Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (March 18, 2011)
OREGON S LGBTO NEWSMAGAZINE 4 northwestnewS' MARCH 18, 2011 5 B Y RYAN J. PRADO Equality Legislation Makes Headway in Washington State W hile February’s introduction of marriage equality legislation awaits moves in both the Senate and House in Washington State, gay rights activists have in the meantime set their sights on a trio of other progressive equality bills gaining momentum in Olympia. O n February 28, the House passed HB 1267, a bill introduced by Democratic Rep. Jamie Pedersen (43rd District). The bill is de signed to amend the existing Uniform Parent age Act by recognizing domestic partners with the same rights and responsibilities as hetero sexual couples in child matters. The bill also establishes standards for surrogacy contracts by allowing for compensated surrogacy in Washington state. Ty Stober, vice chair of Equal Rights W ashington, reports that con servatives in Washington have targeted the compensated surrogacy portion of the law rather than attacking the rights and responsi bilities the updated law will give same-sex parents. “We very much support compensated sur rogacy,” says Stober. “It is an important issue for us so gay couples aren’t forced to go out of state if they want a biological child.” A hearing was held March 15 for HB 1267 in front of the Senate Committee on Govern ment Operations and Tribal Relations Sc Elec- .» X V . »»X*. v? . a t *0 o'- > 0 cV*‘ ..ktA << '• * _ .* * 4 4° VW ' , a<>* • * Tww tions, but no votes are scheduled at this time. Vancouver lesbian couple Erinn and Jen Havig testified before the House and again March 16 in front of the Senate in favor of the bill. Erinn and Jen had a baby, Abby, in Sep tember 2010— Erinn carried the couple’s child from Jen’s egg. But Washington law recognized Erinn, not Jen, as the child’s parent, prompting a five month-long process wherein Jen had to adopt her own biological child. “This type of legislation would allow for children that are born into a domestic part nership to be adopted by the other parent without the arduous process o f state and fed eral background checks, adoption home stud ies, medical exams and court proceedings which cost an additional amount o f money,” explains Erinn. In other equality legislation news, on March 2 the House passed an inflated anti-bullying bill introduced by Rep. Marko Liias (D-21st District). HB 1163 would require that a task force be set up to report to the legislature on a number o f im portant issues that are not ad dressed in current law. “Creating a statewide working group on bullying and harassment will help us identify the next steps the state can take to improve school safety,” explains Rep. Liias. “The work ing group will gather experts to recommend these next steps— things like best practices, recommended curriculum for schools and better teacher preparation.” Liias reports that the bill also directs the state education agency to prepare a classroom- based assessment on mental health and suicide prevention for use in middle and high schools. “This is one concrete step that will help teach students how to cope with the effects of bullying, while the state works to prevent the problem in the first place.” the bill concerns the recognition o f valid same-sex marriages from other jurisdictions as state-registered domestic partnerships. “We remain positive that these bills will move out o f committee and be approved by the Senate,” says Stober. Legislative moves on Democratic Sen. Ed Murray’s (43rd District) marriage equality bill in the state Senate, and Democratic Rep. Jim Moeller’s (49th District) House companion bill, according to Stober, are still a couple of weeks away. Equal Rights Washington holds Equality Day Tuesday, M arch 22 from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. in Olympia to lobby in support o f these three important bills. Just Out w ill follow the progress o f these LG- BTQ equality hills in Washington state. For more information on Equal Rights Washington, visit equalrightswashington. org. Pride NW, Saturday in the Park Choose 2011 Themes; Red Dress Gets Fitted for 11th Year A public hearing on HB 1163 was held in the Senate Committee on Early Learning &. K.-12 Education as Just Out went to press. Pride Northwest has unveiled its 2011 Port Similarly, the passing o f HB 1649 on March land Pride Parade and Festival theme. “Make It 4 in the House exemplified a growing influ Happen!” according to the Pride board, was ence by the LGBTQ_caucus and its allies in chosen for its relation to change in the LG- Washington state politics. Introduced by lead BTQ_community coming from the ground up. sponsor Rep. Laurie Jinkins (D -27th District), “W ith our 2011 theme, ‘Make It Happen,’ h- ■ Spring ¡mo Photography C a n o t! F & w e rS h o t SX 3 0 is RO N M ILLIGAN PRINCIPAL BRO KER 1 4 -J Ü& J in n SPECIALIZING IN SD 4 5 0 0 IS d H Canons PowerShot SD4500 IS Digital ELPH camera is a smart upgrade in sleek design, with Full HD videos and a 10x Optical Zoom. Canon's advanced Smart AUTO detects 28 common shooting scenes Get hot new technologies like Super Slow Motion Movie, High-Speed Burst and Handheld Night Scene! Canon PowerShot CONDOMINIUMS SD4500 IS $ 2 9 9 9 9 * PortlandsCondoPro.com D F / / K M t y sigmaturí I I X k PROPERTIES Iw CANON U.S.A. ONE-YEAR LIMITED WARRANTY Canon AUTHORIZED DIALER Together, let’s create a personalized strategy for your goals and dreams, whether • planning for your retirement • evaluating your current investment portfolio • determining effective distribution strategics from your retirement accounts • utilizing distinct planning strategies for singles, couples, and domestic partners • aligning your financial goals with your social and environmental values Before making any investment decision, call... Canon's PowerShot SX30 IS has super zooming power with its 35x Wide-Angle Optical Zoom lens. It's compact body has an Optical Image Stabilizer for steady stills or gorgeous 720p HD video whether you're up close or far away. This great travel camera is portable fo day outings or month long vacations trekking across Europe! C a n o n T Z~erShot illamette Financial Group LLC ‘ PowerShot SX 30 IS rey prue h S4J9 99 $S0 muant Mungi PowerShot SO4S00 IS leq price if 514999 S SO muant favinqt Offen expire ì if> 11. 503-241-11 12 • 800-835-3314 • www.ProPhotoSupply.com 1112 NW 19th (at Marshall), Portland, Oregon STORE HOURS ■ MON 7:30-6:00 ■ T U E S - F R I 8:30-6:00 ■ SAT 9:00-5:00 ( 503 ) 484.3166 email: RoaMllligan@Remax.net 2717 NE Broadway Portland, OR 97232 (503)282.4000x143 (503) 282.8558 (lax) Floreid Walker* C liFC ® C R P C ® C IS ™ Com m itted to client success since 19S7 Retirement Income Distribution Strategist Financial Planning Strategist W illam ette Financial Group 3529 NE Broadway, Ste 101 503.445.9390 ext. 101 floreidf^wfgadvisors.com www.wfgadvisors.com •Floreid Walker is an Investment AdviS4»r Representative offering Securities and Investment Advisory Service* through wtTand Are« M uriti #«* A M n u atin n SagcPomt Financial, Inc.,member FIN R A / SI PC and a SEC registered investment advisor. W illamette Financial G roup LLC is not affiliated with SagcPoint Financial, Inc. or registered as a broker dealer or investment advisor.
