On April 17, 2007 the Oregon House voted to end discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity and to also grant legal relationships to same-sex couples. It was a great day in Oregon! My friends in the GLBT community and I have been working hard writing letters, making phone calls, doing lobby visits, and testifying before the Senate and House committees to make this happen. It was wonderful to be a part of this significant historical event and watch it unfold in our favor. There have been so many disappointments along the way. GLBT people have been verbally abused, physically harmed and considered as second class citizens too long! The time has come for change! Oregon will become the 18th state to add sexual orientation to anti-discrimination laws. It will be one of a handful of states to grant legal recognition for same-sex couples. The work is not over but progress has been made and I am truly grateful. Whoohoo!
My husband came home from work today and told us a great story. He said that a Jehovah's Witness man he works with starting ranting about the passages of the bills. He says "I guess I should go see if I can apply for a domestic partnership with my dog! I'll tell you what, if my dog and a gay person were drowning, I'd step on a gay's head to get to my dog." My husband piped in and said "Well, I'd step on your dog to get to my son!" The guys says "We aren't talking about your son". My husband said "Oh YES you are!" He was flabergasted. LOL See what I mean about parent's coming out too? Sometimes we just need to to put people in their place and realize their bigoted, homophobic remarks hurt!
That's a great thing for Oregon--there have been so many hard-fought battles there since the 1990s... homophobic ballot measure after homophobic ballot measure. I remember seeing a documentary about Ballot Measure 9 there in the 1990s... it might have been one of the first documentaries on gay issues I ever saw. Anyway, I get the feeling that most people in Oregon are relatively progressive and there's just a handful of crazies. Congrats!
Thanks Joey! Yes measure 9 was awful and I was against that way before I was the gay rights advocate I am now. LOL Fortunately, people saw it for what it was.
That's wonderful news for the people of Oregon Becky! I love your husband's comeback. When people say such hurtful things, it can be very hard to come up with a good response, especially right on the spot. What your husband said was the best zinger I've seen in a while. If someone said that near me, I wouldn't have the courage to say "I'd rather you not step on my head"
Thank you I feel very proud to have been a part of this. I was the very first person invited to give personal testimony at the first hearing on the discrimination law. I gave testimony sitting beside two Executives from Nike and can you believe they made me go first? LOL I have pushed myself outside my comfort boundaries many times but I think this was my best effort! So just remember this if you think you can't do something. You can and you can make a difference!
