Source: Just Out blog, Basic Rights Oregon
Portland's gay newspaper,
Just Out, reports on its blog that an anti-gay group has abandoned its effort to collect signatures for three initiatives that would have asked voters to repeal Oregon's domestic partnership law and anti-discrimination laws.
Stephen Marc Beaudoin reports for Just Out that David Crowe of Concerned Oregonians told supporters in a June 10 email that "too little time remains to collect the required signatures" for the petitions.
One of laws Crowe hoped to overturn creates legal domestic partnerships that give same-sex couples most of the state benefits of marriage. The other bans discrimination for sexual orientation in work, housing and, public places such as restaurants. Both laws took effect in January.
In a statement on its website, Basic Rights Oregon said, "It is not surprising that these anti-equality groups have again failed to meet even the minimum requirements for public support for their efforts. The truth is that Oregonians believe that loving, committed couples should have the legal recognition they need to take care of one another. Oregonians believe discrimination is wrong."
Crowe's group was also one of a organizers of a failed referendum campaign in 2007 that attempted to put the domestic partnership law to a vote before it took effect in January.
State officials ruled that they hadn't collected enough valid signatures on their petitions, so the referendum did not make it onto the ballot.
A lawsuit stemming from that decision, seeking to reinstate the referendum vote, will be heard by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in July.
That suit, Crowe said in yesterday's email, is the only hope anti-equality forces now have to overturn the domestic partnership law.
"It has become apparent that our hope of using the online petitions exclusively, as a last resort however, has potentially serious legal ramifications and is no longer an option," Crowe wrote. "The only remaining possibility for the November 2008 ballot is a positive outcome from the Ninth Circuit on HB 2007. That hearing is scheduled for July 8th in Portland."
Just Out cites three factors that contributed to the stunning failure of the group's anti-equality campaign:
- sloppy ballot initiative authorship by the petitioners
- an underpowered and underfunded Concerned Oregonians organization
- the efforts of Basic Rights Oregon and American Civil Liberties Union in commenting on and appealing each initiative at every step of their development
Update: Associated Press finally (6/16/2008) confirms the report, according to the Oregonian.
AP adds the detail that a co-sponsor of the measure to repeal the domestic partnership law, former state Sen. Marylin Shannon said anti-equality forces won't going to give up and will work to place a repeal measure on the 2010 ballot.
"There should be a vote of the people on this," Shannon reported told AP.
Basic Rights Oregon didn't appear too worried about the threat. "It's a further indication that there is a sea change in Oregon on this issue," Jeana Frazzini, the group's executive director, told AP.
Full article: Concerned Oregonians Admits Defeat On Repeal Initiatives | Just Out blog
A message from Basic Rights Oregon’s Jeana Frazzini | BRO press notice
update: Opponents of Ore. gay rights law abandon repeal effort | Oregonian (AP)
hattip: Marriage Equality NewsInitiatives