may 3. 2002
L'h j ;* i ; ivi 4-1 mews
T
acom a
T
rans
R
P
ro tects
e s id e n t s
T
he City Council in Tacoma, Wash., voted
8-1 on April 23 to prohibit discrimination
based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
It now joins more than 40 municipalities, the
District of Columbia and two states, Minnesota
and Rhode Island, with laws protecting trans
citizens from discrimination.
“We fully support and appreciate the
G L B T leaders and organizations...who have
done outstanding work in educating their
elected officials on what it means to he a
transgender person in America today,” said
Seth Kilboum , Human Rights Campaign
national field director. “T h at education is the
basis for [Tacoma] taking action and is the key
to future progress on eliminating all forms of
discrimination.”
T
h o rpe
P
D
iv e r s it y
resen ts
S e s s io n
i ow much of your success depends on
I I knowing who your co-workers are?”
Roey Thorpe, Basic Rights Oregon execu
tive director, posed that question April 30 dur
ing Diversity Summit 2002. “If I can’t walk in
Monday morning and talk about how I spent
the weekend moving in with my partner, and
what a big deal that was, then my fellow
employees and employer won’t get my best
ideas. If I have to lie about what 1 did, it’s espe
cially damaging.”
Speaking to nearly 100 people during a ses
sion on “Effective Strategies for Sexual O rien
tation Differences in the Workplace,” Thorpe
challenged the audience to understand how
honesty contributes to the success of employ
ees and their organizations. Her talk was one of
several at the summit, which was presented by
Portland General Electric and drew 1,000
attendees to the Oregon Convention Center.
Thorpe also illustrated th e value of
respectful and appropriate marketing to the
sexual minorities community. “Subaru sales
have shot through the roof since their ads
have featured couples of the same gender,” she
said. “We knew they were marketing to us,
and it worked.”
Although many Oregon employers have
worked to rid the workplace of homophobia,
Thorpe believes many are still guilty of hetero-
sexism— unseen, institutionalized bias that man
ifests itself in many ways. “An example is giving
free movie tickets to employees and their spouses,
leaving us wondering just who can get tickets.”
When asked about the cost of offering
health benefits to domestic partners, Thorpe
had some interesting statistics: Studies indicate
domestic partners add about 1 percent to the
overall cost of health insurance. Typically, only
2 percent to 5 percent of employees enroll
domestic partners.
And the fear that HIV/AIDS health care
will drive up costs is unwarranted, Thorpe said.
The average lifetime cost for HIV/AIDS health
care is $119,000.
“T hat’s comparable to typical cancer care,"
she said. “Compare that figure to the cost of a
premature baby, which can come in at $1 mil
lion or more.”
t h e
O
C
f f ic e r s
h a rg ed
he Portland Police Bureau inquiry into an
alleged hate crime committed by two off-
duty officers has come to a head.
Grant Bailey, 26, plead guilty April 30 to
third-degree assault and likely will receive 18
months in jail during sentencing July 31. Craig
Hampton, 24, has been indicted on second-
degree assault charges and faces a 70-month
mandatory minimum sentence.
A witness report initially indicated the offi
cers uséd anti-gay epithets while beating a
straight man Jan. 24 near Stephano’s, a down
town club adjacent to Portland’s queer district.
Detectives concluded, however, that bias was
not a factor in the incident.
The officers were not placed on administra
tive leave until March 8, and Chief Mark
Kroeker has ordered an internal investigation to
determine whether supervisors hindered prose
cution. “The actions and inactions of the police
clearly resulted in a cover-up,” a grand jury
wrote in a letter to Multnomah County District
Attorney Michael D. Schrunk released May 1.
BU T
I ’D G E T
r o o f
RIG H T
c a n
ON
w a i t
THAT
SOAP
DISH.
T
PHOTO BY
H
e
L
o ves
L .A .
I P ortland Police C hief Mark
I Kroeker revealed April 22 that
he has thrown his hat in the ring
for the top position at the Los
Angeles Police Department, where
he worked for 32 years before com
ing to Oregon. He is certain to face
a great deal of grilling from sexual
minorities in the City of Angels
about the anti-gay remarks he t
made 10 years ago.
Just Out asked Kroeker, “How
will you address the concerns of the
gay and lesbian community in
L.A.?” He said he will be “honest
and forthright” and “just move for
ward” in building trust.
Ironically, Kroeker’s competí- j
tion includes a gay man, LAPD
Deputy C h ief Dave Kalish. Former
Commissioner Dean Hansell, who
serves on the Los Angeles Cay and
Lesbian C enter board, said the 27-
year veteran would bring a great
deal of credibility and knowledge
to the job.
“I certainly will apply,” Kalish
told the Gay.com/PlanetOut.com
Network. “I think there’s great
Portland Police Chief Mark Kroeker announces his
candidacy for LAPD chief April 22
Continued on Page 1 1
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