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Monday, August 24, 2009

Homo WA Domestic Partnership Under Threat

Posted by Sarah Mirk on Mon, Aug 24, 2009 at 3:11 PM

For an article in last week's paper, Eyes on 2012, I went doorknocking around PDX with same-sex marriage advocates who hit 17,000 doors this summer to talk to Oregonians about marriage equality. This is just the first incursion of what will be a massive three-year (at least) campaign to repeal Measure 36 in Oregon and get voters statewide to approve same-sex marriage.

The canvasser I tagged along with, 21-year-old Ernesto Dominguez, had the luxury of time. The top priority of the campaign isn't to meet a donation or membership quota but to plant the seeds that will bring, hopefully, bring a majority of the state around to supporting same sex marriage by 2012. Dominguez was supposed to start conversations about how people felt about gay marriage and figure out why they felt that way. As expected, some of the conversations were rather circular.

On one street in West Linn named after a British village, a woman told Dominguez, "I believe marriage should be between a man and a woman."
"Is that because of your religion?" asked Dominguez.
"It's just my belief," she replied, and wouldn't parse it out further, besides explaining (as several opponents of gay marriage did along the route that evening) that she had gay friends and did not hate gay people.

This slow-and-steady, super-friendly approach is also being taken by California's marriage equality advocates in their march to throw out Prop 8 in 2012. But our neighbors to the north are being forced to throw time and resources behind a pressing threat—a vote to repeal the state’s domestic partnership law is on the ballot this fall. In order to keep domestic partnerships in Washington, voters most say yes on Referendum 71, essentially re-approving Washington's existing law.

While Basic Rights Oregon and Equality California are mustering support for the long-term, LGBT-friendly political action group Washington Families Standing Together is madly phonebanking to reach sway voters before ballots are mailed in October.

The Washington Secretary of State is currently counting the signatures marriage equality foes gathered to put Washington's domestic partnership law up to a vote. They need 120,577 and right now the count is too close to call. So if you're itching to get involved in an urgent fight for same-sex marriage and have a couple dollars lying around, it looks like your friends in Washington could use the support.

Also, a new "radical, working class, grassroots" group if forming in Portland to push the same-sex marriage in Oregon "BEFORE the end of the Mayan calendar." Their info and meeting tonight below the cut.

Here's the press release of the new group, just emailed in this afternoon:

GOT L.G.B.T.Q.I RIGHTS?!
Portland Equal Rights Coalition
Needs you to join the Gay Civil Rights movement today!

Are you tired of hearing about how it's wrong for two consenting adults to
get married? How about being fearful of coming out in your workplace? Are
you tired of bigotry, homophobia, and laws making you feel like a second
class citizen?

Then YOU need to come to the next organizing meeting of the new Portland
Equal Rights Coalition! We have started this group to organize equality
for all. By all means, we welcome everyone! Not just those who are Lesbian
Gay Bisexual Transgender Queer and Intersex (as the acronym suggests) but
any kind of oppressed individual. We welcome any person who is for equal
rights, despite your sexual or gender orientation.

There is a National Equality March (www.equalityacrossamerica.org) coming
up on October 10-11th in Washington DC. We are organizing a march here
in solidarity. We hope to strengthen this national civil rights movement
by building it at home in Portland. Come to our meeting and bring your
ideas about how to build a broad grass roots movement for equal rights.

Event: Public Organizing Meeting
Date: Monday, August 24th 7p.m.
Location: Portland State University, Room 229

 

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