The campaign for marriage equality is on in Oregon. From Oregon United for Marriage: Today, February 19, faith leaders and Oregon United for Marriage Chief Petitioner Jeana Frazzini turned in 2,000 sponsorship signatures on the Freedom to Marry and Religious Protection Initiative—twice the number of signatures needed to move into the ballot title process. Oregon United [...]

When Autumn told me that she would be having her gender affirmation surgery in Lake Oswego, Oregon, I was both delighted and a little nervous. I was delighted because this meant that I could be present as a supportive friend on the day of the surgery, what with Lake Oswego being only a 3-4 hour [...]

Basic Rights Oregon has launched a 3-week television campaign that is blanketing the state with these two ads.   The goal is simple: reach out to people who haven’t yet formed strong opinions about marriage equality and encourage them to consider the issue in perhaps a new way. People who have talked to lesbian, gay, [...]

H/T Matkins.  Harvey Milk was right when he exhorted queerfolk to come out.  Nobody will work for the equal rights of invisible people.  Only by making ourselves visible and telling friends and family why equality is important to us, their brothers, sisters, friends and children, will progress be made. What was true in Harvey’s day [...]

Update: “An attack on one is an attack on all” was a common refrain at the well-attended Wednesday march and rally in support of the vandalized LGBTQA center, reports Oregon Daily Emerald.  ”The tone of this movement is one of love,” said Kelsey Jarone, University freshman and LGBTQA outreach coordinator. “The change that we see [...]

As 800 marchers coming from three different starting points converged on Beaverton, Oregon’s City Park for the rally portion of the Respect Humanity: Uganda March and Rally, it was hard to believe that the event was conceived by a few students only six weeks prior. It is a testament to the shared urgency so many [...]

Part 1 of this diary provided coverage of the march and the first half of speeches from the January 23rd Respect Humanity: Uganda March and Rally in Beaverton, Oregon.  Most of the speeches recounted in Part 1 were given by political figures.  Here in Part 2 you will hear more from the students themselves, as [...]

Concerned by what he calls the “barbarity” of Uganda‘s proposed Anti-Homosexuality Bill (“kill the gays bill”), U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) sent a strong letter on Tuesday to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk.  Wyden is Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee’s subcommittee on International Trade, Customs and Global Competitiveness. [...]

Update: Beaverton Mayor Denny Doyle confirmed to speak at rally. Note: please tweet, fb, and recommend the DailyKos version of this diary.  Thx! So much has happened in the scant two weeks since my initial post about the upcoming “Respect Humanity: Uganda March and Rally” that I thought an update post was needed. As you [...]

UPDATE:  Please email inquiries about this event to respect.uganda AT gmail DOT com Please recommend the DailyKos version of this diary.  Thanks! Uganda’s proposed gay genocide law isn’t just an abstract concern for students at Beaverton, Oregon’s Southridge High School.  Southridge has a sister school in Kalisizo, Uganda, and students and faculty from both have [...]