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Oregon Republican Sen. Gordon Smith continues to support
federal hate crimes legislation by Jonathan Kipp
D
espite considerable disapproval
from his Republican colleagues,
Oregon’s Sen. Gordon Sm ith con
tinues to support expanding the
list of federal hate crimes to
include those motivated by bias against gay men
and lesbians.
“It’s amazing how far he has come,” says Ron
Glanville, a member of the Human Rights
Campaign Board of Governors.
By a 15-vote margin, the Senate voted June
20 to amend a defense appropriations bill with a
version of the stalled Hate Crimes Prevention
Act, sponsored by Smith and Sen. Ted Kennedy,
D-Mass. Only 11 Republicans voted for the
amendment. Smith is said to be responsible for
gaining most, if not all, of those 11 votes from
his G O P colleagues.
In addition to actual or perceived sexual ori
entation, the act also would add gender and dis
ability to the list of possible motives for a hate
crime. (Current federal law defines hate crimes
as those motivated by bias based on religion,
race, national origin or color.)
evin Jennings insists teachers can
believe whatever they want. They
even can be “anti-gay.” But he
makes it clear that educators don’t
have a right to compromise the
ability of a young student to learn.
“If you can’t check your prejudice at the
door, then you are not really professional,” Jen
nings says in the video Teaching Respect o f All.
The video, which explores the ways in which
a safe learning environment is critical to the
success of all students, was produced by the Gay,
Lesbian and Straight Education Network.
GLSEN is the largest national organization
that brings together gay and straight teachers,
parents, students and concerned citizens to end
anti-gay bias in schools. Jennings is the Massa
chusetts-based group’s executive director.
Kelley Weigel has been travelling around
Oregon presenting the Safe Schools for All pro
gram and helping organize groups to take action
in their school districts to help keep all students,
including lesbian and gay students, safe. Her
presentation includes a portion of the GLSEN
video. She has visited Bend, Roseburg, the
Rich Tafel, executive director of Log Cabin
Republicans, the nation’s largest gay Republican
organization, says his group applauds the support
Republican senators, especially Smith, have
shown for the amendment.
Not long ago, Smith was known to align
himself with two of Oregon’s most conservative
and anti-gay religious organizations: the Oregon
Citizens Alliance and the Oregon Christian
Coalition. Both organizations are currently
working to place a statewide initiative on the
November ballot that many feel would result in
discrimination against gay men and lesbians.
So how did Oregon’s G O P senator move
from what some consider a friendship with the
far-right wing to sponsoring legislation of both
real and symbolic importance to sexual minori
ties?
“One person: Terry Bean,” Glanville
explains, referring to the Portland businessman
and nationally known gay activist.
According to Glanville, Bean has developed
a close friendship with Smith in recent years.
The two men, who sometimes golf together,
Sen. Gordon Smith
eventually had conversations about hate crimes,
Glanville says.
Last autumn, Smith even spoke to more than
200 people at the annual board meeting of the
Human Rights Campaign, the largest gay and
lesbian political organization in the country, of
which Bean was one of the founders.
“Gordon Smith is a very compassionate,
intelligent man,” Glanville says. “He’s made a
political transition.”
Glanville adds that things are not always
black-and-white, though. There still are issues
S alem S chools S afe ?
ROP's Safe Schools for All presentation sparks concern
among Salem PFLAG members— but will they act? by Jonathan
Dalles, Seaside and other rural towns around the
state in her effort to initiate a discussion about
children’s safety in school.
Weigel, a member of Rural Organizing Pro
ject, a group promoting democracy and discour
aging discrimination, recently presented the
video to Salem’s chapter of Parents, Family and
Friends of Lesbians and Gays at a meeting
attended by more than 25 locals.
The goal of the Safe Schools for All program
is to bring people together and to determine
what needs to be done to accomplish changes,
Weigel explains.
“Schcxds play a vital role,” Weigel says about
the public debate regarding sexual orientation.
She feels the schools have a responsibility to
provide a safe environment in which to learn.
Kipp
We must address any force that stands in the
way of students achieving to the best of their
ability, Jennings says. He believes teachers have
an obligation, no matter their personal feelings,
to support all students.
Local teachers who attended the meeting
expressed frustration over the handling of sexu
al orientation issues in the Salem-Keizer Public
Schools district.
“Teachers are afraid,” one teacher said, refer
ring to colleagues’ hesitance about taking a
stand or trying to educate students in an attempt
to curb anti-gay attitudes. “Why aren’t adminis
trators backing teachers.7”
A gay middle school teacher said he doesn’t
tolerate hateful language, including anti-gay
speech, in his classroom. But, he said, he also
on which HRC and Smith disagree. But HRC
works “one step at a time,” Glanville explains.
“We didn’t even think it (the hate crimes
legislation] would make it to the Senate this
year,” Glanville says, adding, “H RC lobbied
hard.”
The House version of the defense budget bill
does not include Smith and Kennedy’s hate
crimes amendment, according to the National
Stonewall Democratic Federation. A joint
Armed Services Committee will determine the
fate of both pieces of legislation when Senate
and House members meet to work out the dis
crepancies between their two bills.
The Stonewall Federation, a group with
more than 10,000 sexual minority members,
expects the fight for final passage of this hate
crimes legislation to be an “uphill battle because
of the House Republican leadership.”
If the legislation does pass, federal authorities
would have more power to assist local officials in
investigating and prosecuting hate crimes perpe
trated against gay men and lesbians. In addition,
if local officials decline to prosecute a hate
crime, federal prosecutors would have the
option of pursuing the case.
■ To contact S en . G ordon S mith ’ s office, call
(503) 326-3386 or (202) 224-3753.
JONATHAN K ipp is a Just Out staff reporter. He
can be reached at jkipp@teleport.com.
presents himself as heterosexual to students,
staff and administrators— even placing photos
of nieces and nephews on his classroom wall.
He added that most teachers don’t say or do as
much as he does to discourage anti-gay
remarks.
“There is a fine line between what you can
and can’t do,” he said.
Most who watched the video— and were
clearly concerned about the well-being of stu
dents perceived to be gay or lesbian— did not
offer to get involved with approaching the
school district. Som e thought the group
should wait to take action.
But Joseph Arnold, a state employee and
gay man, is concerned about waiting too long
for action.
“We can’t afford to wait,” he exclaimed.
■ If you are interested in the SAFE SCHCX3LS FOR
A ll program, contact Kelly Weigel at Rural Orga
nizing Project, (503) 543-8417 or office@ rop.org.
Contact GLSEN -O regon at (503) 973-8489;
P O . Box 20565, Portland, OR 97294-0565; or
G LSE N O R @ aol.com .
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