northwest
READY
TO
RUMBLE
Basic Rights Oregon prepares to fight off challenges to equal rights laws
by Stephen Marc Beaudoin
•
Fairness Act to be a bait-and-switch, as it accords
of medical decisions,” Hubard said. Frazzini articu
Rights Oregon’s executive director,
Jeana Fraz|dani, is dusting off her box
same-sex couples the full range of rights and
lated this as one of the key themes in BRO’s
responsibilities as married heterosexual couples
upcoming fight against the initiative: Quite simply,
ing glovesi and prepping for another
while not actually calling itself marriage. “If it
she said, the repeal of the act would “put couples
ugly fight.
looks like a dud. and walks like a duck and quacks
in harm’s way.”
ing the opening match hell. Basic
R
s that four elected offi-
Responding to the
w
cials have co-authored
separate initiative peti-
tions to repeal both the Oregon Family Fairness
said.
Thatcher, agreed, saying in a statement, “This
Aimee Wilson under the domestic partnership law,
Act, House Bill 200|, and the Oregon Equality
issue should be decided by voters, not the
said her colleagues sponsoring these initiatives
Act, Senate Bill 2, Frazzini says BRO is ready to
Legislature." Referencing the Measure 36 voter
couldn’t be further out of touch with Oregonians,
longed by a scurrilous lawsuit brought by the
enter the ring again for the “incredible challenge”
decision to define marriage as between one man
predicting that “the opponents will have a harder
Alliance Defense Fund against Oregon Secretary
of defending the new laws.
and one woman, she added, “Oregon voters spoke
time getting signatures.”
of State Bill Bradbury. That suit was dismissed
But while Frazzini said she was not surprised by
like a duck... you get what I’m saying here,” he
A
Portland, an out lesbian who partnered with
loud and clear against gay marriage a few years ago,
and I believe this new law goes against
the idea of the law being challenged again by
abac k by who she’ll be facing this time
" ■
out: state Sen. Fred Girod, R-Stayton, ||
* ♦f. C'J counties across Oregon, more
5 jLJrj than 1,300 same-sex couples
il Esquivel, R-Medford, W
sponsors of die B 2007 repeal initiative; *
and state Rep.
match, Frazzini says the latest fight is nothing more
vote in November 2008. The anti-gay effort—
than “another opportunity for our broad commu
nity of fair-minded Oregonians to stand together to
Family Fairness Act are criti-
spearheaded by ubiquitous former state Sen.
.¿40 Nhhk Marylin Shannon, R-Brooks, emerging as
im Thatche
a chief architect of the latest initiatives,
f •-I'M’”'
ar"J ^;,v*d Crowe's Restore America—
cal. “We’re getting older now,
■■ feli about 1,500 signatures short of the
fairness and equality in Oregon, and while I would
55,179 required, although the domestic
much prefer to be getting to work on implement
MJY k
cTamily Portraits” in the Feb. 15 Just Out),
The involved legislators saw things
Wg
the
myriad
legal
protections
accorded to them by the
Oregonians,” Frazzini said.
Mury and it’s important to be with W hh RI
Esquivel considers the Oregon Family
each other and make those kinds
r
proceed to the ballot.
initiatives to drive the embattled laws to a public
64, and Ann Hubard, 60, who rushed out the
.
ers. Both initiatives need 82,769 valid signatures to
Sounding a positive note amid the mounting
ticularly given that...these two legislators
>
natures needed to get the initiatives in front of vot
Another consideration in this round of the
Hummel—fended off two separate ballot
morning of Feb. 4 to register their partnership (see
differently.
This type of fight is not new to
then led by executive director John
nets as of March 4. For Taylor West,
domestic partners.
fight: The bar is raised for the actual number of sig
BRO lust last year, the organization
R-Keizer, sponsors ofthe SB 2 repeal initiative
“It was not what I had expected to see, par
were elected to fundamentally protect
she said. “These laws are not threaten-
Feb. 1, allowing for same-sex couples to register as
ing anybody. Gay and lesbian couples just
-3™ want t0 move on
^Ie*r l*ves-
l|S|
have registered as domestic part-
and
state
Sen.
Gary
George,
R-McMinnville, and state Rep. Kim Thatd
“People are ready to fight to keep what we’ve
wot ,”
the voters’ wishes.”
A
According to records in
equal right opponents, she was taken jdMR
State Rep. Tina Kotek, D-North/Northeast
partnership initiative was briefly pro-
send a loud and strong message to these folks that
we will not accept your sort of view of the world,
that this is about continuing to create a culture of
ing the law,” she said, “we take it as it comes.”
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