Bruce Samson is a veteran of the fight for equality, a fight that he waged for over 20 years as the General Counsel of Pacific Northwest Bell and Northwest Natural Gas, as the chairman for Portland's Chamber of Commerce, and as an attorney. He encountered pervasive homophobia, discrimination, and even attempts to legally stigmatize gays and lesbians in the form of Ballot Measure #9. He fought it all, and continues to do so today.

Most recently, Mr. Samson was asked to be on the Governor's task force on equality. "We reviewed and analyzed laws, ordinances, and judicial decisions from around Oregon and the country; we considered public testimony and expert commentary alike; we discussed and debated the topics at hand."

Eight months of work culminated last December in the task force's recommendation to Governor Kulongoski. The recommendation presents a two-pronged solution: first, that discrimination of any kind based on sexual orientation should be prohibited. And second, that the state of Oregon should recognize same-sex relationships in a way that grants them similar rights, benefits, and responsibilities afforded to straight couples.

"Equality, to me, is a very basic legal concept," explains Mr. Samson. "It means that no one particular group has a leg up on another group. Whether it's about religion, sexuality, race, or civil rights, it's a concept that should apply to everyone."