When it comes to football, let’s face it — Oregon’s superiority to Washington is nearly blinding. We’ve won every “Border War” game since 2004@@http://www.4malamute.com/borderwar.html@@. But when it comes to things far more important than football, Washington seems to beat us to the punch every time.@@#lasttimeUWbeatUO@@
Last week, the Washington state Senate passed a bill that would allow same-sex marriage statewide. The bill moves on to the House this week, and many predict it will easily be signed into law, making Washington the seventh state to legalize gay marriage.
Oregon is not on that list of seven.
In 2004, Oregon passed Measure 36, amending the Oregon Constitution@@http://ouroregon.org/priority/marriage-equality@@ to define marriage as only between one man and one woman. In 2007, then-Governor Ted Kulongoski signed into law several bills that gave gay and lesbian couples the right to form civil unions in the state, allowing same-sex couples many of the same rights as heterosexual couples.@@http://www.ncsl.org/issues-research/human-services/civil-unions-and-domestic-partnership-statutes.aspx#OR@@
But many does not mean all, and the state constitution still bans same-sex marriage. In a state that prides itself on its progressive thinking and open-mindedness, this ban is a disturbing and shameful blemish.
Women won the vote in Oregon in 1912@@http://www.ohs.org/education/oregonhistory/historical_records/dspDocument.cfm?doc_ID=000907EF-7208-1E30-925B80B05272006C@@; Washington gave it in 1910@@http://www.washingtonwomenshistory.org/themes/suffrage/default.aspx@@. Oregon legalized interracial marriage in 1951, while Washington never had a law banning it in the first place.@@http://www.ohs.org/education/oregonhistory/historical_records/dspDocument.cfm?doc_ID=16F99FAD-AADF-7E49-C10198BB87555DF6@@
The point is, when it comes to civil rights, Washington has always been ahead of Oregon. But Oregon is home to the University of Oregon, named the most gay-friendly university in the U.S. by the Campus Pride 2010 Climate Index. Oregon State University also received a top rank@@http://campusprideblog.org/blog/headlines-19-colleges-make-5-star-rating-lgbt-friendly-campus-climate-index@@. Portland was No. 12 on The Advocate’s 2012 list of Gayest Cities in America (Seattle was No. 5). In 2009, Portland became the largest city in the United States with an openly gay mayor.
Oregon is an exceptionally accepting place for gay individuals in the U.S. Why isn’t this attitude reflected in our legislature?
The issue of gay marriage will not find its way onto the Oregon ballot this year — pro-gay rights groups made this decision in order to afford themselves more time to rally and gain support.
Demographer Gary Gates estimated last year that 3.5 percent of the American population is gay or lesbian.@@http://www.gallup.com/poll/147824/adults-estimate-americans-gay-lesbian.aspx@@ According to the 2007 U.S. Census Bureau, 4.5 percent of Oregonians are gay, lesbian or bisexual@@http://tobaccofreeoregon.org/your_community/lgbtq_community@@. The 2010 U.S. Census labeled Portland as having the seventh-highest LGBT per-capita population in the country at 8.8 percent.@@http://97233.info/people/@@
Oregon talks tolerance, and it’s obvious that at least our larger cities are loyal to that perspective. But the law says otherwise, and this disconnect is unfair and uncharacteristic of the Oregon that I’ve come to know.
Intolerance of sexual orientation is not only ignorant; it’s outdated. For not only our federal government but also our state government to uphold such ignorance is disappointing to say the least.
In Oregon, the term is “domestic partnerships.” Additionally, these domestic partnerships are only recognized within the state — a gay couple with a legal domestic partnership is no longer in one once they cross state lines.
Regardless of this flimsy domestic partnership, the fact is that the Oregon Constitution says explicitly, “It is the policy of Oregon, and its political subdivisions, that only a marriage between one man and one woman shall be valid or legally recognized as a marriage.” Relationships worthy of marriage are structured on so much more than gender that to make this arbitrary distinction a law seems almost childish.
It’s time for Oregon to step up its game and become a part of the progressing world.
Bouchat: Washington did it — now it’s Oregon’s turn for marriage equality
Daily Emerald
February 3, 2012
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