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A C ivil A ction
Student Protection Act II debate puts dialogue before discord
by Jim R ad o sta
A
bout 50 people attended a one who’s in favor of gay rights. I don’t have
any issue with that."
forum focusing on the Oregon
Jeremy Bowen, president of O C A Under
Citizens A lliance’s latest pro
ground, "a group of young activists dedicated
posed state ballot measure
Feb. 12 at Mount Hood C om to political change through political action,"
insisted-the 2000 measure failed only hecau.se
munity College.
the opposition outspent the Yes on 9 C am
T he Student Protection A ct II would
paign by a 10-to-l margin. “The reasons that
prohibit public school instruction that
we lost were out-and-out lies on the other
approves, promotes or endorses homosexual
or bisexual behaviors. Unlike 2000’s similar side,” he said.
Bowen emphasized the health risks of homo
Measure 9, it includes exceptions involving
sexuality. He cited the increased risk of rectal
A ID S education, suicide prevention and
cancer, syphilis and A ID S among gay men.
teacher termination.
W hat made the two-hour
evening forum— as well as a one-
Jeremy Bowen, O C A Underground president,
hour afternoon session— differ
5: emphasized the health risks of homosexuality
ent from most debates was the
lost off of a male homosexual’s life."
relatively respectful tone main
Lesbian mother Melissa Brown, a Mount
tained throughout. Words such
as “love" and “human worth”
Hood forensics student, asked the O C A support
ers to put themselves into the shoes of a sexual;
replaced rhetoric such as “per
minority. “The heterosexual, Judeo-Christian
version" and “recruiting."
value system is pushed upon you.. .multiple times
O C A representative Jeff
on a daily basis, from everything to the way that,
Hakalmazian saw the forum as
you are treated in a restroom to the way that you
an opportunity to have a
go about gaining your employment,” she said.
healthy discussion with people
Also arguing against the act was Michael
whose views differ. “It’s not a
chance to sling mud at each
Sanchez, a member of Mount Hood’s Queers
and Allies Student Organization. He said he has
other and get angry," he said.
made good friends and met wonderful people
Hakalmazian supports the
act because h e’s “tired of other Lou Beres, Oregon Christian Coalition executive director,
through the campus club.
people’s values systems being said Lon Mabon was unable to attend because he was at his
“This group may no longer exist because of
rammed down my throat.” He mother-in-law’s funeral in California
the Student Protection Act because the school
then invited everyone in the
might he held liable for condoning homosexual
audience to attend his church "with an open
"The average life span of a homosexual indi or bisexual acts,” Sanchez said. “I feel this vio
lates my First Amendment right of freedom of
heart and an open mind.”
vidual— male— as of 2000...was about 45 years,
association because I’m no longer allowed to
“ I am not a bigot,” Hakalmazian said. “1 when the average life expectancy of a straight
associate with this group.” JH
don’t hate anyone who’s gay. I don’t hate any-
male was 75 years,” he said. “That’s a lot of time
A T aste of T heir O wn M edicine
Continued from Page 1
The couple have avoided paying Stauffer by
illegally shuffling money between several O C A
organizations so they appear to be broke. They
also returned donations made to an account
with a court-ordered freeze on it.
“For over 10 years the Mahons have hid
behind the law and played an elaborate corpo
rate shell game as part of a willful campaign to
avoid paying Miss Stauffer what she’s owed," co
counsel Thane Tienson said. “With the arrest of
the Mahons imminent, the O C A ’s illegal shell
game is finally falling apart.”
The Mahons also have tried to use a number
of desperate technicalities to weasel out of the
case. The couple claimed that their proper
Christian names weren’t on documents and that
Oregon judges are impostors because their oaths
didn’t match the state constitution word for
word.
“T he M ahons essentially have ignored
the orders of judges,” Foster said. “Anybody
on the street knows that you can ’t do that.
A nd yet the M ahons...have basically argued
that they are above the law, and I think that
what they’re going to find out here is that
they’re not.”
The arrest order was lifted, however, when
Stauffer’s attorneys discovered Feh. 11 that the
document summoning the Mahons had told
them to appear at 11 a.m. instead of 8:30.
been forced to pay a security Kind of $100,000.
Another hearing has been scheduled for Feb. 20,
Foster said.
According to Tienson, the money ensures they
Mabon, who refuses to grant interviews with
will continue to appear in court.
Just Out, admitted to KATU -TY that he
Stauffer,‘33, told Just Out she was “in shock”
wouldn’t have shown up regardless because he
that the Mahons finally were going to be held
believes all judges are fakes. “ I don’t believe
accountable for their actions. She called the R il
that I’m getting due process from the state of ing a victory for the entire sexual minorities
Oregon, and that’s why I’m objecting, you
community.
know, to the jurisdiction of the Multnomah
“ It’s clear that the Mahons would rather go
Circuit Court,” he said.
to jail than have money go to a lesbian,” she
Mabon issued a press release Feb. 10 outlin said. “It’s also clear that their anti-gay rhetoric is
ing his dispute with the warrant. He accused
not just superficial.”
Cinniger of a vast left-wing conspiracy to keep
Mabon responded to Stauffer’s demand for
the press and public from knowing the time and
an apology by telling KATU: “I’m not gonna
place of his court appearance.
apologize to her. She should apologize to the
“My consent to their false oath, in part, cre state of Oregon.”
ates a parallel false jurisdiction; a fictitious juris
Measure 9 would have amended the Oregon
diction that is empowered, fueled and main- ! Constitution to define homosexuality as “abnor
tained by my consent to their fictitious oath,” he
mal, wrong, unnatural, and perverse.” A similar
wrote. “Therefore, I will not prtKeed even one
effort was defeated in 1994.
inch before any so-called judge who does not
In 2000, another Measure 9 was floated to
have a signed constitutional oath of office on file
prohibit public schtxils from “encouraging, pro
with the Oregon secretary of state according to
moting or sanctioning" homosexuality. Voters
Article VII (Original) Section 21— where every
rejected it 53 percent to 47 percent.
‘i’ is dotted and every ‘t’ is crossed, every word is
Mabon was slated to attend a Feb. 12 forum
exact and every comma in place. Then, and only
debating the Student Protection Act II, a
then, will I consent and proceed. Because then,
watered-down version of 2000’s Measure 9
and only then, are my God-given rights guaran that might appear on the fall ballot. Lou Beres,
teed by a signed contract. By the way, why are Oregon Christian Coalition executive direc
they fighting so hard to not take, sign and trans tor, said the O C A chairman was unable to
mit the right oath to the secretary of state T’
make it because of his mother-in-law’s funeral
Upon their arrest, the Mahons would have
in California. j n