6 jUSt OUt ’ January 21. 2005
TTTnnWmne ws briefs
Atkinson
Memorial Church
Unitarian
Universalist
A Welcoming
Congregation
Come Celebrate
with us!
Imagine...
Doctors that treat vour whole person
I he clinics of
National College of Naturopathic
Medicine
Honoring the Healing Power of Nature
Sunday Service
& Religious
Education
10:30 am
710 Sixth Street • Oregon City, OR 97045
www.atkinsonchurch.com • (503) 656-7296
GUY’S
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The Finest
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for your Car
Guy Recordon
Jim Enger
hristine!
“After talking with other lenders,
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reception we received on our
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give her a call. Unlike the others,
she worked with us to improve our
credit file and then came through
with financing where others told us
it couldn't be done. Today we live in
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503.698.5429
503.301.1941 i’.,«.,
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BRO W orking for B ias B an ,
C ivil U nions
case), it will work with these lawmakers.
A quickly penned missive from BRO com
munications director Rebekah Kassell reads:
“Does this mean that BRO is giving up or
giving in? No. We will continue to pursue
legal and political options for advancing mar
riage equality but believe that—in the mean
time—civil unions are a step in the right
direction and will provide critical protections
for couples and families that need them right
now. BRO recognizes that civil unions are
not equal to marriage and remains commit
ted to achieving full marriage equality for all
Oregonians.”
Stay tuned.
Measure 36 passed, but Basic Rights Ore
gon is capitalizing on the momentum of the
campaign by encouraging interested commu
nity members to activate and start talking to
their state representatives.
The unprecedented statewide organizing
and cooperation provides a solid basis to get
working on these issues in 2005. The first
project is to picture 1,000 Oregonians with
their legislative priorities in a place that
these representatives have to see (see illustra
tion below).
The beginning of the legislative session
got off to a fair start Jan. 10 as Gov. Ted
Kulongoski announced that enacting a G resham L egislator I ntroduces
statewide civil rights law banning discrimina H omophobic B ill
tion based on sexual orientation is one of his
State Rep. John Lim,' R-Gresham, an
biggest priorities for 2005.
accomplished entrepreneur and leader in the
BRO is working with the governor to Korean American community, is also an
enact a comprehensive law that would pro evangelical Christian who has introduced
hibit discrimination based on sexual orienta legislation that would require the state to
tion and gender identity in employment, give preference in adoption to heterosexual
public
accommodation,
married couples.
housing, education and pub
This bill would put
lic services. It would be far-
single people, unmarried
reaching enough to be con
couples and same-sex
sistent with nondiscrimina
couples at a disadvan
tion ordinances already in
tage when choosing to
place in cities and towns
adopt through the state,
around the state. (For fur
and it signals the first
ther information about what
attempts at erosion of
a statewide nondiscrimina
adoption
rights for
tion bill would look like,
queers.
check out the Illinois news
Let Lim know what
The Metropolitan Community Church you think about this by
brief on Page 14).
To help illustrate the building in its early days at the corner e-mailing
him
at
need for basic civil rights of Northeast 24th and Broadway
rep.johnlim@state.or.us
legislation, BRO is asking Oregonians to let or giving him a call at 503-986-1450. Refer
the Legislature know that discrimination is to House Bill 2401.
real and happening in communities across
the state. You can find resources for sharing M etropolitan C ommunity C hurch
these stories at www.basicrights.org.
S eeks F ormer M embers
BRO has also introduced hate crime legis
Metropolitan Community Church of Port
lation in the Oregon House that would land will celebrate and recognize early members
include gender identity as a protected class. If at 10 a.m. Jan. 23 in the Fireside Room at
you want to talk to your state representative 2400 N.E. Broadway.
about this, refer to House Bill 360.
Everyone is invited to share in the honoring
Measure 36 has complicated the struggle of the founding members and their contribu
for full relationship rights for same-sex cou tions to MCC’s rich heritage and community
ples, which continues to be a priority for leadership. All former members are encouraged
BRO. As a result, BRO reports that it is to attend, and visitors and newcomers of any
changing the way it approaches the issue of faith are welcome.
marriage vs. civil unions. BRO notes that
MCC has been a major religious, social and
because many legislators are interested in political center of Portland’s sexual minorities
pursuing civil unions this session (and, in community. A unique congregation among
fact, were ordered to do so by an April 2004 Oregon's churches, ministries have reached
lower court decision in the Li vs. Oregon from bars, baths and beaches to marriage, music
and memorial services.
MCC Portland began as a fellowship of
believers in 1974, calling itself the Portland
Community Church and led by Denis M<xire.
Gay and lesbian Christians had been meeting
and organizing in Portland since 1968, gathering
irregularly at various locations around the city.
In addition to offering spiritual services, the
congregation and its members have been deeply
involved in furthering the cause of social justice
and community service. The facility is a com
munity meeting and organizing space and is
home to Esther’s Pantry, a frxxJ bank that serves
clients in the HIV/A1DS community.
A complete history of the congregation is
being complied. Anyone with photographs,
ephemera or stories to tell are encouraged to
contact the church office at 503-281-8868.
Special thanks to historian and unter Dave Kohl
for the material for this announcement.
Christine Hall
Senior Loan Consultant
President's Club
B rissette S worn I n as L incoln C ity ’ s
F irst O ut G ay O fficial
Submission to the “Pictures and Priorities”
campaign to raise lawmakers' awareness of
citizen issues
When he’s not running his 15,000-square-
foot antique store (paradoxically called “The
Little Antique Mall”), Rick Brissette is working