Yesterday, two civil rights bills passed in the Oregon House. SB2 will ban discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in areas such as employment, housing, public accommodation and public education and HB 2007 which will create a new statute in Oregon law, separate from Oregon's marriage statutes, to provide same-sex couples with Domestic Partnerships. These Domestic Partnerships provide Oregon's same-sex couples and their families with many of the basic protections, rights, and responsibilities under state law, currently only afforded through a marriage contract.
Unfortunately I was unable to go to Salem for this historic moment, but I did read the blog updates from two area bloggers reporting on the debate throughout the day. This is a huge moment in Oregon because for one, SB2 has been in the legislature four times in 34 years. Here's a press release from the Speaker of the House Jeff Merkley.
http://www.leg.state.or.us/press_releases/merkley_041707.pdf
Here's a couple of statements from the debate that impacted me. These are taken from Amy Ruiz who was blogging for the Portland Mercury at http://blogtown.portlandmercury.com
10:54am—Rep. Chip Shields, Northeast Portland's Democrat, says this moment "is bittersweet."
"Let's be clear. This is not equality. Not even close." Oregon couples would still be denied "over 1200 rights" afforded by federal law. The DPs aren't portable. And couples would be denied "access to full equality that is marriage itself."
Looking back, he thinks the legislators will be "pained by our ignorance." It upsets him to vote for this bill, but he will—because it's an advance on the road to equality. "I will continue to advocate for full equality under the law."
11:01am—Democratic Rep. Sara Gelser, a "married mother of four, a Christian, a youth pastor," is standing up to support this bill.
Her daughter's godmother was in a car wreck—the woman's partner had to call their attorney before she could head to the hospital to make medical decisions, then she called Gelser. Doctors told them everyone had to leave except for family. Then they told her partner and Gelser to take the woman home—her arms were still filled with glass, she was in pain, she was in no shape to leave. "If I had been laying in that hospital room, my husband would have been there, able to say 'we're not taking her home.'"
"These are the protections that people who are in committed, loving, gay and lesbian relationships need," Gelser says. "We aren't legislating families or creating new families. Families exist. Soccer games happen, bills are paid... these families will continue regardless of this law. Our families operate on a power greater than the law... What we are doing today is protecting the abilities of families that already exist to be next to each other in the times that matter most."
Both of these bills are now going to the Senate. SB2 already passed the senate but there were amendments made so the amendments have to be voted on. HB2007 will move to the Senate for a committee hearing and the to the floor vote. Both of these bills are expected to pass the Senate. When that happens, they will go to the Governor to sign and he has pledged to sign both of these bills.
YEAH FOR OREGON!!!
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