may 16.2003
hen former Portlander
Renée Jacobs ran into Móni-
ca Taher at a recent Gay and
Lesbian Alliance Against
Defamation event in Cali
fornia, they thought it would
catch up. Little did they know that catching up
would take them all the way back to 1996 and a
lawsuit against The Oregonian.
Taher, who until last month served as West
ern regional media manager for GLAAD, had
the latest information on the media watchdog
group’s campaign to convince more newspapers
to list same-sex commitment ceremonies,
unions and weddings. At least 200 publications
have agreed to carry the announcements.
“I said to Monica: Tve just got to know. Is
The Oregonian one of the papers doing this
now?’ ’’Jacobs recalls. “Monica started laughing
and said yes and 1 said, ‘Well, guess what?’ ”
Jacobs proceeded to tell the story of what
happened seven years ago when two lesbians
sued The Oregonian for not running their wed
ding announcement.
It was 1996 and same-sex marriage was a hot
topic, especially in Hawaii, where the issue
bounced between the courts and state Legisla
ture. The Hawaiian situation made some states
so nervous that they created laws recognizing
only hetercisexual marriages.
Then the feds jumped in with the Defense of
Marriage Act. The pre-emptive national legisla
tion defined marriage as between one man and
one woman. It also allowed states to refuse to
recognize same-sex marriages performed in
other states.
During the summer of 1996, Sandra
Linebarier and Charlene Morris weren’t trying
to change legislation. They just wanted their
W
didn’t find out until she caught
up with Jacobs at the GLAAD
event.
“When Ménica and I made
Attorney reflects on 1996 lawsuit
the connection, tears welled
be a chance to
up,”
Jacobs says. “It was just
f
against The Oregonian b y Pat Young
one of those moments of realiz
r
ing that change was possible.”
Jacobs adds, “When I fin
wedding announcement printed in The Oregon- The New York
: ,,
ion. After all, it was a free service offered to the Times would
ished with that lawsuit and
moved to California, I did not
community. They soon learned it was a service list same-sex
think that I would see a
offered exclusively to the heterosexual commu cerem onies.
change in that policy for
nity. When The Oregonian refused their request, “We thought
decades, if at all.”
they sued, saying the newspaper violated city that if The
and state laws prohibiting discrimination in New
York
So far, only one lesbian
public accommodations.
Times did it,
couple have placed an ad
Representatives of the publication claimed then by de
in the “Celebrations” section.
the wedding announcements were news items fault other
Mary McCarty and
and thus covered under the First Amendment. papers would
Lottie
Zorn
were
"When Monica and I
“Hiding behind the First Amendment protec follow,” Taher explains.
not happy when their
tion was little cover for the fact that it really was
At The Oregonian, Taher
announcem ent
ap
made the connection,
blatant discrimination,” says Jacobs, the attor talked to executive editor Peter
peared
under
the
tears welled up.
ney who represented Linebarier and Morris.
“Commitments” head
Bhatia and editor Sandy Rowe.
The judge agreed with The Oregonian and “They were not defensive, and
ing. The paper refused
It was just one of those
denied a preliminary injunction that would they listened to me,” she says. “I
to rerun the ad under
have forced the paper to run the announcement wanted to meet with them in moments of realizing that “Weddings.”
submitted by Linebarier and Morris. Joe D. Bai person, but they said that wasn’t
“It wasn’t a commit
change
was
possible.
"
ley, a Multnomah County district judge pro tern, necessary.” Instead,
Taher
ment,” Zorn told Just
wrote that there was a “rational basis” to have e-mailed to them a PowerPoint
Out in December. “It
— Renée Jacobs
marriage defined as a heterosexual ceremony. presentation similar to the one
makes us sound like we
However, he also wrote that “there is a rational GLAAD used with The New York Times.
were committed to an insane asylum.”
basis for the meaning plaintiffs assign to ‘wed
In late October, The Oregonian revealed it
In addition to The Oregonian, several other
ding.’ ” Meanwhile, the couple’s announcement would revise its policy to include same-sex Portland-area papers list same-sex ceremonies,
ran in The Tigard Times.
notices. Furthermore, all items would be treated including The Beaverton Valley Times, The Tigard
Last year Taher called The Oregonian to get it as paid advertisements in a new section called Times and The Tualatin Times. Obviously, Just
Out always has had an inclusive policy. J H
to join the growing list of newspapers that “Celebrations” beginning Dec. 7, 2002.
included same-sex couples on wedding pages.
Throughout the many phone calls and
GLAAD launched its Announcing Equity Proj e-mails, no one at The Oregonian mentioned to P a t YOUNG is a Portland free-lance writer and
ect in the summer of 2002 with the news that Taher that the paper was sued in 1996. And she gay and lesbian historian.
W edded B liss
pride: n.
1. feeling o f honor and self-respect; sense o f personal worth; satisfaction
or pleasure taken in one’s own or another’s success and achievements.
2. time to reach out and come together as a community to celebrate!
3. an excellent marketing opportunity!
Ju s t Out's Portland Pride 2003 issue hits the streets June 6.
*This year we are publishing, distributing and handling advertising for the program previously coordinated by Pride Northwest.
*This special section will include extensive coverage of honorees and entertainers appearing in the Rose City as well as details about planned Pride
festivities throughout Oregon and Southwest Washington.
A tte n tio n business o w n e rs a n d advertisers
Call your Ju s t O ut advertising representative or the sales line at 503-236-1253 to reserve space in this special issue.
The deadline is noon Tuesday. May 27.
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