Eugene weekly., January 13, 2005, Page 25, Image 25

W e dd i ng s G u i de f o r 2 0 0 5
Crushed Hopes
Jes Burns and Kate Weber
The passage of Measure 36 disappointed many.
BY ALEXANDRA ARCH
I
t would be a small ceremony, nothing
extravagant. Friends and family would
come to Eugene from all over the country.
The reception would be good, plain fun —
perhaps everybody would gather at the
bowling alley or the miniature golf course.
But most importantly, Kate Weber would
be able to pledge her love for her spouse in
front of the people she cared about most,
and in turn, receive their support.
That was what she wanted, but it didn’t
happen that way. Weber is gay, and mar-
riage, briefly a possibility for gay couples in
Oregon, is now illegal, according to the
state. The passage of Measure 36 amended
the state constitution so that only marriage
between one man and one woman is valid
or legally recognized. A majority of
Oregonians who voted (56 percent) sup-
ported the measure, and it passed in Lane
County by 59 votes, according to the
Oregon Secretary of State website.
For Weber and her partner, Jes Burns,
the passage of Measure 36 hurt. They have
a loving and supportive relationship, and
Weber feels they deserve the same protec-
tion and rights as heterosexual couples.
“We made sure that all the groundwork was
there before making a long-term commit-
ment,” she said. “Every once in a while the
topic of marriage would come up and resur-
face, especially when things were happen-
ing in Portland.”
On March 3, 2004, Multnomah County
began issuing marriage licenses to same-
sex couples, in compliance with the Oregon
Constitution. Weber called Burns from
work to see if she wanted to drive to
Portland that day and get a marriage
license. They decided one afternoon wasn’t
enough time. They wanted to make plans,
to do it right.
B
esides, gay marriage seemed to be
gaining the momentum of a powerful
social movement, and Weber thought per-
haps they could wait and marry in Lane
County. She was wrong. On April 20 a
judge ordered Multnomah County to stop
issuing marriage licenses, even though
county officials had already handed out
close to 3,000.
“It is the basic right of people to be fully
equal participating members of a communi-
ty,” said Rebekah Kassell, the communica-
The fight for same-sex marriage recog-
nition is now playing itself out in the courts.
The American Civil Liberties Union filed a
lawsuit against the state on behalf on nine
same-sex couples last spring. After several
appeals, the case is now being tried in the
Oregon Supreme Court.
“We are trying to create a gateway with
The passage of Measure 36 hurt.
tions director of Basic Rights Oregon, a gay-
rights activist group and a major opponent of
Measure 36. “People deserve to live in a way
of life that is free of fear and violence.”
the right protection for same sex couples,”
said David Fidanque, the executive director
of the ACLU of Oregon, in a December
interview. He said he believes that Measure
36 should have no effect on the previously
married, same-sex couples.
For Weber, the passage of Measure 36
made her question the values of the Eugene
community versus the state at large. “I was
lulled into thinking it would pass by living
in Eugene,” she said. “It hit me harder than
it would have living somewhere else.”
Despite the disappointment, Weber
remains hopeful for the future. “My genera-
tion is far more progressive about this issue,”
she said. “The information is so radically dif-
ferent now than my grandma’s generation.
It’s hurtful that some people don’t see me as
a person that loves another person.”
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