___ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ may 21.2004» J— t outj17
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n a surprising move, Multnomah C oun
ty Chair Diane Linn issued an apology
May 6 for making what she called “some
significant m istakes” throughout the
past year.
Specifically, she says she has fallen short of the
county’s “cornerstone value" of “public involve
ment in decision-making.” Linn feels she has
“not lived up to this standard as I’ve made some
important decisions involving our library, our
inclement weather policy and most recently our
decision regarding marriage equality.”
Linn told Just Out that, in retrospect, she
“should have facilitated broader communication
with the public as we considered the constitu
tionality of this monumental decision.” She also
regrets not informing Commissioner Lonnie
Roberts sooner of the decision to issue marriage
licenses to same-sex couples.
W
h o ’ s
S orry N
by Meg Daly and Jim Radosta
Roey Thorpe, executive director of Basic
Rights Oregon, says she thinks “it’s a shame that
Diane Linn feels she needs to apologize. BRO
doesn’t think she has anything to apologize for.”
Thorpe says Linn’s apology is evidence of the
political risk involved for a public official to take
a courageous stance on human rights. “We have
to understand that this is (Linn’s] way of
acknowledging some people were angry because
they felt caught off guard."
Despite her apology about process, Linn is
firm in her advocacy of
marriage equality. “I am
very proud of and don’t
regret for one moment my
role in supporting marriage
equality in Multnomah
County,” she says. “I am
unequivocal in my support
for same-sex marriage.”
elling a state court that
same-sex couples in
Washington need the pro
tections and security that
marriage provides, Lambda
Legal and the Northwest
T
Love Makes a Family’s Sherrian Haggar and Cecil Prescod drew
parallels between Brown vs. Board of Education and Goodridge
vs. Department of Public Health
VETERINARY
HOSPITAL
CRAIG
QUI RK
B I v d
( n e a r t he R o s s I s l a n d B r i d g e )
232-3105
Group Celebrates Marriage Equality,
Desegregation
L
ove Makes a Family commemorated May 17
the 50th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme
Court decision to strike down public school seg
regation and the first day that same-sex couples
were allowed to marry in Massachusetts.
"Both of these events are significant in that
they affirm a fundamental principle of our repub
lic: equality for all under the law,” said the Rev.
Cecil Prescod, director of Love Makes a Family’s
Marriage Equality Project. “In both cases, the
courts affirm that human rights are non-
negotiable— that human rights are not special
rights for a select segment of the population."
Many people saw 1954’s Brown vs. Board of
Education ruling as the work of “activist” judges;
afterward, a campaign was launched to impeach
Chief Justice Warren. The Massachusetts deci
sion has caused similar responses.
“This is a turning point in the country’s histo
ry,” said Sherrian Haggar, Love Makes a Family
board member. “Young people pay the price when
their parents are told they are not as good as other
parents, their homes are not recognized, that they
will grow up broken and different." J H
C l a r ic e J o h n s t o n
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S T E P H E N K O C H I S DVM
8 0 9 SE P o w e l l
Women’s Law Center filed papers May 7 seeking
a prompt ruling in their case without a trial.
The lawsuit was filed two months ago on
behalf of same-sex couples who were denied
marriage licenses in King County, arguing that
this violates the state constitution’s guarantees
of equality, liberty and privacy for all. The case
was the first of its kind to be filed in Washing
ton since the Massachusetts high court ruled
that same-sex couples are entitled to full mar
riage under that state’s constitution.
“Today, we’re telling the court that the legal
issues in this case are clear,” attorney Jennifer C.
Pizer said. “Couples in Washington shouldn’t
have to wait through a long legal process to get
the protections they need— and that only mar
riage can provide. This case seeks full marriage
for lesbian and gay couples in Washington—
nothing more and nothing less.”
Attorneys for King County and Washington
state have agreed to respond promptly to the
motion for summary judgment. Pizer is asking
the court to hold oral argument and to decide
the case quickly after the briefs are filed.
“Since that first day in San Francisco when
lesbian and gay couples began getting married,
the nation has again been asked whether it’s
really fair to deny marriage to loving couples—
and whether anyone else is really harmed when
these couples get married,” she said. “In Wash
ington, same-sex couples can see that just to
LAURELHURST
DENTISTRY
&
‘J io s e C j / i /
?
County Chair Diane Linn apologizes, but not for same-sex marriage
Attorneys Ask
Washington Court
to Fast-Track Case
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their north, in Canada, their relationships can
be fully respected, but they are treated like legal
strangers at home. Our clients pay taxes in
Washington, and they want to take their vows
in Washington.”
Washington is among 38 states with laws
explicitly prohibiting same-sex couples from
marrying. The plaintiffs seek a judgment that
would strike down the anti-gay restriction as
unconstitutional and would order county clerks
to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples.
503 / 233-3622
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