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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (Sept. 17, 2004)
7 L' ! i ] ; i i ; i vi 4-1 inewsbriefs W àshington J udge R ules for S ame -S ex M arriage C andidates F ace O ff at P olitical F orums hurston C ounty Superior C ourt Judge Richard Hicks ruled Sept. 7 that state laws barring same-sex couples from marriage violate the W ashington C onstitution’s guarantee of equal protection for all citizens. T he government cannot give the legal benefits of marriage to one group of adult citizens hut not to another, he said. T he ruling comes in a lawsuit filed five months ago on behalf of 11 couples who wish to marry in W ashington or to have their marriage recognized under state law. Plaintiffs include a police officer, a firefighter, a hanker, a nurse, a retired judge, a college professor and a business executive. They reside from Seattle to Spokane and from Port Townsend to Hoquiam. “This is an important victory for fairness and equality,” said Kathleen Taylor, American Civil Liberties Union of Washington executive director. “The judge ruled that government must treat same-sex couples <he same as other couples. Two consenting adults who wish to enter into the com mitment of marriage cannot he denied its benefits simply because they are of the same gender.” Current law deprives same-sex couples of numerous rights available as a direct benefit of the marriage contract. Among these are community property rights; access to family court; joint assess ment of income and needs for determination of state assistance programs; access during health care emergencies and the ability to participate in health care decisions; survivor benefits; and authority to make decisions regarding funeral arrangements. The court rebuffed arguments that same-sex marriage destabilizes the family, noting that gay and lesbian couples have already been found to serve as capable foster and adoptive parents. In his niling, Hicks pointed out that marriage equality actually strengthens the community: “Our fundamental principle is that we share the freedom to live with and respect each other and share the same privi leges or immunities. We need each other.” Hicks concluded: “Democracy means people with different values living together as one peo ple. W hat can reconcile our differences is the feeling that with these differences we are still one people. This is the democracy of conscience.” In April, King C ounty Superior C ourt Judge William Downing ruled that W ashingtons laws limiting marriage to opposite-sex couples violate the state constitution. In that case, eight same- sex couples sued King C ounty for refusing to give them marriage licenses. Both rulings are expected to be heard by the W ashington Supreme Court, most likely on the same day. The ACLU of W ashington started working to secure marriage equality more than 30 years ago. In 1971, it represented John Singer and Paul Bar- wick when they sought to obtain a marriage I I license in W ashington. The Washington Court of Appeals sided with the state, ruling that marriage is the “appropriate and desirable fomm for procreation and the rearing of children” and therefore not applicable to gays and lesbians. Hicks, however, said that “the community, and its values, has sub stantially changed” since then and that the Singer case “cries out for re-examination.” U p , U p and A way ! B Floreid Walker 3529 NE Broadway?™ Portland, OR 97232 503.445 9390 ext. 101 floreid@wfgadvisors.com Greg Look 3550 Liberty Rd. Sg'J Salem, OR 97302 503.566.7266 ext. 114 greg@ vvfgadvisors.com Portland Mayor Vera Katz will receive a Career Achievement Award, and activists from C entral Oregon will be recognized for the passage of a civil rights ordinance that bans bias based on sexual orientation and gender identity in Bend. Daria O ’Neil of KRSK-FM and KPDX-TV will be the host, and gay entertainer Wade McCollum of Hedwig and the Angry Inch and Bat Boy: The Musical will entertain along with singer Julianne Johnson. Tickets are $125. All of the money raised during the dinner will help the No on Constitutional Amendment 36 campaign place advertisements on television to convince voters to oppose the anti-gay ballot mea sure, but Thorpe also is looking toward the future. “We recognize that it’s important for all of us to focus on November,” she said, “but win or lose, Basic Rights Oregon will he there on the front lines in the 2005 legislative session and beyond." asic Rights Oregon will hold its annual din ner O ct. 2 in the Portland Ballroom at the Oregon C onvention Center, 777 N.E. M artin Luther King Jr. Blvd. Cocktails will be served at 6:30 p.m., and the program will start at 7:30. T he 2004 theme is “T he Amazing Year of Superheroes,” and donors are welcome to come dressed as their favorite superhero. “We’re h o n oring our local treasures, the incredible talent that people have shown in our state,” BRO executive director Roey Thorpe told Just Out. T he dinner will honor many of the people behind O regon’s push for same-sex marriage: com m issioners in M ultnom ah and Benton counties, the American Civil Liberties Union To reserve a seat, call 503-222-6I5I or visit and BRO’s Legal Advisory Group. In addition, i wuKu.basicrights.org by Sept. 24. illamette Financial Group, LLC ♦ R e tir e n ie n i ♦ Life In su ra n ce ♦ C ollege P la n n in g ♦ L o n g -T e r m C are ♦ S u sta in a b le In v estin g n less than two m onths the Rose C ity will elect its first new mayor since Vera Katz took office 12 years ago. T he front-runner, former Portland Police C hief Tom Potter, is a member of Parents, Fami lies and Friends of Lesbians and Gays. His oppo nent is City Commissioner Jim Francesconi, whose vacated seat will be filled by Nick Fish, a labor attorney, or Sam Adams, Katz’s former chief of staff, who would be the first openly gay member of the Portland City Council if elected. Queers have several upcoming opportunities to hear the Portland politicos pitch their platforms: • League of W omen Voters of Portland: Meet all four candidates during a free, unbiased, informational town hall forum 7 p.m. Sept. 22 in Bishop Morris Hall at St. David of Wales Episcopal C hurch, 2800 S.E. Harrison St. Speak with the candidates and register to vote during an informal coffee hour afterward. For more information call 503-285-9041. • City Club of Portland: Adams and Fish will debate during the Friday Forum from 12:15 to 1:15 p .m. Sept. 24 in the third-floor ballroom of the Governor Hotel, 611 S.W. 10th Ave. G ener al seating is free for members and $5 for non- members. Coffee/tea tickets are $5. Lunch tickets arc $ 16 for members and $ 18 for nonmembers and can be reserved by calling 503-228-7231 or visit ing www.pdxcityclub.org before 2 p.m. Sept. 22. • KBM S-AM : T he mayoral candidates will participate in a panel addressing issues facing black voters from 6 to 9 p.m. Sept. 29 at Reflec tions Coffeehouse, 446 N.E. Killingsworth St. Time will also be allotted during the fomm for a question-and-answer period. • Community Association of Portsmouth: The Rev. Jeanne Knepper will moderate a mayoral candidate fomm from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Oct. 8 at Uni versity Park United Methodist Church, 4775 N. Lombard St. Refreshments will he served after ward, when attendees will have an opportunity to speak with the candidates. More than one-third of the welcoming congregation’s members are queer. Call one of us today for more information! L esbian R aises M oney to F ight L eukemia , L ymphoma I eannette Jansson lost her cousin to leukemia I nearly two decades ago, but the Portland les bian is carrying on the fight for a cure. Jansson is training to complete the H onolu lu M arathon on Dec. 12 to raise money for the Oregon chapter of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. T h e 35-year-old, who is a registered Continued on Page 9 Bridge City Family Medical Clinic, PC Quality Health Care For Men, Women and Children o f all A ges Sexually Transmitted Infections Physicals • Pap Smears • Birth Control Diabetes • High Blood Pressure • Asthma Minor Injuries • Colds • Flu • Ear Infections Rashes • Immunizations • Stomach Problems Sports Physicals • Bladder Infections Teri Bunker FNP 2*21 NF. 5tlh Avenue (Cmss Street Sandy Boulevard) Portland, Oregon 97213 vvww. wfgad vi so rs. com w w w .hridgecitynM lical.m H i
