THE YEAR IN
politics
OREGON S LGBTO NEWSMAGAZINE
A proposal by Mayor Sam Adams was
unanimously approved in June, when the City
Council passed a trans-inclusive health care
bill for City of Portland employees. Seattle
followed suit in October, joining Portland,
Multnomah County and the City of San
Francisco as the only four municipalities in
the country to offer the plan.
The theme of transition for Portland poli
tics received a somewhat surprising develop
ment in late July when Adams announced
that he would not be running for reelection in
2012. After months of speculation, Adams at
tributed the decision to a variety of reasons.
“It really boiled down to the work com
pleted, the reforms underway, the state of
the city and then what would be the require
ments of a successful campaign,” he told Just
Out in August.
Following the announcement, Portlands
mayoral campaign began to intensify in the
fall, with three main candidates emerging in
New Seasons president Eileen Brady, State
Representative Jefferson Smith and former
City Commissioner Charlie Hales. Portland
Police Chief Mike Reese was rumored to have
been exploring a mayoral run, but announced
in mid-November he would be retaining his
position with the police bureau.
On the national level, few moments shone
as brightly as the official implementation of
DECEMBER 9. 2011
1
19
fig
tencies in our humankind.”
“The more we stand there and don’t stand
down, that’s the important part about what
we’re doing,” she told Just Out in September.
“We’ve been [in the military] all along. Now
we can just be real. It’s a win-win for
everyone.”
Victories for gay marriage in New York
state, as well as approval for civil unions in
the state of Hawaii, also highlighted the
progress of equality in the United States. The
media attention alone given to the hard-
fought victory in New York sparked renewed
hope for the rest of the country to follow in
those footsteps. Gay marriage is, without a
doubt, the most highly debated political
maelstrom facing LGBTQ_advocates in the
country. And with the Obama administra
tion and the Department of Justice announc
the repeal of the military’s ban on gays and
ing they would no longer defend the De
The repeal of Don't ask, don't tell"
sent a wave of emotion and celebration
lesbians serving openly. After receiving the
fense of Marriage Act in the courts earlier
throughout
the
community.
go-ahead in late 2010, the law known as
this year, activists remain hopeful that sig
"Don’t ask, don’t tell" was finally repealed
nificant advances can be made on the federal
after 17 years and tens of thousands of mili ter in American history. Local activists like level sometime in the next decade.
tary discharges as a result of the policy.
Dr. Mary-Ann Humphrey-Keever—co
Despite Senate Democrats’ best efforts so
Repeal created ripples of reaction from founder of VfHR and author of the influen far—an early November bill to repeal
across the country, and here in the Portland tial tome My Country, My Right to Serve, DOMA will almost certainly fail in the Re-
metro area, organizations like Veterans for which documented interviews with gay and publican-controlled Congress—the state-
Human Rights marked the occasion with lesbian soldiers discharged under DADT— by-state fight will likely be the focus heading
regional celebrations, as well as ample reflec explained that this crucial step forward into a new year.
tion on the demise of a discriminatory chap- amounted to “chipping away at the inconsis
Until then... JM
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