LGBT rights
Rights affecting lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender ( LGBT) people vary greatly by country or jurisdiction—encompassing everything from the legal recognition of same-sex marriage to the death penalty for homosexuality.
Notably, ...
organization based in
Portland
Portland most commonly refers to:
* Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States
* Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...
, Oregon. It is the largest advocacy, education, and political organization working in
Oregon
Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idaho. T ...
to end discrimination based on
sexual orientation
Sexual orientation is an enduring pattern of romantic or sexual attraction (or a combination of these) to persons of the opposite sex or gender, the same sex or gender, or to both sexes or more than one gender. These attractions are generall ...
and
gender identity
Gender identity is the personal sense of one's own gender. Gender identity can correlate with a person's assigned sex or can differ from it. In most individuals, the various biological determinants of sex are congruent, and consistent with the ...
. Basic Rights Oregon has a full-time staff, a contract lobbyist, and more than 10,000 contributors, and 5,000 volunteers. It is a
501(c)(4)
A 501(c) organization is a nonprofit organization in the federal law of the United States according to Internal Revenue Code (26 U.S.C. § 501(c)) and is one of over 29 types of nonprofit organizations exempt from some federal income taxes. ...
organization that maintains a 501(c)(3) education fund, a state candidate PAC and a ballot measure PAC. The organization is a member of the
Equality Federation
Equality Federation is a social justice, advocacy and capacity building organization serving and supporting state-based lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) advocacy organizations in the United States.
History
In 1997, a group of stat ...
.
Background
Oregon Citizens Alliance
The Oregon Citizens Alliance (OCA) was a conservative Christian political activist organization, founded by Lon Mabon in the U.S. state of Oregon. It was founded in 1986 as a vehicle to challenge then–U.S. Senator Bob Packwood in the Republican p ...
(OCA), an organization that opposed LGBT rights, successfully backed the passage of a 1988
ballot measure
A referendum (plural: referendums or less commonly referenda) is a direct vote by the electorate on a proposal, law, or political issue. This is in contrast to an issue being voted on by a representative. This may result in the adoption of a ...
revoking the ban on sexual-orientation discrimination in the state's executive branch. In 1992, when OCA proposed a
ballot measure
A referendum (plural: referendums or less commonly referenda) is a direct vote by the electorate on a proposal, law, or political issue. This is in contrast to an issue being voted on by a representative. This may result in the adoption of a ...
to prohibit the "encouragement" of homosexual lifestyles in public schools, Oregonians who supported LGBT rights raised over $2 million and were successful in defeating the measure. OCA continued to promote similar measures at the local level and promised another statewide ballot in 1994. In response activists pressured for a stable political organization and formed Support Our Communities-PAC (SOC-PAC) in 1993. The following year, SOC-PAC successfully organized the opposition to another OCA proposal, a
ballot measure
A referendum (plural: referendums or less commonly referenda) is a direct vote by the electorate on a proposal, law, or political issue. This is in contrast to an issue being voted on by a representative. This may result in the adoption of a ...
to ban the recognition of homosexuals as a minority group. Oregon Ballot Measure 9, in the year 2000, would have prevented any positive or neutral language from being used by educators or administrators in all Oregon public schools from kindergarten through Ph.D Prohibition of Public School Instruction on Homosexual Behaviors, Measure 9 (2000)
Advocacy
Basic Rights Oregon held its first meetings in 1995 and became a 501(c)(4) organization in 1996.
In 1999, Basic Rights launched the Fair Workplace Project, which was designed to increase the number of employers voluntarily adopting nondiscrimination policies.
In 2002, Basic Rights Oregon endorsed Democratic candidate
Bill Bradbury
Bill Bradbury (born May 29, 1949) is an American politician who served as a member of the Oregon Legislative Assembly and as the 23rd Oregon secretary of state from 1999 to 2009. Bradbury was an unsuccessful candidate for the 2010 Oregon gube ...
for election to the United States Senate, opposing the Human Rights Campaign, a national LGBT rights organization, which endorsed the re-election of the Republican incumbent
Gordon H. Smith
Gordon Harold Smith (born May 25, 1952) is an American politician, businessman, and academic administrator who served as a United States Senator from the state of Oregon. A Republican, he served two terms in the Senate from 1997 to 2009. On Septe ...
.
In 2004, Basic Rights Oregon, nine same-sex couples, the
American Civil Liberties Union
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is a nonprofit organization founded in 1920 "to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to every person in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States". T ...
, and
Multnomah County
Multnomah County is one of the 36 counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2020 census, the county's population was 815,428. Multnomah County is part of the Portland–Vancouver– Hillsboro, OR–WA Metropolitan Statistical Area. Th ...
joined as plaintiffs against the State of Oregon, the
Governor
A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...
Oregon Supreme Court
The Oregon Supreme Court (OSC) is the highest state court in the U.S. state of Oregon. The only court that may reverse or modify a decision of the Oregon Supreme Court is the Supreme Court of the United States.Ballot Measure 36, which amended the Oregon Constitution to prohibit
same-sex marriage
Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same sex or gender. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 33 countries, with the most recent being Mexico, constituting ...
. Although Basic Rights Oregon raised nearly $3 million to fight the measure, it passed with 57% in favor and 43% opposed. Following this loss, Basic Rights Oregon hired its first team of field organizers and pushed nondiscrimination ordinances in Washington County, Bend, Hillsboro, and
Wasco County
Wasco County is one of the 36 counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2020 census, the population was 25,213. Its county seat is The Dalles. The county is named for a local tribe of Native Americans, the Wasco, a Chinook tribe w ...
.
In 2007, Basic Rights led the lobbying effort to pass the
Oregon Equality Act The Oregon Equality Act is a law of the U.S. state of Oregon which prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in employment, housing, public accommodations, and other categories. Enacted in 2007, it became effective in ...
and the
Oregon Family Fairness Act
The Oregon Family Fairness Act is a state law in the U.S. state of Oregon that made domestic partnerships legal in Oregon. The bill was introduced into the House by state Democrats. The bill adopted the term "domestic partnership" to describe thes ...
.
In 2012, following years of education and collaboration with Basic Rights Oregon, the state Insurance Division issued a bulletin banning many private insurers from selling discriminatory policies in Oregon.
In 2015, in the wake of the Supreme Court ruling on Marriage Equality, Basic Rights Oregon adopted new strategic direction for 2015-2020. The new strategic direction seeks to center the voices of LGBTQ people of color, of rural and religious LGBTQ Oregonians, and of transgender and gender non-conforming Oregonians.
In 2015, Oregon became the third state to ban the discredited practice of
conversion therapy
Conversion therapy is the pseudoscientific practice of attempting to change an individual's sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression to align with heterosexual and cisgender norms. In contrast to evidence-based medicine and cl ...
on minors. Basic Rights Oregon joined the effort begun by the Democratic Party of Oregon LGBT Caucus in 2013 to pass HB2307, the Youth Mental Health Protection Act, which was signed into law by Governor
Kate Brown
Katherine Brown (born June 21, 1960) is an American politician and attorney serving as the 38th governor of Oregon since 2015. A member of the Democratic Party, she served three terms as the state representative from the 13th district of the ...
, the nation's only out bisexual governor.
In 2017 Oregon passed HB 2673A - effective January 1, 2018 - simplifying the process for changing the name on a birth certificate, and also establishing a gender amendment process for transgender citizens. The revisions provide less expensive, more private and simpler transactions. The Department of Motor Vehicles also changed its procedure for gender changes on IDs, allowing Oregonians to self-certify gender change without input from their health provider. Furthermore, effective July 1, 2017, the DMV made Oregon the first state in the country to recognize non-binary identities. The third marker on IDs is "X", for "not specified."
As of January 1, 2018, contractors working with the state of Oregon must have in place policies and practices which prohibit discrimination against their LGBTQ employees. The sponsor of the successful bill, HB 3060, was Rep. Ann Lininger. The measure also prevents state contractors from health care discrimination based on gender identity.http://www.basicrights.org/news/oregons-remarkable-year-transgender-justice/ and Diane Goodwin, Basic Rights Oregon
See also
*
LGBT rights in Oregon
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in the U.S. state of Oregon have the same rights and responsibilities as non-LGBT people. Same-sex sexual activity is legal in Oregon, and same-sex marriage has been legal in the state sin ...
*
Same-sex marriage in Oregon
Same-sex marriage in Oregon has been legally recognized since May 19, 2014, when Judge Michael J. McShane of the U.S. District Court for the District Court of Oregon ruled in '' Geiger v. Kitzhaber'' that Oregon's 2004 state constitutional amend ...
*
List of LGBT rights organizations
This is a list of LGBT rights organizations around the world. For social and support groups or organizations affiliated with mainstream religious organizations, please see ''List of LGBT-related organizations and conferences''. For organization ...