H is t o r y in t h e M a k in g
O
regon Gov. Ted Kulongoski announced
Aug. 4 that he has appointed Oregon
Quirt of Appeals judge
Rives Kistler to serve as
a justice on the Oregon
Supreme Quirt, effec
tive immediately. This
is likely the first time in
U .S. history that an
openly gay person has
been appointed to a
state’s highest court.
“It’s obviously some
thing that matters, hut
ultimately I think what Rives Kistler
really is important is
how you can contribute to the work of the court,”
Kistler told 365Gay.com. “Having that diversity
on the court helps people see things they might
miss otherwise. And there’s a value in that. But
there’s all sorts of diversity people bring to the
court. And I assume the governor took those
things into consideration.”
Kistler has served as a judge on the Oregon
Quirt of Appeals since Feb. 1, 1999. He previ
ously served for almost 12 years as an assistant
attorney general in the Appellate Division of
the Oregon Department of Justice, arguing civil
and criminal appeals on behalf of the state
before the Oregon Court of Appeals, the Ore
gon Supreme Court and the U.S. Court of
Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Before that he
was a litigation associate for Stoel Rives LLR He
also has taught state constitutional law as an
adjunct professor at Lewis &. Clark Law School.
Kistler graduated from Williams College in
1971 with highest honors in English and
received a master’s degree in English from Uni
versity of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in
1978. In 1981 he graduated sumnw cum Louie
from Georgetown University Law Center.
Kistler has served as a member and vice chair
man of the Oregon Board of Bar Examiners and
a member of the National Association of Attor
neys General Working Groups on criminal law,
federalism and free speech.
“This is a red-letter ijay for Oregon, Judge
Kistler and the gay community,” said Geotge
Eighmey of the Oregon Gay and Lesbian Law
Association, which recommended Kistler for this
appointment. "We are pleased the governor recog
nized Judge Kistler’s superior intellect. This proves
once again that one’s sexual orientation does not
prevent one from being an outstanding junst.”
C o m m is s io n e r s t o A d d r e s s
C la ck a m a s C o u n ty
at
A n t i -G a y C h u r c h
he Clackamas Qum ty Commission will
deliver its State of the County address dur
ing North Clackamas Chamber of Q)mmerces
monthly luncheon Aug. 20 at New Hope Q)m-
munity Church, which played host to the “ex
gay” Love Won Out conference in June.
In response to complaints received by her
office, Basic Rights Oregon executive directory
Roey Thorpe contacted county officials, who
assured her that the event’s venue doesn’t mean
they endorse the anti-gay stand taken by the
church.
“For G L B T people in the county, though,
their decision is a painful one,” she said. “Sure,
on the one hand, it’s just a venue. On the other
hand, it’s an organization that hosted 1,000 peo
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T he anti-gay New Hope Community Church will be the site of the State of the County
address Aug. 2 0 in Clackam as
ple so that they could hear the message that
G LB T people must deny their true selves in
order to he real Christians. Entire families were
told that they have a moral responsibility to
refuse to accept their gay sons and daughters.
How had would it have to get for the Clackamas
Qxinty Q>mmission to refuse to speak there?
Isn’t breaking apart families and throwing peo
ple out of churches enough T
County spokesman Greg Parker said Com
missioners Bill Kennemer, Martha Schrader and
Larry Sowa are participating at the invitation of
the chamber, which solely determined the
event’s location. In addition, he noted that the
county also makes the information available to
citizens in a published format.
"There are lots of reasons to criticize Clacka
mas County, hut this Isn’t one of them," Parker
remarked. He said the county government is
sensitive to issues of diversity and sexual minori
ties and, “if there’s an issue with this venue, we’ll
be talking about it with the chamber."
Wilda Parks, chamber president and CEO,
said the luncheon and similar large-scale
Continued on Page 9
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