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GAY PEOPLE'S CHRONICLE
JULY 9, 1993
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Oregonians OK anti-gay laws
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adjacent Douglas County, 73 percent to 27 percent. Linn County approved the measure 69 percent to 31 percent; and Klamath County, 64 percent to 36 percent.
The Oregon chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union has challenged the Cornelius measure, arguing it violates constitutional guarantees of equal protection and freedom of speech, religion and assembly. It also says the provision against "promoting" homosexuality is too vague to be enforced.
State civil rights bottled up
Meanwhile, a lesbian-gay civil rights bill, passed by the Oregon Senate in April with the governor's support, is being held up in the state House.
Gov. Barbara Roberts says Republicans in the House should stop trying to avoid tough decisions and approve the bill without referring it to a statewide vote.
"What the legislature gets paid for is to pass legislation," the Democratic governor said June 29. "We do not need a political cop-out. We have divided Oregon long enough on this issue."
House Republicans had kept the bill bottled up in the House Judiciary Committee until late June, when they gave in to pressure from gay rights advocates and con-
ducted public hearings on the issue.
Roberts, a longtime backer of gay rights, said Oregon voters already spoke on the issue when they rejected Measure 9, last fall's anti-gay rights measure.
"If there ever was a time that we needed to demonstrate responsibility and courage in this legislative session, this is the time," she said. "People are waiting for that kind of courage. This is an opportunity to show that courage."
The local Republican leaders who oppose SB34 said that while they were not representing the state party in an official capacity, they reflected the views of many "pro-family" Republicans around Oregon.
OCA was outspent
Opponents of the anti-gay measures raised nearly twice as much money as the OCA, according to campaign finance reports filed June 24.
The OCA's No Special Rights PAC raised $68,887 since November, spending $72,486. $2,600 of this came from the Christian Coalition, and $20,000 was a loan from a heterosexual couple in Canby.
Support Our Communities, which funds local groups fighting OCA initiatives, raised $133,448, and spent $129,685. Of this, $15,000 came from Right to Privacy, a gay civil rights group, and $3,000 from the Oregon Education Association.
OSU gay housing is still alive
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nized a fax campaign to state senators and representatives, but due to time constraints, efforts were largely limited to Columbusarea officials. They were also supported by Ohio NOW and the Ohio Human Rights Bar Association.
But many applauded the work of State Sen. Ben Espy (D-15, Columbus), a member of the conference committee who was instrumental in killing the amendment in committee. "What am I going to do now? First thing I'll do is sit down and write Ben Espy a big thank-you letter," said Gorman. Martin also points to the support university president Gordon Gee has thrown to the issue and encourages people across the state to send him letters of support. "He's really been out there on a limb," said Martin.
OSU has been moving toward a reconsideration of its housing policy for several years, bringing it in line with universitywide anti-discrimination policies. Gee is expected to lobby for support of the housing policy when it comes before the OSU board of trustees for final approval in late fall.
However, the housing controversy is not the only gay-oriented issue facing OSU. Currently being hammered out is a policy that would allow domestic partners of students to share insurance benefits, provided one person is enrolled and receiving health
insurance through the university. It's a unique situation, one that would make OSU the first school in the nation to enact such a policy. Final sanction of this action also awaits approval by the board of trustees.
The insurance move would put students ahead of faculty and staff in recognized domestic partnership status. OSU has extended some benefits to same-sex couples who are employees (use of facilities, sick days and leave for bereavement), but has yet to tackle more complicated issues like health insurance and tuition reimbursement. Students are self-insured and therefore less of a stumbling-block to change.
"As OSU goes, so goes the state," said Gorman, indicating that other Ohio universities may find it easier to effect change with the example of OSU as precedent. "It would be a good leverage tool to get other state schools to extend benefits to domestic partners." While there is still much work to be done, a sense of anticipation hovers. "We have a supportive board and we hope they'll do the right thing," said Phil Martin.
Stonewall Union is encouraging supporters of the nondiscrimination policy to contact President Gee (Office of the President, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210) and Board of Trustees Chair Deborah Casto (Casto Communications, 65 East State St. #100, Columbus, OH 43215) to express their views.
Akron bus gunmen charged
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track down the vehicle used in the incident, based on the reports of DeLong and others on the bus.
DeLong was summoned as a witness to the Maryland District Court #11 in Hagerstown, the morning of June 30. Another witness, Bryan Pollock of Crestline, Ohio, was also summoned but unable to appear on the June 30 date. Because of requests by both the state prosecutor and one of the defendant's attorney's, the case was continued to a later date, not available at press time.
DeLong reported that the judge hearing the case stressed the seriousness of the charges to both of the defendants, and indicated that he would tolerate only this one delay in the start of the trial. The charges are
classified as common law assault and have no established minimum or maximum penalties; however, the judge indicated that hefty jail terms or fines were possible.
The Akron committee issued a press release stating that DeLong, Pollock and the other 46 passengers are pleased that these two men have come to trial. "The 1993 March on Washington was for Lesbian, Gay and Bi-equal Rights and Liberation. We as equal citizens should be granted safe passage on our nation's interstates. This incident reinforces the threat of hate and violence we and others deal with everyday," the statement said.
DeLong and the others have extended their special thanks to Maryland State Police Superintendent Col. Larry Tolliver and Maj. Sheridan, and U.S. Rep. Benjamin Cardin's (D-Md.) office, for their cooperation in bringing the matter to trial.