rrm io u t
Y
j U S t F T T H T T H ^ (nv can tV€’ as m em ^ ers ° f the sexual
*
1 minorities community, ta/ce steps to increase
education and awareness among voters and keep the Student Protection
A ct II from even qualifying
for the Oregon ballot?
e need to make sure people
in smaller towns know Lon
Mahon went to jail for contempt
of court. This will discredit his
organization.
The Oregonian had a nice edi
torial. Newspapers in smaller com
munities might not have given
this incarceration much attention.
Maybe letters could be sent, or edi
tors could be" asked to carry stories
about Mahon’s contempt hearing,
with follow-ups on subsequent
developments.
Also, get the text of the proposed initia
tive, start pointing out errors of fact and logic,
and emphasize the underlying intent and
actual consequences if it is adopted.
W
B urleigh B ooker
Portland
throw stones! Try a little kindness and under
standing to your trans brothers and sisters.
D eanna L ynnmarie B ryant
Portland
\
Nothing special
To the E ditor :
am amazed that the cause of partnership
rights hasn’t become a higher priority for
our community—because if anything is a
matter of basic fairness, it is this issue.
A total of 700 statutes and 350 administra
tive mles define the rights and responsibilities
of marriage in the state of Oregon alone. These
laws apply automatically to heterosexuals sim
ply because they choose to marry. Add to that
the federal laws and statutes, and it is clear gay
men and lesbians are getting screwed (and it
ain’t fun).
These laws apply to every facet of life—for
instance, the right to make medical decisions
on your partner’s behalf, to visit a partner in
the hospital or other public institution, to
chixwe a final resting place for a deceased
partner, to file a joint tax return (and not
have to pay two fees to the accountant), to
inherit in the absence of a will, to obtain gov
ernment benefits such as Social Security and
Medicare or to obtain bereavement leave or
sick leave to care for a partner or child. The
list goes on and on.
Historically, marriage was a union in which
wives were the property of their husbands. Mar
riage also traditionally has been defined as a
union only between people of the same race or
religion.
In fact, as recently as 1958, a black woman
and a white man were arrested in Virginia for
marrying. A court upheld their conviction by
relying on attitudes about unnatural relation
ships that sound as if they are straight out of
today’s headlines.
This case, Loving vs. Virginia, ultimately
went to the U.S. Supreme Court, which in 1967
overturned these heinous laws. Today, same-sex
couples are the only ones denied the freedom to
marry, and the arguments used against same-sex
marriage are the same ones that were used
against interracial marriage just 30 years ago.
i
Injured?
...Call me
next t r r m
up.and.
coming gay icon Britney Spears: the
next Madonna or the next Tiffany?
Respond at www.justout.com. (Don’t
forget to include your name, city and
daytime telephone number.)
I often am asked whether my partner,
Marc, and I would get married, and my atti
tude has changed through the years. At first,
I didn’t want to emulate a societal norm that
I thought had little relevance. But as our rela
tionship endured, I became more and more
aware of how much extra effort we have to
put into our affairs (and how much more
money we need to spend on these efforts) just
to protect ourselves.
And our families are supportive of our rela
tionship. Imagine the difficulties if they weren’t.
It is time we demand fairness and parity.
When our enemies say we want special rights,
what they really are admitting is we want the
same rights that are accorded them. Not special
rights, just equal rights.
F loyd S klaver
Portland
Act locally
To the E ditor :
oppose the proposal to contract out Portland
Public Schcxds custtxfian jobs to a private
company. Our public employees not only care
about our children but keep them in a safe,
clean and healthy learning environment.
Contracting out to save money for the dis
trict would be “penny-wise and pound-foolish.”
A “cost-saving” private company would mean
drastically lowered wages and benefits as well as
the resulting low morale, high absenteeism and
rapid turnover of employees.
Short-term, disgmntled workers would not
be invested in the schools or the students. Our
children and their teachers should not be sub
jected to unsafe, unclean and unhealthy learn
ing environments.
At this critical time of economic downturn,
our community needs more living-wage, union-
protected jobs—not fewer. Families need bread
winners with job security. Neighborhoods need
stable families. Businesses need consumers with
confidence and money to spend. The members
of Service Employees International Union
Local 140 deserve our support.
I
J amie P artridge
Portland
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