Gay Rights Watch

Last night I finished a full page newspaper ad for Basic Rights Oregon that will be in the Gresham Outlook this Saturday. Take a look...

Click here to view larger.


Thoughts?

Post by Bryan Harding

In a press release by bill sponsor Mary Nolan...

Nolan bill revives hopes for civil unions, nondiscrimination
HB 3508 gives the House one more chance to vote on critical civil rights issue

Salem-Representative Mary Nolan (D-Portland) introduced House Bill 3508 Tuesday, which would authorize same-sex civil unions and ban discrimination based on sexual orientation.

The bill includes provisions from a bill that passed the Oregon Senate on July 8, with a bi-partisan vote of 19-10. Like similar legislation in Vermont, Nolan's bill also contains a separate Republican-backed measure to establish "reciprocal benefits" for unmarried people.

"This bill is one final call to the Speaker of the House, asking her to schedule an up-or-down vote on a critical civil rights issue-the issue of civil unions and discrimination," Nolan said. "We're not asking for the Speaker's personal vote for civil unions. But we are demanding the opportunity for the whole House to debate a matter that the Senate has already dealt with decisively. Each State Representative has the duty to vote his or her own conscience on how the state treats families."

Despite the Senate's passage of SB 1000, which would have established civil unions and banned discrimination based on sexual identity, Speaker Karen Minnis (R-Wood Village) and the Republican leadership last week maneuvered to block the bills' progress to the floor of the House, where a debate and a vote could take place. Nolan labeled Minnis' maneuver "underhanded," and called it an abuse of the House Rules.

"This new bill is not a symbolic effort," Nolan said. "We're giving the Speaker of the House one more chance to do the right thing. Her job as Speaker is to schedule debates of bills, not to dictate how other Representatives cast their own votes. The matter of civil unions and discrimination deserves a full and open debate on the floor of the House. The voters of Oregon are entitled to know where their representatives stand on these issues. it's not acceptable that one person, the Speaker of the House, should stand in the way and prevent the House from doing its duty."

Combining the civil unions and anti-discrimination measure with the reciprocal-benefits bill should broaden the appeal of HB 3508, Nolan suggested. "I see no reason why we shouldn't have both," Nolan said. "The important thing, however, is that we cannot walk away from an issue that's critically important to the people of Oregon. We must tackle it this session."

Posted by Bryan Harding

Major news coming from the Capitol today. With a new bill being introduced (HB3508) in the Oregon House that would include modified language from SB1000, as well as language from the Reciprocal Benefits Bill (HB 3476) we may have a last chance to get legislation passed in the last 2 weeks or so of the session.

There will soon be a press release from the bill sponsor, Representative Mary Nolan's (D - Portland) office any minute. I will get that as soon as I can and update this. Basic Rights Oregon will also be announcing this any minute. Stay tuned and gear up ladies and gentlemen.

Post by Bryan Harding

First of all, to all of those who come back here day after day - thank you. The fight is continuing and for anyone to give up at this point would simply be ridiculous. It is far from over. Over the weekend about 35 people canvassed homes in Queen Karen's district. It actually started on her own street. There were literature drops to her constituents as well. From what I hear it was very successful.

Rumor is that we have some things happening this week. SB1000 for all it's worth is dead at this point as it had been stripped by the House (Karen Minnis).

As soon as information is somewhat public, I will make sure to update you all ASAP.

Post By Bryan Harding