Oregon voters might see another bout between gay and lesbian rights activists and the Oregon Citizens Alliance and its supporters during the months leading up to the Nov. 7 general election.
The OCA, a citizen lobbyist group, is collecting signatures to place an initiative on the November ballot that would prohibit public schools and community colleges from encouraging acceptance of homosexuality and bisexuality.
If the initiative passes, schools would be barred from enforcing anti-discrimination policies regarding sexual orientation, offering support organizations geared for non-heterosexual students, and teaching tolerance for homosexuals and bisexuals. Schools that don’t comply could lose state funding.
Supporters of the initiative said homosexuality and bisexuality are immoral lifestyles and shouldn’t be condoned by schools. Opponents said the initiative could create threatening and intolerant school environments and could foster views that don’t respect the diversity of human civilization. Both sides said the initiative will become a contentious and hotly debated issue.
OCA founder and chairman Lon Mabon said the initiative is part of the OCA’s long-term effort to block state acceptance of homosexuality and bisexuality through civil rights legislation, same-sex marriage recognition or public school programs.
The OCA’s previous major legislative efforts, 1992’s Measure 9 and 1994’s Measure 13, proposed prohibiting anti-discrimination protection for non-heterosexual people in the workplace. Both measures were voted down 56-42 and 52-48, respectively. Since then, the OCA’s support has waned and membership has dropped by more than half. Though the OCA has failed the past two election cycles to place an initiative on the ballot, Mabon said he’s confident this year’s initiative will reach voters in November.
“We believe that homosexuality is not a good sexual expression and is morally wrong,” he said. “We believe the government shouldn’t be in the business of promoting something that’s wrong.”
Mabon said that school counselors should direct students to community support organizations.
At a community forum in the Amazon Community Center Tuesday night, Nerissa Ediza, state field director of Basic Rights Oregon, expressed the concern, shared by most opponents of the initiative, that criticism of homosexuality and bisexuality would still be allowed and maybe even encouraged in schools if the initiative passes.
“One of the things you have to pay attention to with the OCA is what they don’t say,” she said.
Mabon said that if the initiative passes, it wouldn’t necessarily lead to criticism of homosexuality and bisexuality in schools.
Even if the initiative doesn’t cause overt criticism, opponents said that eliminating support organizations from schools could isolate non-heterosexual students or students questioning their sexual orientation.
April Kane, Lane Community College Affirmative Action Analyst, said that the LCC organization for non-heterosexual students, which could be heavily restrained if the initiative passes, offers services and support to students who are afraid to seek help at home.
“I would worry about gay teen suicide,” she said.
Patrick Fraleigh, co-chair of Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network of Emerald Valley, said the initiative is “divisive and going backward from what we should be trying to accomplish — an education system that doesn’t discriminate.”
“It’s going to be an indicator of whether or not the Oregon citizenry wants to support this flavor of legislation or absolutely oppose it,” Fraleigh said.
Initiative seeks to ban school support of gays
Daily Emerald
April 11, 2000
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