Just out., February 02, 2001, Image 1

P o r t la n d , O r e g o n
FREE
Progress report
Oregon’s junior senator,
Gordon Smith, shows
signs of improvement
by J im
R adosta
A
Domestic violence
hides in the dark
by Jonathan Kipp
t isn’t something most people want to think
about, much less discuss. Many of us are
certain it is an issue lurking in the dark cor­
ners of society—television reality shows
like Cops fueling preconceptions and stereo­
types.
Experts say the gay community is hesitant
even to take a look at the problem of domestic
violence. Some are calling the issue another
“ closet” for the gay community to break out of.
After all, 25 percent of all couples— including
same-sex couples—are involved in some form of
domestic violence. Statistically speaking, some­
one you know is being battered—or, more baf­
fling, tormenting someone they claim to love.
Continued on Page 20
s he enters the fifth year of his
U .S. Senate term, Gordon
Smith is receiving credit from
political pundits for evolving
into an ally to the gay community.
The Oregon Republican served on
the host committee for a pro-gay GOP
coalition during the recent inaugura­
tion festivities and is expected to
attend a hate crimes conference later
this month in Eugene. Smith co-spon-
sored a bill last spring to reauthorize
the Ryan White Comprehensive
AIDS Resource Emergency Act and
received praise for his support of James
Hormel, President Clinton’s openly
gay nominee as ambassador to
Luxembourg. He also considers
Portland businessman Terry Bean “a
highly valued adviser on issues affect­
ing the gay and les­
bian community in
Oregon.”
Not bad for a
politician who, just
last fall, flunked
the Human Rights
Campaign’s Voter
Scorecard for the
106th Congress.
The organization
gave him a 57 out Gordon Smith
of 100 because he
endorsed the Hatch Amendment (an
“inadequate” hate crimes remedy) and
voted against the Employment
Nondiscrimination Act (which would
have prohibited anti-gay bias in the
workplace) and the Hark in Amen­
dment (which expressed congressional
support of Roe v. Wade).
What brought Smith around, most
agree, was his role last year as the
Republican sponsor of the Hate
Crimes Prevention Act, now known
as the Local Law Enforcement Act.
Upon accepting the Portland HRC’s
Equality Award on Nov. 3, he reflect­
ed on his learning process.
Continued on Page 15