northwest
Just Say Yes
Campaign launches to uphold gay civil rights
by Julie Sabatier
ot 10 days after Oregon Gov. Ted
Kulongoski signed laws recognizing
same-sex couples and prohibiting
discrimination based on sexual orien
tation, his secretary of state approved
referendums on both bills for circulation.
An ad hoc group calling itself Defense of ,
Marriage and Family, AGAIN! is circulating peti
tions in an attempt to gather the 55,179 signatures
required to refer the Oregon Family Fairness Act,
House Bill 2007, and the Oregon Equality Act,
Senate Bill 2, to the November 2008 ballot.
“I’m just confident that those 57 legislators and
the governor were not speaking for the majority of
Oregonians. Oregonians are not confused on the
• issue,” said former Republican state Sen. Marylin
. Shannon of Salem, who calls herself an “agent” for
the three chief petitioners.
Shannon says she and the three chief petitioners
oppose the Oregon Family Fairness Act, which would
grant same-sex couples the rights of marriage under
state law, because it contradicts the will of the major
ity of Oregon voters who passed Measure 36, which
changed the state constitution in 2004 to define mar
riage as between “one man and one woman.”
“I just know Oregonians do not support
Portland’s liberal values, and we consider marriage
between one man and one woman,” she said.
Asked why the group is against the Oregon
N
Equality Act, she explained: “1 think that this is
extending special rights to homosexuals, bisexuals,
transvestites and the gender identity people who
haven’t decided if they’re a man or a woman....
The homosexuals on average make more than the
rest of us, and now they’re going to have more.
They’re not underprivileged.”
Jack Brown Jr. of Grants Pass, chairman of the
Constitution Party, was the first to file referendums
on HB 2007 and SB 2, but he quickly withdrew his
application once the second group filed its applica
tion. “It’s a big effort, and 1 figured if someone else
wanted to head it up, that’s fine with me,” he said.
According to Shannon, the chief petitioners for
the referendums—Janice Bentson of Keizer,
Aleksandr Voronko of Salem and Carolyn Wendell
of Stayton—are simply concerned citizens, not affil
iated with any group, party or so-called “coalition.”
“We’re not connected to Defense of Marriage,”
she said. “Other groups are wanting to get involved
and be on the bandwagon and all that stuff, but the
chief petitioners are not connected to any group.”
Although Brown says he’s been circulating
petitions, he acknowledges that neither he nor the
Constitution Party are officially involved with the
core group of petitioners.
“There’s no one really in charge of anything. It’s
kind of confusing at times," he said.
Shannon denied that her group has received any
Ik about it
funding thus far. “The only
thing we’ve spent money on is
printing—$400 on printing
and that’s it. Several of us wrote
$100 checks," she said.
According to rhe secretary of
state Web site, the group will
A referendum has been filed in protest of the gey civil rights
pay petitioners, but Shannon
package signed May 9 by Oregon Gov. Ted Kulongoski.
says that’s just to safeguard
against any possible compensation petitioners might
bigger, bolder and, I think, smarter than any
receive from other groups circulating the forms.
campaign that has ever been run before. What’s at
She says that her group has access to a list of stake here is like nothing we’ve ever had at stake
people who signed petitions in support of before," said interim communications director
Measure 36 but that it might not have the money
Melissa Chemaik, noting that this is the first time
to do a direct mail campaign.
BRO would be urging people to vote a “yes” on
“There isn’t any plan right now. We’re just trying
a ballot measure.
to get people involved and circulate them,” she said.
Last month, BRO launched a “Pledge to Defend
Although Shannon’s group won’t know for sure
Equality” campaign. The pledge, available at the
until the fall if the referendum will have enough
BRO Web site, states that supporters will refuse to
valid signatures to qualify for the 2008 ballot, Basic
sign “anti-equality” petitions and, should the refer
Rights Oregon is taking action now to defend the
endums make it to the ballot, that they will vote
newly acquired rights. The state’s largest nonprofit
“yes” to retain the laws signed by Kulongoski in May.
gay rights organization is teaming with some of
“We are in the early stages,” said Chemaik. “We
Oregon’s biggest corporate players, including Nike
do feel really fortunate that we have such a long
and the Portland Business Alliance, along with
lead time, but it doesn’t mean that we’re going to
rest.
” ®
smaller church and community groups, to launch
a massive education and outreach campaign.
“The campaign is going to, in many ways, look
J ulie S abatier is a Portland freelance writer and
radio producer.
the way a campaign looks, but in many ways be
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