Co
tiT o l
F
DEFEHSI
LL 28
Meghan Moyer (right) leads a rally for Kulongoski before the “Jabbin’ at the Aladdin” debate
B ringing
the
H ouse D own
asic Rights Oregon is keeping a close eye on
legislative races this year, because the politi
cal climate in Salem next session will make or
break a hill banning discrimination in employ
ment, housing and public accommodations based
on sexual orientation and gender identity. T he
organization has poured more than $40,000 into
the campaign coffers of fair-minded candidates.
Field director Jessica DuBois has been asking
them a slew of questions to determine their stance
on queer rights. “We look at not only their support
of our issues and their voting records...but defi
nitely also look at the health of their campaign—
if the candidates are walking and knocking on
doors, if they’re actively fund raising, if they’re get
ting out and doing what they really need to do, if
they have a good mail plan and things like that.”
These are the most notable races in this
election cycle:
• Senate District 17: DuBois said B R O is
helping Democratic state Rep. Charlie Ringo
defeat Republican state Rep. Bill W itt, who “real
ly couldn’t be more of a foe, sincerely, to our
issues. He has been a co-sponsor o f Defense of
Marriage Act-type legislation...in 1999.” W itt, a
founder of the Oregon Christian Coalition, also
contributed money to the Oregon Citizens
Alliance’s Ballot Measure 9 campaign in 1992.
• H ouse D istrict 3 8 : D em ocrat G reg
Macpherson faces Republican Jim Zupancic,
who “did not want to participate in our (ques
tionnaire) process at all,” DuBois said.
• House District 2 8 : Democrat Jeff Barker
“is a former cop, an ex-M arine who is a white
older m an...w ho’s very progressive on social
B
Clearly N ot Just
a Patio Cover
issues but doesn’t necessarily have the back
ground that makes you think that he would be,”
DuBois said. His opponent is an African Amer
ican Republican, Keith Parker. “T h at’s just an
interesting race in terms of the profiles of the
two candidates...at first glance not necessarily
appealing to the base of voters that you would
think that they would be appealing to.”
• House District 3 4 : Beaverton voters can’t
lose with Democrat Brad Avakian and Republi
can John Scruggs, who received a rare dual
endorsement from BRO. “W e’re saying that
each of these people...is equally good on our
issues," DuBois said.
support you, because the G L B T community is part
of the Democratic family.”
For more inform ation call 503-234-5365.
D emocratic P arty
L aunches Q ueer
O utreach P rogram
he Democratic Party of Oregon announced
Sept. 4 a new organizing effort to engage
more members of the state’s gay, lesbian, bi and
trans communities in the democratic process.
T he party has hired a field organizer devoted
to working with other advocacy groups in the
sexual minorities community to educate voters
about the candidates on the Democratic ticket
and their positions on the issues. Meghan Moyer
has been meeting with organizations such as
Basic Rights Oregon, Metropolitan Community
Church of Portland and Parents, Families and
Friends of Lesbians and Gays; promoting the
party at events such as Salem ’s Capitol Pride
and last m onth’s queer film festival; and regis
tering voters at gay bars.
Another component of this effort is to encour
age more people to be active in the political deci
sion-making process— not only this fall but for the
long term. Officials believe that the health of the
state’s future is riding on this race and that unity is
essential in order to promote equal opportunity,
access and treatment for all.
“We don’t just want you to support us,” said
Barbara Smith Warner, director of Forward Ore
gon, the party’s coordinated campaign. We want to
T
C abin F ever
he Log Cabin Republicans of Washington
announced their endorsements Sept. 21 for
the Nov. 5 gen
eral
election
and — guess
w hat?— th ey ’re
all Republicans!
“Log Cabin is
proud to support
these candidates
for public office,”
president Brian
C . Ballard said.
“Each candidate
agrees that gays
and
, lesbians
should be treated
T
equally
under T h e Log Cabin Republicans
the law.
0f Washington are silent
Log
C abin on Jim Moeller
asked candidates
whether they would support legislation prohibit
ing discrimination on the basis of sexual orienta
tion and whether they would continue to fund
HIV/AIDS programs. They also were considered
based on their support for recent legislation.
Conspicuously missing from the list was a
recommendation for Seat 2, District 49— a race
pitting gay Democratic Vancouver City C oun
cilor Jim Moeller against anti-gay Republican
attorney Barbara Peterson. Ballard told Just Out
that the G O P candidate had not responded to
Log C abin’s requests for information.
For more information visit UFiwe.LogCabmWA.com.
F ab J ab
he queerest sighting during the “Jabbin’ at
the Aladdin” debate O ct. 14 had to be
infamous drag queen Darcelle escorting Repub
lican gubernatorial candidate Kevin Mannix to
his seat. T h e questions, however, never tackled
any sexual minority issues.
Polls show Democrat Ted Kulongoski in a sur
prisingly tight race with M annix, an ultraconser
vative Catholic who authored a bill to ban artifi
cial insemination for unmarried women in 1995
and sponsored a ballot measure banning same-sex
marriages and opposed granting gay men and les
bians the right to take family leave to care for a
partner in 1999. Two years ago he expressed his
support for the Oregon Citizens A lliance’s Mea
sure 9 before doing a flip-flop on the issue. j n
T
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Ted Kulongoski hitches a ride from campaign staffer Gail
Shibley, Oregon’s first openly queer state legislator, during Portland Pride 2 0 0 2
U nique G arden A rt
& S pecialty G in s
a
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