Advertising

The Seattle Times Company

NWjobs | NWautos | NWhomes | NWsource | Free Classifieds | seattletimes.com

The Seattle Times

Local News


Our network sites seattletimes.com | Advanced

Originally published Sunday, March 16, 2008 at 12:00 AM

E-mail article     Print view

Oregon's gay-rights law target of initiative

Two Yamhill County lawmakers are planning a statewide ballot initiative to repeal the gay-rights law passed by the 2007 Legislature to prohibit...

McMINNVILLE, Ore. — Two Yamhill County lawmakers are planning a statewide ballot initiative to repeal the gay-rights law passed by the 2007 Legislature to prohibit discrimination in housing and employment based on sexual orientation.

State Sen. Gary George and Rep. Kim Thatcher, both Newberg Republicans, have submitted a ballot title to state elections officials, who said they will accept public comments through March 25.

The draft title of the proposed statutory amendment reads: "Removes sexual orientation from statutes listing impermissible discrimination grounds; deletes other sexual orientation-related provisions."

Jeana Frazzini, executive director of Basic Rights Oregon, said the proposed initiative was expected. But she criticized the lawmakers for their role.

"While I'm not surprised that initiatives to repeal the laws have been filed, I'm shocked that this effort has been spearheaded by legislators whose duty is to protect Oregonians," Frazzini said.

Gay-rights activists are also upset over remarks George made to a reporter for Just Out, the state's flagship gay newspaper, which posted excerpts last week on its Web site.

The exchange between George and the reporter, not identified in the Web posting, includes George's response to a question about employees who are fired because they're gay.

"As an employer, I don't wanna hear about it," George told Just Out. "This workplace is for work purposes. My advice to the gay community is shut up, just don't talk about it. If you walk around talking about what you do in the bedroom, you should be on the pervert channel."

George told the News-Register newspaper in McMinnville the comment was taken out of context. He said he was referring to an incident involving an employee of his hazelnut operation who complained that another worker was gay. After determining the gay employee hadn't even spoken about his sexual orientation, George said he told the complaining worker to get over it.

He said he hadn't contacted the paper for a correction or retraction, saying, "There's no way to win this thing."

George said Friday that the backlash might help his initiative, because it exposes the intolerance of gay-rights supporters.

If the proposed ballot title is approved, supporters will have until July 3 to collect 82,769 valid signatures.

Copyright © 2008 The Seattle Times Company

More Local News headlines...

E-mail article Print view      Share:    Digg     Newsvine

advertising

Food-safety lawyer's wish: Put me out of business

Illegal workers quietly let go

Metro won't cut bus service after all

Jerry Large: Food-bank theft turns into a gift

Bumper to Bumper: How can the city let bridges go dark?

Advertising

Video

Real Salt Lake wins MLS Cup
Real Salt Lake defeated the Los Angeles Galaxy with penalty kicks after 120 minutes of play at Qwest Field in Seattle.

Raw Video | Real Salt Lake receives the MLS Cup trophy
Raw Video | Real Salt Lake fans celebrate
Real Salt Lake fans enter Qwest Field
Raw Video | MLS Cup Opening Ceremony
LA Galaxy's David Beckham
Real Salt Lake's Kyle Beckerman
MLS trophy arrives in Seattle
Chittenden Locks Inspection
Full interview with New Moon actors

Marketplace

Open Houses

Find this weekend's open house listings.
Or search by location:

nwautos

Less is more: Group rides, good gas mileage have led to a scooter swarm in Seattlenew
Local riders say they've seen a surge in scooter interest in recent years, mostly from people wanting another commuting option. Seattle now ranks as o...
Post a comment

Advertising