4
lustiout
APRIL 21. 2006
"So, the one night
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Experience Means
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OREGON
PLMODtLLPS
ASSOCIATION
E ditor :
Two gay/lesbian-identified judicial candidates are
in contested races for seats on two state courts. It is
not enough in this race to blindly vote for the queer
candidate when there are other, equally or more
qualified candidates who identify as heterosexual.
The Multnomah County Circuit Court has
several exceedingly competent judges who are also
gay or lesbian and who impartially decide a variety
of issues. In this race, sexual orientation should
not dictate the vote.
My vote on May 16 will be for Cheryl
Albrecht. She has served as a judge pro tern for
more than five years, with 10 years of prior trial
experience. She is well-known in legal circles and
in the courts to be fair and impartial in her rulings
as well as exceedingly competent professionally in
and around the courthouse. Albrecht, though
identified as heterosexual, is a friend of rhe queer,
arts and music communities. Her experience
makes her the most qualified to deserve your vote.
A litigant, criminal or civil, will get a fair shake if
he or she appears before Albrecht.
Trung Tu, another candidate, does identify as
gay. Curiously and sadly, his judicial race Web
site omits his involvement and support for gay
organizations that he has asked to endorse him in
this race. These omissions weigh heavily against
voting for a candidate based solely on his sexual
orientation. Furthermore, Tu simply has insuffi
cient experience relative to Albrecht and the
other candidates to warrant a vote in this race.
Voting for a gay candidate simply because he is
gay, without giving due consideration to his expe
rience, is a bad idea. Hopefully Tu will continue
to run for judge in the future.
The Oregon Supreme Court is one of the few
courts in the nation that does not have a single
woman sitting on its bench. It is also the first court
in the country to have an openly gay judge, Rives
Kistler, who is on the bench and whose seat is not
at issue in this race.
Two candidates for Oregon Supreme Court
deserve your attention—for different reasons. One
gay, one straight. One a woman from the metrop
olis. One a man from eastern Oregon.
In the current race, Virginia Linder, who is a
judge on the Oregon Court of Appeals, could
change that. Linder is a lesbian. She has also
expressed support for the death penalty, which
causes some concern- to even her strongest advo
cates. However, it is clear that she is a highly
competent and thoughtful candidate, having
proved her legal abilities over many years. Prior
to her appointment to the Court of Appeals in
1998, Linder was at the attorney general’s office.
She has, throughout her career, been on the side
of the government.
The only other excellent candidate, whom you
should also consider when you vote for Supreme
Court judge, is Gene Hallman. He has tried more
than 300 cases and has handled more than 130
appeals. Thirty of these were in the Oregon
Supreme Court. Hallman is endorsed by many
liberal groups from around Oregon who represent
the interests of individuals and the working class.
He has experience in a wide variety of areas that
genuinely affect individuals in Oregon. He would
bring a perspective to the court that is now lack
ing. Many of the Oregon Supreme Court justices
have limited recent experience trying cases.
Both Hallman and Linder are excellent choices.
Tlie Supreme Court needs a voice from other parts
of rhe state and the wisdom of a lawyer who tries
cases on a regular basis. The court also lacks a
woman on the bench. However, it has among its
ranks one gay-identified judge.
jack Roberts, the third candidate, will not get
my vote—primarily because Hallman and Linder
appear to be more qualified to decide crucial cases in
Oregon. Roberts is a career politician who does not
strike me as particularly liberal-minded on free
speech issues and choice.
In this race, the gay card is not enough. Review
the judges’ Web sites, consider the importance of
experience and the court makeup, and inform your
vote.
Send questions about the race to me at
lake@law-works.com.
L ake P erriguey
Portland
Trung Tu, a Decent Guy
To the
E ditor :
In the coming election, Trung Tu isn’t the best
candidate for Multnomah County Circuit Court
judge because he is gay. He’s not the best candidate
because he is Asian.
Trung Tu is the best candidate because he’s
bright, driven, fair and one of the most decent men
1 know. Trung gives tirelessly to the community—
whether it be pro bono legal services or mentoring
students. Trung is motivated by equal access to the
legal system for all.
Multnomah County needs a judge like Tmng Tu.
J on A gee
Portland
Stand by Diane
You, the residents of Multnomah County, have
been blessed with an opportunity—a chance to
show the nation and the world that GLBT people
and their friends and families will not back down.
An opportunity to show that we stand unified in
support of those who stand for us. And the ability
to re-elect a true progressive who will continue to
work for the advancement of gay, lesbian, bisexual
and transgender people regardless of the personal
cost. Linn stood up for equality, and she stixid up for
you. Now it’s your turn to stand up for Diane Linn.
J udy S hepard
Arlington, Va.
Lesbians for Ted
To the
E ditor :
As members of the lesbian community, we want
readers of Just Out to know how important the race
for Multnomah County chair is. We urge them to
vote for Ted Wheeler in the May 16 primary. We
support Ted because he brings the experience, col
laborative leadership and commitment to human
services and public safety (two of the county’s core
missions) that we need at Multnomah County. We
must have a new leader who will improve the low
employee morale at the county, facilitate renewed
collaboration among the board of commissioners
and assure voters that county government can be
accountable and serve our community and its resi
dents well. The services of the county are too
important to let poor leadership fail Multnomah
County residents, particularly children, seniors and
people with special needs.
Since both Wheeler and Chair Diane Linn
support civil rights for the GLBT community and
support same-sex marriage, members of our com
munity should look beyond these issues to the skills
and leadership the candidates bring to the position
and elect Ted Wheeler. You can learn more about
Wheeler at www.wheelerforcountychair.com.
To the E ditor :
I strongly urge you to commit one of the most
important civil rights acts of your lives. By May 16,
fill out your ballot and vote for Diane Linn. Vote
to re-elect a government official who unquestion
ingly upheld the humanity, dignity and equality of
gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people by
granting you the right to marry.
For almost a decade 1 have dedicated my life to
the memory of my son Matthew by helping create
a society free of hate—where everyone is treated
as equal and diversity is not just tolerated but
cherished. As long as our legal systems discrimi
nate against the GLBT community, the rest of
society will, too. Legal discrimination reinforces
fear, bigotry, hate and violence.
Linn made national news by taking a coura
geous risk to grant GLBT people basic legal rights.
As a result, she endured vicious criticism, political
and media backlash and even death threats. Those
who are threatened by our work for justice and
equality have promoted a strong, negative cam
paign aimed at unseating Linn for her dedication
to human rights.
Now more than ever, it is imperative that we
stand together against the forces that seek to per
petuate hate and undermine equality. Linn has
proven that she is a champion for GLBT rights.
The GLBT community must now prove that we
stand behind our champions and heroes and that
their sacrifices are not made in vain.
D eb F urry
H olly P ruett
C arol F rench
A pril L ewis
Portland
For the Record
To the E ditor :
Reading Just Out recently, I noticed frustration
with the decision by Basic Rights Oregon to not
give Ted Wheeler a “green light” in his campaign
for Multnomah County chair j“BRO Changed the
Rules,” April 7J.
An endorsement was given to Diane Linn, and
some Ted Wheeler supporters expected at least a
“green light" recommendation for their candidate.
BRO also didn’t give a “red light" to Wheeler,
which would have been a recommendation to not
vote for him. I’m not familiar with the inner work
ings of how BRO determines its “light” system, but
in this instance it seems to make perfectly good
sense. The nonlight for Wheeler is simply a state
ment that his documented record, or lack of it in
regards to GLBT issues, is still relatively unknown.
The facts show that Wheeler did not begin
supporting BRO until October 2005 when he
attended its annual dinner. He joined the Human
Rights Campaign in January 2006. I’m sure both
organizations now welcome his support. The facts
also show that he has not donated money or time