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Current Headlines
Domestic Partnership Law Survives Referendum Effort
Today is a proud day for Oregon.
We have just heard from the Secretary of State’s office: by the slenderest of margins – less than 1/2 of 1 percent – anti-gay groups have failed in their effort to force a public vote on Oregon’s new domestic partnership law.
The fact that they were unable to meet even this extremely low signature threshold shows how out of step they are with Oregon values.
The message is clear: Oregonians believe that committed couples should have the legal recognition they need to take care of each other, especially in a crisis. Come January 1st, when our domestic partnership law goes into effect, that will be the reality in Oregon.
But we’re not out of the woods yet. The Secretary of State’s office is still counting signatures on the attempt to refer our new nondiscrimination law. We expect to hear more by the end of the week.
And anti-gay groups have vowed to try again, using the initiative process to try to REPEAL the law. This would give them until next July 3rd to collect roughly 82,000 signatures.
So while we celebrate this tremendous victory, we can’t let down our guard. We must be prepared to defend these laws at the ballot, enforce them once they go into effect, and elect more fair-minded candidates to public office.
How we won this round
All along, we knew this would be a struggle. No group has ever achieved equal rights without a fight.
When anti-gay groups announced earlier this year that they would attempt to challenge Oregon’s new domestic partnership, we got to work right away. Volunteers around the state launched an education campaign. We ran a massive “decline to sign” campaign talking to thousands of Oregonians at summer fairs and festivals.
While they collected signatures for their doomed effort, we signed up thousands of Oregonians who have pledged to defend equality. When they turned in their signatures, we looked through every single petition sheet. And we challenged them at every turn. When the petitions went to the counties for further verification, we spread out across the state and personally observed 65% of the sampling effort. And we challenged them again.
We explored every option. We left no stone unturned. At every step along the way, we ensured that only valid signatures were counted.
And we couldn’t have done it without your help. Thank you for your continued support!
We will share news on the signature verification process for the anti-discrimination referendum as soon as we know the outcome.
Again, thank you for supporting equality in Oregon!
This entry was posted on Monday, October 8th, 2007 at 6:03 pm and is filed under Blog. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
October 8th, 2007 at 6:12 pm
What a great day! Oregon will be joining the ranks of a civilized society. Thank you BRO for all of your tremendous work. We know the fight isn’t over, but the struggle has become a little easier.
October 8th, 2007 at 6:43 pm
Your story leaves me totally confused. You
say that anti gay groups failed to gather signitures by 1/2 to 1 %.
Then you say “But we are not out of the woods yet, the Secretary of State is still counting signitures”???
Later you go on to say ” While they collected signitures for their doomed effort… Then you say you will let us know “as soon as you know the outcome???? Why are you telling us anything before you know the outcome?
Brian & Rick — concerned San Francisco married couple
October 8th, 2007 at 8:57 pm
[...] Basic Rights Oregon cautions, however, that the fight for LGBT equality continues in the Beaver State: The Secretary of State’s office is still counting signatures on the attempt to refer our new nondiscrimination law. We expect to hear more by the end of the week. [...]
October 9th, 2007 at 8:15 am
My Tuesday just got better with this good news. BRO thank you for all your good work on getting the law passed and through this referendum process.
October 9th, 2007 at 9:13 am
Thank you BRO for standing up to the haters and bullies of this world!
October 9th, 2007 at 9:55 am
Congratulations Oregon!
Ultimately, hate never wins.
October 9th, 2007 at 3:04 pm
[...] Basic Rights Oregon has more: [W]e’re not out of the woods yet. The Secretary of State’s office is still counting signatures on the attempt to refer our new nondiscrimination law. We expect to hear more by the end of the week. [...]
October 9th, 2007 at 8:21 pm
Hi Brian,
There were two separate, but related signature gathering efforts happening up here in Oregon. One of them would have forced a referenda on our new domestic partnerships law – that’s the one we know has failed (yay!).
The other petition would force a vote on Oregon’s new laws banning discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in employment, housing and public accommodations like restaurants and hotels.
The outcome of the second petition is not yet known – the signatures are still undergoing verification. We hope to have good news on the failure of that petition by Thursday or Friday.
I hope this clarifies things. Thank you for writing!
October 10th, 2007 at 10:56 am
Hurray! My partner of 25 years and I are ectatic. Cannot wait for the first of the year. But caution still prevails as this is Oregon and gays should never let their defenses down. We must continue in our efforts for equality
October 10th, 2007 at 6:23 pm
Keith,
Congrats to you and your partner on being together 25 years. We are about to celebrate our 28th anniversary on November 15. We’re always so happy to find other couples who don’t think of their committment as a “long term relationship,” but rather as a permanent one.
And congratulations to us all. While we are constantly preparing ourselves for what battles that migh be ahead, let’s all celebrate what we have in the here and now.
October 12th, 2007 at 11:49 am
I cried when my partner told me that the signature gathering failed (for domestic partnerships). I took off a week of work just so we could get our certificate, and celebrate. Our son won’t have to ask us when he gets older why his mommies can’t get married. We are overly happy. Thank you to everyone’s effort.
-Sarah
October 16th, 2007 at 12:28 pm
Wow we have come a long way! My partner and I of 12 years can’t wait! We cried and laughed and all called everyone we knew! Thanks for fighting the good fight and we will continue to fight!
Amy and Hilary Taybug