Just out., November 05, 2004, Page 18, Image 18

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A major blow to marriage equality in Oregon
by jUeg cDa^y
T
he toughest part of Rebekah Kassell’s joh
constitution was designed exactly for the pur­
the past four months— and there have
pose of preventing the rights of a minority from
been many tough parts— was looking out
being determined by the whims of a majority.”
on a sea of faces on election night and seeing
couples whose marriages are now in jeopardy.
“1 signed some of their marriage licenses,” j
the press secretary for the No on Constitutional
Amendment 36 campaign told Just Out through ;
horpe’s message was the central tenet of the
her tears the morning after the election.
No on 36 campaign, a message more than
The mood was one of devastation in the
9,000 volunteers took to a quarter-million vot­
No on 36 office that morning. Election results
ers statewide. All that effort made a dramatic
revealed that Ballot Measure 36 had passed 57
impact in the hearts and minds of Oregonians.
percent to 43 percent.
According to the National Gay and Lesbian
Kassell and other staff members fielded calls Task Force, Oregon was the only state facing an
from gay and lesbian couples and other support­ amendment banning same-sex marriage that
ers who felt alienated by their own home state.
had anything close to the amount of money
Kassell talked to one heterosexual woman
needed to run a competitive race, and it came
who called say that her own sense of disenfran­ the closest to doing so. When the Oregon cam­
chisement at John Kerry’s defeat caused her to paign started, polls said the measure would carry
realize “how all of the gay community in Oregon
by 27 points, meaning the effort to defeat it
must he feeling today." The woman decided to
moved the electorate by 19 points in three
call right then and tell the No on 36 campaign
months. It was the only such campaign to show
that she had voted “no” and that she wanted to
a significant movement in the electorate during
know what she could do now to get involved.
the course of the campaign.
After the ballot measure result had been
From Salem to Scappoose and beyond, the
called Nov. 2, Basic Rights Oregon executive
final weeks were crackling with energy on the
director Roey Thorpe spoke to a somber crowd
campaign trail. Canvassers and phone bankers
at the Oregon Convention Center. “1 know this
were out in full force urging citizens to vote
is a hard night for all of us,” she said.
against the measure. Marriage equality support­
Thorpe talked about the incredible year of ers stood on rainy street corners holding
highs and lows for the queer community and its No on 36 signs during morning rush hour.
supporters.
Everywhere was evidence of the strong coali­
“Many of us felt the joy of marrying our long­ tions that exist between queer rights groups and
time partners this year,” she said. “And now we other progressive organizations in Oregon. One
know the pain of having the right to that mar­ notable ally, Pineros y Campesinos Unidos del
riage put to a public vote. But let me tell you,
Noroeste (Northwest Treeplanters and Farm­
this is not the way to decide social policy. The
workers United), had a sign outside its Wood-
Our sophisticated,
well-funded campaign
T
Roey Thorpe speaks to an election night crowd at the Oregon Convention Center
riage “the language of equality” and linked mar­
riage rights to other rights vital to working
Americans.
Foreman spoke frankly about the fact that,
while wealthy white gay men may be able to
afford setting up special trusts and provisions to
take care of their partners, “marriage rights are
for people who don’t have resources,” he said.
“Marriage is important to a large segment of
our community,” he told Just Out — people, he
PHOTOS BY
burn headquarters urging “Voten ‘N o’ En La
36.”
“Many people in the immigrant communi­
ty... understand the danger in opening up the
constitution to unequal treatment,” said
PC U N ’s Aeyrca Steinbauer.
National Gay and Lesbian Task Force execu­
tive director Matt Foreman reinforced the
importance of building alliances when he visit­
ed Portland on Oct. 30 and 31. He called mar­
Aisling Coghlan (second from left) and N o on 36 campaign staff share the emotion of
Thorpe’s speech
From a street comer on East Burnside Street, Alex and Kevin Bailey-Gilliam with their
children Christian, 12, Ethan, 9, and Madilyn, 8, urge voters to protect their family and
vote N o on 36