' aprii 16.2004
18
« ‘ X
Planning your wedding?
Visit us online at
O ut to M ake
a D ifference
jacksonsflowers.com
"Your local fresh flow ers professionals"
OurHandf1 Mm? Heartv*
38(V4 N.E. Sandy Blvd. Portland, OR 97232
5(13-282-0657 • 1 (800) 303-0657 Toll Free
Lesbian vies for a seat in the Oregon Legislature by Kathy Beige
Having a wedding? An occasion?
A special moment in a lifetime? ^
Keep the memories fresh and alive with
professionally and artfully done photos.
i^edhàLüftV ôO 3-289-4339
hrh
T J h o r o g R à p h y www.peclliciwkphoto.com T
Got financial questions?
I Get answers.
•
•
•
•
Comprehensive Financial Planning
Retirement Planning
Life & Disability Insurance*
Estate Tax Analysis
•
•
•
•
•
College Savings Plans
Mutual Funds Investing
IRAs, Roth IRAs, Rollovers
Tax Advantaged Investments
Long Term Care Insurance*
‘ OffwW through arrongamanh <nth n w ro iK i componi«
.WADDELL
)<SrREED'
F in a n c ia l S e rv ie rt
Call Anne today.
Investing. With a plan.®
503 . 238.6036
ext. 1 1 9
iS .
500 Northeast Multnomah Street • Suite 278 • Portland, OR 97232
503-238-7056 PAX • Toll Free 888*892*9049 • annesedye@wradvi$ffuai;:f ' \
^
SEELYE
M kciai A dvisor
justrrn«
Pride essay contest
Send us your stories, reflections
and treatises about what
Portland's Prid festival means
to you. We're looking for zesty
essays that will make fellow
revelers swell with ... pride!
T LÆr'h^hy
Iv n p c rrty
( urpety. A i h m s i im l m o r e
816 NW 23rd Avenue
Portland, OR 97210
Ph/Fx: (503) 295-7965
S u b m i s s i o ns
h v
e m ai l
o n I v
to m c g d a l v @ j u s t o u t . c o m . 3 0 0
vv o r d s m a x . L) c a cl I i n c : \1 a v 10
T h e t o p t tv o e s s a y s w i l l
b e
p u b l i s h e d in o u r | u n c 4 i s s u e .
IN THE MARKET for
a NEW or USED CAR?
Stop in at Lithia Subaru
and take a test drive.
We’ll treat you like family!
—Jim Andrews
m LITHIA
S U B A R U
TfeBaautrrVttWWDrtar
1 -8 0 0 -3 1 1 -7 3 1 0
1 4 0 4 M a in S t r e e t • O r e g o n C i t y
w w w .lith ia su b a ru o re g o n city .co m
amilies are impor
tant to Tina Kotek.
She’s been promot
ing them for the past
three years in Salem
as a professional advocate for
nonprofits. Now she wants to
partner her passion with poli
tics, as she hopes to win a spot
as the only out lesbian in the
Oregon Legislature.
Like many queer activists,
Kotek’s first foray into politics
came about because of anti
gay discrimination. In 1993
she moved to Bellingham,
Wash., following her partner
to graduate school. She
obtained a job at Western
Washington
University’s
Equal Opportunity Office and
applied for medical insurance
for her partner. Same-sex cou
ples were not covered. After a
two-year battle, it was finally
decided that the policy was
based on state standards and
would not be changed. Even
though they lost, Kotek says,
“It was a very educational
process.”
Then she moved on to
Seattle, this time as a graduate
student at University of
Washington. There, she and
her partner were turned down
for married student housing.
So, for three years Kotek
organized students, rallied and
led educational forums and
protests so gay and lesbian
couples would have the same rights as hetero
sexual married couples. Their efforts paid off
with a change in policy for housing, student
health insurance and access to sports facilities.
Bit by the activism hug, Kotek moved on and up
to president of the graduate student government
association. She hasn’t kxikcd back since.
“After my third year in grad schcxil, I knew I
wasn’t going on for my Ph.D. because I was hav
ing too much fun being an activist,” she says.
She moved hack to Portland and started work
ing at the Oregon Food Bank as a public policy
adviKatc. She continues to work for low-income
families as policy director of Children First for
Oregon as she campaigns for the Denruxzratic
nomination to represent District 43, which cov
ers inner Northeast Portland.
It’s not surprising to hear Kotek say working
for children and families will he one of her pri
orities if elected. “When I say families, I have a
broad view. That includes the grandparents that
are watching the kids, it includes the single par
ents, it includes same-sex parents. I’m not saying
our families should look a particular way. I’m
saying all families should be supported.”
She is also aware that the state is facing a
billion-dollar deficit and that some kind of tax
reform is needed. “The first thing we need to do
is amend the kicker law so when the economy is
good we can put money aside,” she says.
Kotek maintains that state programs must be
strengthened to attract business. “Businesses
don’t want to relocate to Oregon because they
don’t know if our schools are
.going to he open,” she adds.
At the same time, she wants
to do away with corporate
loopholes that let big busi
nesses slip by without con
tributing more tax dollars.
As someone who has
experienced discrimination
herself in housing and
employment, Kotek ranks
nondiscrimination legislation
as one of her top goals. “Peo
ple still lose their jobs
because they are gay or les
bian or for gender identity
issues,” she says.
Kotek supports expanding
Oregon’s hate crimes law to
cover trans people but would
prioritize the nondiscrimina
tion bill. “We have to be very
strategic about what legisla
tion we bring hack this year,”
she says.
And, of course, she sup
ports same-sex marriage. “It’s
an equal rights issue,” she
says. I have a lot of friends
who got married. There’s a lot
of happy people out there.”
Kotek believes it’s impor
tant to have an out lesbian in
office. “When you’re talking
side by side with a legislator
on the House floor and
they’re saying something neg
ative about gays and lesbians,
you can say: ‘Excuse me,
you’re talking about me.
You’re talking about my fami
ly. You’re talking about my community.’ It’s
much more difficult to do something that could
hurt a community if you know someone from
that community," she says.
Kotek has received endorsements from Basic
Rights Oregon, the Service Employees Inter
national Union, Oregonians for Schcxils and rhe
National Abortion Rights Action League Pro-
Choice Oregon. Queer supporters include state
Sen. Kate Brown, former state Rep. Gail Shibley
and activists Bill Dickey and Dick Levy.
Kotek’s opponent is Chip Shields, executive
director and founder of Fiettcr People, a living-
wage employment and counseling organization
for people who have been in trouble with rhe
law. He has scored endorsements from gay lead
ers Sam Adams and Terry F3ean.
Kotek thinks her inside experience at the
Capitol makes her the best candidate. “It’s so
important to have good representation in Salem.
State government touches every aspect of peo
ple’s lives,” she says. “It’s really important to have
people who are educated, who understand poli
cy, who know how to work and build coalition
on important issues. As an advocate, I’ve always
told people, ‘If you want to advocate for change,
you have to run for office.’ I finally decided to put
my money where my mouth was.” JH
"When you're talking
side by side with a
legislator on the House
floor and they're
saying something
negative about gays
and lesbians, you can
say: 'Excuse me,
you're talking about
me. You're talking
about my family.
You're talking about
my community.'"
For more information about T lN A KOTEK visit
iwvtv. votetma. com.
K athy B elge is a Portland free-lance writer.