Issues” by PBA President Sven Bonnichsen; “Queer Youth Speak Out!"; “Short Survey of American Polyamory” by Laury Weiss of Bisexual Community Forum; and “How to File a Successful Discrimination Com plaint” by Margaret Deirdre O ’Hartigan, acting director of the Filisa Vistima Foundation. “In the closing ceremony, people talked E An old fashioned idea about future comfort. J 'M n y p , ^ Perfectly good teachers who identify as sexual minorities could and would be fired if the initiative is made law, Balboa pre dicts. Books and materials written by queers— as well as those touching on homosexual ideas and culture or famous gay people— would be removed and banned unless they specifically condemn gays, BRO literature says. Counselors and support groups for sexual minority students also would be prohibited. Equally disturbing to Balboa is that HIV and A ID S education would likely he curtailed. The idea that the O C A and the Christian Coalition are putting public health and safety at risk in order to advance their ideology is appalling, Bal boa says. Jaime Balboa, executive director of Basic Rights Oregon BRO has been gearing up for what is expect ed to be a short hut dramatic fight. The organi zation will have to wait until July 7 to learn whether the O C A has qualified its initiative for November’s general election. But Balboa and company are not waiting around for the official word to come. “We need to hit the ground running,” says Ron Glanville, who is on the board of governors of the Human Rights Campaign. HRC, based in Washington, D.C., is the largest lesbian and gay political organization in the country. Glanville says fund raising is more difficult before the announcement that an initiative has qualified for the ballot. People are reluctant and want to wait, he says. “The O C A has gotten very sophisticated,” G etting B i Oregon Bi Conference 2000 explores organizing and issues by C h risto p h er D . C u tto n e about how liberating it felt to come and be in a group where they didn’t have to constantly explain themselves— everyone just understood where they were coming from," Bonnichsen says. “We hope to make this an annual event. There’s a profound need for bisexuals to get together and talk with each other." Another item on PBA’s agenda for the con ference was dubbed the Oregon Bisexual Coun cil. The meeting, held on Sunday, represents an effort to foster more interaction and cooperation among bisexual groups in the state. “Sunday we met to talk about how our groups can better work together,” Bonnichsen explains. “It was an intimate conversation. ' (new sect,on): I Glanville adds, referring to the wording of this year’s proposal. Glanville agrees that the Student Protection A ct’s tone is softer than the rhetoric of measures 9 and 13, but it’s ultimately not all that different: “It is still fear-based,” he says. HRC recently contributed $5,000 to help BRO begin a counterattack, and Glanville says H RC will provide a great deal more support if the initiative qualifies in July. Balboa’s staff has also been taking action. More than 30 volunteers recently attended lead ership training sponsored by BRO and two national gay and lesbian organizations. The group worked on building a campaign to defeat the O CA ’s proposal, but the volunteers were also building something bigger than just a campaign, Balboa says. He adds that the trainees constitute a diverse gathering of seasoned lead ers and of young people. Balboa says the group’s intent, in addition to strategizing, was to train the next generation of Oregon leaders. BRO estimates that $1.7 million will be needed to defeat this year’s anti-gay initiative, should it make it onto November’s ballot. “Every gift is meaningful and every gift is needed,” Balboa says. Only one month into his directorship at BRO, Balboa says he is not surprised that the Christian Coalition has jumped in. He says the coalition’s leaders choose their fights carefully. “They are watching Oregon. They want an issue they can replicate,” he says. “We have to build a fire wall in Oregon that says, ‘This far and no farther,’ ” Balboa adds. “We are talking about basic rights— no one has the right to vote that away.” Jerry Poirier takes an old fashioned approach to your future comfort and peace of mind. He cares more about your best interest than making a sale. Placing your needs and goals above his own creates happy clients. Happy clients mean more business for Jerry — which makes him happy. Simple, isn’t it? Call Jerry today, and let him make you happy. ■ Want to get involved’ Help B a s i c RIGHTS O R E GON by donating money, volunteering, hosting a house party fund-raising event, becoming a corpo rate sponsor, polling or answering plumes. Contact BRO at P.O. Box 40625, Portland, OR 97240; Jaim eBalboa@ aol.com ; www.basicrights.org; or (503) 222-6151. j Everyone agreed on the need to create a com- j mon list of resources for bi people. We walked ! away with plans to create a shared Web site and ! a commitment to meet again, bringing more ! people to the table.” PBA publishes a monthly calendar that com piles information about its own events and those sponsored by Oregon’s various bisexual groups. Organizations now included are: BiNet Oregon, Bisexual Community Forum, Portland Bisexual Women and the Bi Women’s Caucus o f Bradley- Angle House. Add to that list a new group, Bisexual Unity, which recently organized in Corvallis, and it becomes clear that the bi community is more than just the third letter in “LG BT ”— it’s a vibrant common cause and political movement of its own. Jerry Poirier Sales Associate ( 503 ) 284-7755 pager 909-4964 e-mail jerrypoirier@aol.com < > Windermere Cronin A Caplan Realty Group. Inc. ■ Contact the PO R TLA N D BlSEXUAL A L L IA N C E at (503) 775-9717; pba@biportland.org; or P.O. Box 412, Portland, OR 97207. C hristopher D. C uttone is a queer-identi fied bisexual and Just Out staff ienter. 1607 NE 41 st Ave. Portland, OR 97232
