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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 21, 2003)
y g J m t M t • februaiy 21.2003 nTiHTTTiTI n e w s RE/MAX S ig n a t u r e C A L IF O R N IA 602 SE 38th Ave. Portland, OR 97214 503231.3922 Wed - Sat P F 1 U L M IT C H E L L V isualize T our "T in a was a frie n d ly force in a v e ry anxious process! ! She w as patient, F U L L o l in fo rm atio n and alw ays available. I ’ve alre a d y recom m ended her to others ana d o n ’t intend to sto p !" — Cbri.i Ctth/ Tina Schafer, Inc •. GRI, AMR /w • • • • • • e r B e a u ta Personal Image Design Hair & Wig Styling Specializing in Trans-Formation Professional Makeup Exp. with feature film & TV Friendly Private Salon Associate Broker AfulU-AIillion Dollar Producer 282-4000 x 122 RE/MAX Signature dfafc Properties e-m ail: tm as@ rem ax.net \S S y J / yW B J state appeals court heard arguments Feb. 10 in the case of a San Diego woman whose health care providers refused medical treatment to her because she is a lesbian. Attorneys are ask ing the court to overturn a 2002 ruling that said Guadalupe Benitezs dix;tors acted lawfully when, citing personal religious beliefs about gay people, they refused to provide infertility treat ment to her so she and her life partner could start a family. “A fter providing in fertility treatm ent to Guadalupe for nearly a year, the health care provider Joanne Clark (left) and Guadalupe Benitez welcomed a baby boy, refused services when Gabriel, into their family a year after doctors refused to provide a Guadalupe was in the very standard insemination procedure short, critical window of time for insemination,” said Jennifer Pizer of catch up with Sweden, Denmark, the N ether Lambda Legal. “She was shocked and felt utter lands, Germany, France and other countries that ly betrayed and had no choice but to go outside are providing marriage rights for gay couples." of her health plan to find another doctor, cost Perry encouraged other same-sex couples to ing her several thousand dollars." go to courthouses and municipal offices on V alentines Day and apply for marriage licenses. In the summer of 2000, the N orth Coast W omens Care Medical Group refused to insem He believed the action could increase attention to the gay civil rights movement. inate Benitez. She had received 11 months of treatment from the clinic— but at the critical and brief moment when she needed to be M IN N E S O T A inseminated, Drs. Christine Brody and Douglas ouse File 341, a radical bill put forth by Fenton said that because of their personal reli conservatives, would strip all references to “sexual orientation" from state law. gious beliefs about gay people, they would not administer the procedure. No other doctors Activists urged legislators Feb. 7 not to hold within the group were available or willing to a hearing on the hateful measure designed to perform this procedure, so Benitez was forced to stigmatize queer residents and remove all civil go outside her health plan to receive services. rights protections they have. Highlighting the extreme nature of the hill is the fact that the Benitez sued the group b;ised on a California law outlawing discrimination by business establish very first provision in the text is to remove “sex ments, including health care facilities, along with ual orientation” from the states condemnation other legal claims. The trial court in San Diego dis of Nazi persecution of people in the Holocaust. missed her entire case, ruling that a federal law bars “It is a disgrace to the enduring legacy of a state civil rights claim against doctors whenever Minnesota as a leader in civil and human rights their services are paid for through an employer- that such an incredibly mean-spirited piece of provided health plan. This appears to be the first legislation would even see the light of day,” said case applying the California civil rights law against A nn M. DeGroot, OutFront Minnesota execu anti-gay discrimination in heath care and the first tive director. “W hen legislators stoop to endors case in which doctors have claimed they have no ing Nazi persecution of gay people, you know state civil rights liability because of the federal law. the motivation is one of deep-seated prejudice." Civil rights language on “sexual orientation” «0» was added to the Minnesota Human Rights Act he Rev. Troy D. Perry, who founded the in 199). However, in recent years conservatives predominantly gay Universal Fellowship of have taken aim at rescinding the law. As a can Metropolitan Community Churches, and his didate for governor, Republican Tim Pawlenty partner of 18 years, Phillip Ray DeBlieck, un said he regretted voting for the amendment. successfully tried to apply for a marriage license “Minnesota’s law includes gender identity in its Feb. 14 in Lis Angeles. definition of sexual orientation, so it is believed this hill would also wipe out gender identity pnv “It's time to move the debate on gay marriage forward,” the veteran civil rights activist said. tection as well,” said Seth Kilboum, Human Rights “Its time for equality. Its time for the U.S. to Campaign national field director. “The bill would also remove references to sexual orientation in the state’s hate crimes law and safe schools law, which are addressed under the Human Rights Act.” A P r o p e r t ie s ! (HRISTinAS A utke-ntic C reations 5 03 2 8 6-700 0 , H T 503 - 232-3600 • • • • • • • • O H IO C o llis io n R ep a ir P r o b le m s S o lv e d he C incinnati City Council voted 7-2 to add sexual orientation to a local hate crime law Feb. 5. According to The Cincinnati Enquirer, Mayor Charlie Luken said he would sign the ordinance. The vote is a major victory for Cincinnati, the only city in the nation with a charter amend ment, Article XII, prohibiting the council from passing any law giving “protected class” status based on sexual orientation. The ordinance was put forth, in part, by the Dec. 31 death of Gregory Beauchamp, who police think was murdered because he was gay. The law will not affect felonies hut will add sexual orienta tion, gender, age and disability status to the list of T W h e e l A lig n m e n t T ires O il C h a n g e s S e r v ic e W ork S ta te F arm S e r v ic e F irst P r o v id e r S p e c ia liz in g in F o r e ig n & E u r o p e a n C a rs M in i-V a n s & S p o rt U tility V e h ic le s 2454 E. BURNSIDE • PORTLAND, OR 97214 w w w .fergusonauto.com Family Owned & Operated Since 1952 Troy D. Perry (left) and Phillip Ray DeBlieck
