24
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The Man with Two Faces
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Lon Mabon thinks he’s too pro-gay.
Bill Bradbury thinks he’s too anti-gay.
Will the real Gordon Smith please stand up?
by Jim Radosta
his year’s heated U.S. Senate race,
• He defended the nomination o f James
which is receiving widespread cov
Hormel, who is gay, as U .S. ambassador to
erage because of its potential effect
Luxembourg.
on the national political landscape,
• He served on the host committee for the
can he viewed in two ways.
Republican Unity Coalition, a group formed
On the one hand, queer voters could consider
to make sexual orientation a “nonissue” in the
themselves lucky to have two progressive candi
GOP.
dates clawing for their support. Gordon Smith, the
“I will admit, in the Republican Party, there
GOP incumbent, has taken on hate crimes legisla
has been a feeling that to help with anything is
tion as one of his top priorities, and Oregon Secre
to accept everything. I think that's false,” Smith
tary of State Bill Bradbury, his Democratic oppo
told Just Out in February 2001. “I don’t believe 1
nent, is unequivocal in his support of gay rights.
have to agree with everything that the gay com
On the other hand, the sexual minorities com
munity would like to help them with most
munity could feel manipulated by a politician
things. But that’s a bridge I had to cross, and I’m
whose hits shown considerable progress on queer
glad I did.”
issues hut still has a long way to go. This appears to
He attributes his change of heart to a
he the road most folks are taking.
moment in a motel room four years ago. Smith,
Smith is positioning himself as a moderate
who had returned to Oregon for a recess, was
on traditionally partisan issues such as gay rights,
watching a televised Matthew Shepard vigil tak
abortion and the environment— mirroring the
ing place at the U.S. Senate Building when he
approach of longtime GO P Oregon Sens. Mark
realized something was missing.
Hatfield and Boh Packwixxl. The problem with
“I felt ashamed that there was not a single
Gordon Smith and Judy Shepard meet the press during the 2001 Oregon Hate Crim es
this campaign style is it ends up pissing.off both
Republican that I could identify on those steps,”
Conference in Eugene
sides of the aisle.
he said. “And 1 determined that I wasn’t going
Oregon Citizens Alliance chairman Lon
From either extreme, it would seem Smith
Smith also has made a number of other pro to remain silent anymore and I was going to
Mahon was so rankled that he jumped ship to just can’t win— although public opinion indi gay strides:
show up and try to help."
the Constitution Party, which nominated him
cates otherwise. A KGW-TV survey released
• He is a co-sponsor of the Employment
Since then, Smith has formed a close rela
in the hopes of attracting
Oct. 2 shows Bradbury trailing Nondiscrimination Act, which would make it
tionship with Terry Bean, an H RC founder and
right-wingers who have no
hy 23 percent; his campaign
illegal for people to be fired because of their sex longtime hoard member. “I’ve hired people who
place else to turn now that
quickly dismissed the pollster as ual orientation.
are gay, I have relatives who are gay, I have friends
Smith has “embraced the gay
a Republican operative.
• He co-sponsored a hill to reauthorize the
who are gay, I have had reason to listen more
agenda.” A 60-second ad now
Ryan White Comprehensive AIDS Resources carefully, open my heart a little more conspicu
running on a Portland Christ
ously and he open to new information,” he said.
Emergency Act.
ian radio station warns listen
he o sitiv es
ers, “If you vote for Gordon
Smith, you’re voting to
mith’s main selling point is the
advance homosexuality.”
leadership role he has taken in
Liberals, meanwhile, are furi
sponsoring the Local Law Enforce
ous about Smith’s “pink
ment Act, which would expand
washing”—particularly his at
federal jurisdiction in responding
tempt to lure fence-sitters with a
to violent attacks based on the vic
television ad featuring Judy
tim’s actual or perceived race,
Shepard, whose son Matthew
color, religion, national origin, sex
was killed in a 1998 anti-gay
ual orientation, gender or disabili-
hate crime. They also resent the Bill Bradbury says the choice ty. Last year he made a special trip
Washington, D.C.-hased Hu- is between him and Smith,
from Washington, D.C., to Eugene
man
Rights
Campaign’s “ a voice in the wilderness
for the 2001 Oregon Hate Crimes
Lon Mabon shoots a knowing glance to Lou Beres (far right), Oregon Christian Coalition
endorsement of the senator.
of Republican control”
Conference.
executive director, as he is handcuffed Feb. 20
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