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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (June 2, 2000)
P Jp V V H O fM M B M H H l 1 in ¡11 ;ivj« (news ary Renfro and his partner o f five years, Ken, live in Salem. It is where they want to live. And, like many o f this community’s citizens, * Renfro tries to do his part to make his town a nicer place to live. O ne o f his volunteer positions is with the Salem Human Rights and Relations Advisory Com m ission. H e’s listened to the African American community voice concerns about life in Salem. H e’s listened to Native Americans and Latinos too. It’s part o f his job as a commis sioner. But when the commission recently hosted a focus group for gay, lesbian, bisexual and trans residents, Renfro came to the table wearing two hats— he was there not only to listen but also to be heard. Salem’s city code does not address discrimi nation in employment, housing and public accommodation against members o f the sexual minorities community, Renfro says. He would like to see that change. And he is not the only one. “ Being a member o f a protected class is the biggest, hottest and most important issue,” Charese Rohnny, a commissioner and Salem attorney, says about the commission’s recent pri orities. The commission approved a resolution last October, to be presented to Salem’s City C ou n cil, requesting that sexual orientation be consid ered a protected class in the municipality’s human rights code. The commission’s next step is to lobby the City Council to support the pro posal and to amend the city code. But Rohnny says the commission wants to promote harmony between diverse groups as well— thus the com m ission’s periodic focus groups for minority communities. Renfro is currently working with some o f Salem’s supportive City Council members and with the mayor to finalize the wording o f the new code. He wants to be certain the proposal reads as clearly as possible and is as inclusive as possible. “W e’ll be ready to move forward very soon,” Renfro says. "W hat they’ll do with it, I don’t know,” he adds, referring to the City Council. The commission is still uncertain whether it can muster the votes needed to make the change. Changing the city ctxle is particularly impor tant to Renfro. Discrimination based on sexual orientation in Salem isn’t just theoretical to him. Renfro was denied housing by an apartment landlord when he and his partner moved to Salem in the mid ’90s. He’s been verbally harassed on the streets o f Salem and even shot 0 ------------------------------------------ -------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- juna Z 2ÜÜ0 » J bb * ■ O ne of the H eard Salem Human Rights and Relations Advisory Commission lends an ear to the sexual minorities community at. Renffo’s friend was fired because his boss learned he is gay. Two women he knows were kicked out o f a dance club because they were on a date. “ We know that it exists,” Renfro says. Rather than move to a friendlier place with more protective laws, Renfro decided to get involved. He wanted change. His first step was to become a commissioner. It wouldn’t be until five years later that the commission would host an evening for public discussion o f topics o f interest and concern for his community. The May 23 event attracted only three citi zens who disclosed their sexual orientations— two men and one woman. A handful o f others attended but said little. Melly Holloway, chairwoman o f Salem’s Human Rights and Relations Advisory Commission; above: at the May 23 meeting by Jonathan K ipp Despite the small turnout, plenty of discus sion took place for the five commissioners pre sent to hear about life in Salem for some o f its residents. Much o f what was said was infused with pain. Concerns about youths, their safety in schools and the lack o f resources for them were recurrent throughout the two-hour rap session. “That’s where my heart tends to go— to the youth,” said a lesbian in her late 20s. Some expressed anger that Salem-Keizer school district teachers and administrators still allow gay and lesbian students to be harassed and called names, while others wondered aloud whether the district even has a policy about such harassment. One woman, a teacher, said the district does have a policy. The woman seated next to her, also a teacher, said staff do not know o f such policies because they are not advertised. Anthony Ivy, not long out o f high school, often held the group’s attention as he painfully recalled the harassment he endured in school and the abuse his friends have suffered on the streets o f Salem because o f their perceived sexu al orientations. “W hat’s being done about discrimination?” he dramatically asked the group. “ In order to stop things, you have to edu cate,” Ivy said. “Educate our children it is not OK to hate.” The passionate young man was angry that his school had an assembly to address issues related to incidents o f gun violence at other schools, but when Matthew Shepard was killed he heard nothing about it. Flo Olkoski and her husband, Ted, trans plants from Florida since 1993, also attended the Woe e A *» focus group. They expressed concerns about some o f the schools as well. The couple is active in Salem’s chapter o f Parents, Families and Friends o f Lesbians and Gays, as well as several human rights organiza tions. Although their lesbian daughter remains in Florida, the Olkoskis have gotten involved to change Salem’s landscape o f intermittent intol erance and bigotry toward sexual minorities. The discrimination and oppression that sex ual minorities face in Salem exceeds that o f any other minority group with which the commis sion has met, says Melly Holloway, chairwoman o f the commission. Holloway admits that few complaints are filed with the commission, though she adds that lack o f reporting doesn’t mean there isn’t a prob lem. Many people in the community don’t know about the commission, she says, so that might explain why they do not come forward to report injustices. The commission has no data available about how many complaints are made each year due to discrimination based on sexual orientation. A few citizens complained about Salem police and the blatant homophobia exhibited by some officers. They called for sensitivity and diversity training o f local law enforcement per sonnel. But one man suggested police should not be taught about how the gay community is differ ent. “The police need to focus on similarities and basic human rights rather than the differences,” Brandon Reich, a gay man, said. Representatives from the Salem Police Department were conspicuously absent, one commissioner pointed out. The department, which is notified o f every focus group, sent a rep resentative to all three o f the past meetings with other minority groups. Several commissioners expressed concern about law enforcem ent’s absence. The May 23 focus group was the fourth meeting the commission has sponsored this year to hear about the problems o f minority com m u nities. The commissioners, all volunteers, hear complaints and have the power to conduct investigations and make referrals to the city attorney for possible prosecution. Most com plaints are resolved, however, with the help of the commission, if the parties are amenable to mediation. ■ The H u m a n R ig h ts a n d R elations A dviso COMMISSION was created in 1964 by the Salem City Council to respond to concerns about the treat ment of the areas minority residents. For more information about the commission, contact Maggie Tuttle at (503) 588-6261. ry Uc Uit IU a H m eva need. Make Bender Properties your real estate home. Put your feet up and relax! Details are our business. You won’t lift a finger as we attend to every aspect of buying or selling your home-even the lit tle chores that others sweep under the rug. And successful? When it comes to fresh marketing or resourceful hunting, our enterpris ing agents really clean house. Complete service and client educa tion are always our priority. HOME PURCHASE & SALES INVESTMENT PROPERTY SALES, PURCHASE & MANAGEMENT LICENSED TAX CONSULTATION /fV Alt i* ¿cmiptivn! 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