OREGON S GAY/LESBIAN/BI/TRANS NEWSMAGAZINE
APRIL 17 Z009
5
PROFILE
The Path to the Aisle
Jeana Frazzini says of BRO's marriage
equality cause. 'This issue requires real
and meaningful dialogue with folks
who just may not agree with us yet. _
The earlier we start that conversation,
the more intensity that folks bring to it.
the more effective we can be at ending
this exclusion.'
A Q8A with Basic Rights Oregon's Executive
Director on the impact of recent national
marriage equality victories
April’s been quite the month for spring showers, and in some states, showers of the bridal
kind. On April 3, Iowa became the third state in the country, after Massachusetts and Con­
necticut, to legalize same-sex marriages. The following Tuesday, April 7, Vermont joined the
club—the first to do so through a legislature’s vote. And as Just Out went to press, related
developments in New Hampshire, New York, Washington D.C. and even Washington State
gave new hope to Oregon proponents.
Our journey, of course, depends upon the reversal of Measure 36, the 2004 constitutional
amendment by which voters defined marriage as a union of one man and one woman. At
the forefront of the marriage-equality cause-and the campaign to overturn Measure 36 in
2012—is Basic Rights Oregon. JO caught up with BRO’s Executive Director Jeana Frazzini
for her thoughts on how these developments have affected what she views a groundbreaking,
“proactive”bid for the ballot.
-Amanda Schurr
This must be an invigorating time for
BRO. Were you expecting this national
political groundswell?
“To see the number of states of marriage
equality double within a week’s time was just
incredible. In terms of what we were expect­
ing, there are a number of states that are
in process with some expectation of results
coming out in 2009. Vermont and Iowa were
certainly at the top of that list. There are a
few other states that we’re looking at, and
certainly we’re watching closely what’s hap­
pening in California.
I think for us it just sort of reinforces
that we re on the right path in Oregon, that
we re doing the work necessary to break
new ground in our own way. So the fact
that Vermont’s the first legislative vote and
Iowa’s the first unanimous decision, it just
reinforces our hope of being the first state to
overturn a marriage amendment and secure
marriage equality at the ballot.”
JJunt eggs in your
own ßac^yardl
ROBERT HOGG, CPA
Mortqaqe Broker • Retired Air Forte MSC
of a big public fight, for instance over the
ballot, over the amendment campaign in
2004, where there’s really any conversation
happening about marriage equality. ... It’s
a longer term conversation that needs to be
had. We’ve got to build a solid foundation.
... The idea that voters get to decide the fun­
damental human rights of our community is
° not a question that we take lightly.”
You make repeated mention of a con­
versation with the public, with 2.1 million
Why Iowa and Vermont, why not Oregon voters. What has BRO been hear­
Oregon?
ing over the last month?
“Learning from other states is obviously
“We continue to hear the full spectrum of
a really important part of this process. We voices from the community that overwhelm­
have to learn from the victories that we have ingly want to seize the energy, the enthusi­
in our own community and the setbacks that asm and the momentum that is created by
we face, as well as watching what’s happen­ this great news over the last couple of weeks.
ing in other places. Vermont, for instance, And at the same time, tether that sense of
won support from their legislature after an urgency and enthusiasm with real thoughtful
eight-year campaign. ... Compared to Or­ dialogue and ensure that we’re building the
egon eight years ago, we were still fighting kind of alliances that can support a strong
brutal antigay ballot measures. Each of the
multi-racial campaign, reaching into all 36
states at this point has its own sort of path counties, engaging all Oregonians. We have
to walk, if you will, in securing marriage
seen all too often, most recently in Califor­
equality.”
nia and certainly in Oregon before, that our
How has what’s happened in the last opponents will work to divide us.”
month affected BRO’s campaign?
Realistically speaking, are you more
“What it does is bring a kind of energy optimistic now than 5 years ago?
and focus to the issue that’s necessary to
“Yes. Absolutely. ... We continue to
successfully drive a conversation. This issue
study what other states have done, talking
requires real and meaningful dialogue with with them, learning from movement leaders
folks who just may not agree with us yet. in national and state organizations. We’re
... The earlier we start that conversation,
looking at best practices. There’s been a
the more intensity that folks bring to it, tremendous amount of learning on making
the more effective we can be at ending this the case for marriage equality over the last
exclusion.”
five years. We are light years ahead of where
So there are no concrete changes or de­ we were in 2004, when we first engaged this
tails in the wake of this news?
conversation with the community. And that,
“I think that, again, this gives us the I think, is a lot of what our work is about at
opportunity to move the conversation. For this point.”
far too long, the issue’s been treated like a
For more information on Basic Rights
political football and it’s only in the context
Oregon, visit www.hasicrightsoregon.org.
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