October 20.2000
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R ainbow C onnection
Communities of color speak out against Measure 9
ix community leaders o f color joined
forces and formally denounced the
s" -
Oregon Citizens A llian ce’s Measure 9
during a press conference Oct. 12 at
Lutheran Inner City Ministries in
Northeast Portland. Speakers addressed com
munity members and 20 minority youths as well
as members o f the media.
Measure 9 seeks to prohibit public schools
from encouraging, promoting or sanctioning
homosexuality or bisexuality. T h e penalty for
violators would include withholding state fund
ing from local school districts.
Cecil Prescod, Portland N ew Party chair,
described the consequences he fears should
Measure 9 pass during N ovem ber’s general elec
tion. He said it would create a climate that
would stigmatize children based on who they are
or who people think they are. “Classroom s must
be safe places for all children.”
O f particular concern to Prescod is the
potential for A ID S prevention efforts being
eliminated from schools in the wake o f M ea
sure 9 s passage. He said children and people of
color are at increased risk for H IV transmission.
More than 50 percent of new H IV transmis
sions are occurring in people younger than 25,
Prescod said. “Measure 9 will put a gag order on
teachers and counselors who want to give HIV
prevention info.”
State Sen. Avel Gordly, D-Portland, has a 34-
year-old gay son who grew up in Portland, attend
ed Benson High School and served in the U .S.
'
,
by Jonathan Kipp
Navy during the Persian Gulf conflict. M ea
sure 9, she said, would make the state a dangerous
place for him and for others. “It saddens me great
ly that we have an O C A measure again.”
Gordly said the message the measure sends to
children is that it is OK to he a minority but not
O K to be a homosexual. “The message is clear
and devastating to our kids. It does nothing
more than create a climate of hate.”
Am ara Perez, Sisters in Action for Power
director, said her organization, which seeks to
empower young minority women, has been
focusing on issues of safety in schools. She said
divisive initiatives like Measure 9 have negative
consequences and create an atmosphere that is
particularly harmful for girls.
Perez said intolerance results in increased
pregnancy rates and young women entering and
staying in abusive relationships. These issues
divide communities, she said.
Rom aine Fredricka of the Rural Organizing
Project, a network o f citizens committed to
social justice, said the O C A thinks it can own
rural Oregon. She said 45 groups throughout the
state are committed to saying, “No, stop, that is
not going to happen.”
About 5 percent of the members are people
o f color, Fredricka said. She said the group is dis
tributing 30,000 N o on 9 brochures throughout
rural Oregon.
Fredricka also is concerned about A ID S
education. S h e said that H IV is being con
trolled in com m unities o f color because of
From left: Amara Perez, Cecil Prescod, State Sen. Avel Gordly and Miriam Calderon unite
against Measure 9
good outreach in schools and that M easure 9
would shut that down.
G enaccion, a new organization o f 120 young
Latino voters, broke with its internal policies to
speak out against Measure 9. Co-chair Miriam
Calderon said that the issue was an important
and timely one, which led the group to partici
pate in its defeat.
Genaccion, a Spanglish word, roughly trans
lates to “generation action.” The group will partic
ipate in the N o on 9 postcard campaign designed
to reach out to voters in minority communities.
T he cards, paid for and authorized by the
N o on 9 Cam paign and Basic Rights Oregon,
provide voters with a list of community leaders
of color who have come out against Measure 9.
Calderon also expressed concern about new sta
tistics recently released about suicide rates
among gay and lesbian students.
Gordly admitted some might say her com
ments are em otional and out o f place. But she
said she wanted to speak to area church leaders.
Gordly thinks clergy have influence over the
community. She called for pastors to speak out
against Measure 9 and to help communities
understand the dangers o f the initiative.
“We need a quality of leader that we see at a
level nationally,” Gordly explained, citing the
Rev. Jesse Jackson as an example. “We need to see
others. We need to embrace our brothers and sis
ters for who they are— G o d s children.’ ’
in
Log Cabin Republicans of Washington
have voted to endorse the following candidates for the
November 7th, 2000 General Election
Columbia County’s Premier
Real Estate Resource.
W e encourage you to support them when you step into the
voting booth
Country living only 20 minutes
from downtown Portland.
FEDERAL & STATEWIDE CANDIDATES
-
•
Senator Goiton has repeatedly expressed his opposition to employment discrimination
on the basis of sexual orientation and has continually supported AIDS funding,
notably through his co-sponsorship ol the Ryan While CARE Act.
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•
John Carlson, Governor
3ohn C.Scoff f t
REAL
ESTATE
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jenniferpugsiey@johniscott.com
503-543-3751 (o) 503-313-8130 (c)
John Carlson will consider state employment non-discrimination legislation, supports a
hill which would encourage local school districts to develop harassment policies, and
supports continuation or expanded funding of AIDS/HIV research, prescription drugs
and primary medical care.
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•
Slade Gorton, US Senate
Sam Reed, Secretary of State
Sam Reed served as Assistant Secretary of State tor ft years, has served five terms as
Thurston County Auditor, and is a long-time suppoder of equal rights for gays &
lesbians. He has been endorsed by nearly every county auditor (C) or R; in the state.
Call today for a
free qualification
over the phone
- Doug Sutherland, Public Lands
•
Doug Sutherland has served as county executive. Sea-Tac City Manager, and Mayor
of Tacoma during his 25+ years in office. As mayor of Tacoma, he supported adoption
of their employment non-discrimination ordinance.
LEGISLATIVE CANDIDATES
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•
Self-Employed ♦ Complicoted Borrowers
Don Carlson tias been a long-time supporter of equal rights for gays S lesbians. Ha
supports a slate employment non-discrimination bill, supporls encouraging local school
districts to develop policies to deal with the harassment of students, and supports
continued or expanded funding for HIV/AlDS care service programs.
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•
u u jrc i i
Don Carlson, State Senate, 49th District
John Pennington, State House. 18th District
John Pennington supports employment non-discrimination in government employment,
supports encouraging local school districts to develop policies to deal with ttie
harassment of students, and supports continued or expanded funding for HiV/AIDS
care service programs.
Paid for by the Log Cabin Republicans of Washington
p.O. Box 1802, Seattle. Washington 98111-1802
LCRWA&hotmail.com
www.LogCabinWA.com
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