August 03, 2004

(Updated) 'Our Constitution is not the place for social disagreements'

Opponents Of Measure 36 Launch 'Winnable' Campaign

Note: This post has been updated. Any and all updates appear at the end of the original post.

On the second floor of the Portland State University Smith Memorial Student Union this afternoon, a wide-ranging coalition of individuals, non-profits, and religious organizations officially launched the No on Constitutional Amendment 36 campaign to combat the ban on same-sex marriage on this November's ballot.

In front of a crowd of supporters and on behalf of a sampling of elected officials and community leaders assembled behind the podium -- a quick and very incomplete scan revealed Randy Leonard, Jim Francesconi, Jo Ann Bowman, and Frank Dixon, among many others -- Reverend Eugene Ross said that they were "part of a large coalition that has been formed to defeat Constitutional amendment 36 [that] is growing every day."

"Our Constitution is designed to protect people, not hurt them," Ross said. "We affirm unequivocably that unequal treatment does not belong in our Constitution."

Ross explained that beginning next week, the campaign intends to begin a dialogue with Oregonians "at their doorsteps, in their mailboxes, and on the telephone." While describing many Oregonians as being "unsure" of their position on same-sex marriage, Ross said, "We also know that this race is winnable."

He cited a recent poll which showed voter opinion in a statistical dead-heat over Measure 36, with neither side above 50%. "The more Oregonians hear about this amendment, the more they oppose it," Ross said. "When they learn more, they will reject it."

(That poll, based on 600 completed interviews with likely voters conducted July 8-12 by Decision Rsearch, found 46% of likely voters opposing the measure and 49% supporting it -- within the poll's 4% margin of error. "Those are better numbers than we've started with in other campaigns," a representative of the No on 36 campaign told us.)

"Oregonians are fair-minded and support equal treatment for all," Ross said. He argued that the measure will be defeated because of Oregon's "long history" of defeating attempts to place unequal treatment in the state's statutes or constitution. "It does not reflect the values basic to Oregonians."

"When [our daughter] came out," said the parents of two children, one gay and the other straight, "we worried like any parents would worry that she would suffer unequal treatment." They added that they never imagined that the law "would protect rights and responsibilities for one of our children but not the other."

Kelly Burke spoke on behalf of herself and Delores Doyle, one of the couples who married after Multnomah County's decision to grant same-sex marriage licenses earlier this year (in fact, five months ago today, as Burke pointed out).

"To us it is more than just a conversation," Burke said. "It is a very real threat to the well-being of our family." Burke described being denied health coverage under Doyle's plan, despite being together for sixteen years -- but was granted coverage after being able to produce her marriage license. "The plan has made it clear that my health benefits are temporary," she warned, explaining that if measure 36 passes, it likely will be revoked.

"We are your neighbors," she said. Arguing that Measure 36 "says 'no' permanently and hurtfully," she urged that "all of us must say 'no' to Constitutional amendment 36."

"We will not let anybody hurt this family or any other family," said Reverend Hector Lopez, of the Central Pacific Conference of the United Church of Christ. Saying that he and others spend much time studying holy documents, he added: "I believe the Oregon Constitution is a sacred and holy document also."

Describing love, dignity, and respect as the characteristics of marriage, Lopez said, "I do not believe that these are only heterosexual perogatives." He described the scene of the same-sex marriages performed earlier this year at the Keller Auditorium: "The power of sacredness was evident to all of us."

"It is precisely because we disagree that we should not amend this into our Constitution," he said. "That is not the place for it."

(In the news release which accompanied today's event, Lopez is quorted as saying: "Our Constitution is not the place for social disagreements." That is the source of this item's headline.)

Lopez called the forthcoming vote "a big decision" and urged Oregonians "to make the right decision." With that in mind, he offered five questions that Oregonians needed to answer. "These are not rhetorical," Lopez said. The crowd, of course, met each question with a resounding, "No!"

Do we want unequal treatment for gays and lesbians in our Constitution? Do we want to take health care and coverage away from Oregon families and children? Do we want to prevent people from making critical life-saving medical decisions for their loved ones? Do you want to disallow inheritance rights for certain Oregonians, even if it means they could lose their family home? Do you want to change our Oregon Constitution in a way that hurts real people in very real ways?

"If your answer is no," Lopez concluded," then our answer to Constitutional amendment 36 also has to be no."

Additional field offices for the No on Constitutional Amendment 36 campaign are expected to open soon in Ashland, Bend, Corvallis, Eugene and Salem.

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