Cover Story

by Dale Grauman

Back to Table of Contents | Back to Main Index
Previous Cover Stories | Send mail to The Voice

Bill Passes; Homosexuals'
Rights Increase

More than 2,100 protesters rally against Senate Bill 2
at the state capital in Salem, Ore., April 19.
--Ian Smythe, photo

Senate Bill 2, which prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation, has recently passed through Oregon's senate and house of representatives. Among other things, the bill prohibits employers from firing or refusing to hire employees based on sexual orientation. The bill defines sexual orientation to include sexual preference and gender identity.

Some evangelicals worry that the bill could force churches, ministries and Christians schools like Multnomah to consider employment applicants whose lifestyles clash with evangelical doctrine.

On March 21, the senate approved the bill 21-7. The bill then moved on to the house of representatives, which would either approve, block, or amend the measure.

The bill provided exemptions for churches and sectarian religious institutions. They could discriminate when hiring for positions related to their primary purpose.

David Crowe, founder and director of Restore America, a ministry that encourages Christians to register and vote, said this wording "would allow courts to determine the purpose of a church or school."

Nick Graham, communications director for the Oregon Family Council, said the bill offered no exemption for Portland's non-sectarian Christian schools like Multnomah.

Multnomah currently requires all employees to conform to certain lifestyle standards that exclude homosexuality. Tracy Moreschi, the school's director of human resources, said the standards are in place because Multnomah believes all faculty and staff members are potential role models to students.

Mr. Graham said the Oregon Family Council also opposed the bill because they believed it was unnecessary. According to Mr. Graham, only five instances of discrimination based on sexual orientation have been recorded in Oregon over the last five years. He also noted that homosexuals' income and education levels exceed the national average.

Mr. Graham said the biggest difference between supporters and opponents of the bill is a different worldview. Supporters generally view sexual orientation as an inborn trait, while opponents view it as a choice. Mr. Graham believes that the bill was calculated to eliminate attitudes that see sexual orientation as a choice or an immoral behavior.

Mr. Crowe said the bill attaches sexual orientation to civil rights laws. "Civil rights is not based on a behavior, but [sexual orientation] is, and it's considered by most Americans an immoral behavior," he said. 'So what is the government legislating morality for?"

With complaints like these, Christians lobbied against the bill while it was in the house. Mr. Graham and Mr. Crowe both appeared on radio talk shows to discuss the issue. Meanwhile, their organizations used Web pages and e-mails to raise awareness of the bill.

On April 5,560 pastors from across the state rallied in Salem to voice concern. The rally drew 700 people total, but Mr. Crowe said that opponents of the bill outnumbered supporters four to one.

Mr. Crowe said, "The testimony I heard down in Salem [from homosexuals who support Senate Bill 2] consistently said, 'Well, I was born that way.'" The demonstrations from Christians resulted in an April 10 amendment that broadened the religious exemptions in the bill.

Ray Young, administrative pastor at East Hill Foursquare Church in Gresham, Ore., said "They [the house] clearly were listening to the faith community, and that's encouraging." He contrasted the house's response with the senate, whom he called "very, very non-responsive."

The Rev. Young, who spent 19 years as an attorney before he became a pastor, said the amendment brings the bill within 80 to 90 percent of "perfect protection for churches and schools." He said that the protection covers all non-profit religious institutions, which includes Multnomah. The amendment removed the term "primary purposes" from certain areas, making it less probable that a court will decide a church or school's mission.

The Rev. Young also commended the plural use of "purposes," which recognizes that a religious institution may have a multifaceted mission. For-profit ventures owned by a church, such as bookstores or cafes, are not covered by the amendment. The Rev. Young said that the bill probably would not affect an in-church coffee shop selling drinks between or after services, but he expressed concern for a mission hotel run by Eastside Foursquare Church in Portland, Ore. Eastside owns and operates a Quality Inn and Suites near the airport, and the Rev. Young said that the bill could influence their hiring policies.

The house passed the bill with the amendment 35-25 on April 17, sending the bill back through the senate. Two days later, the senate approved the bill by a 19-7. Now the bill awaits Gov. Ted Kulongoski's signature, the last step on its way to the law books.

The Oregonian quoted Gov. Kulongoski, announcing, "I have a pen ready," in reference to his eagerness to endorse the bill.

Mr. Graham said that the Oregon Family Council may sponsor a referendum for the bill, but the organization has not decided how to proceed. "If we don't do a referendum, we're pretty sure somebody else will," he said. A referendum would refer the bill to a popular vote.

The Rev. Young thought that Oregon's current political atmosphere almost made the bills passage a foregone conclusion, but "if you pass rights for homosexuals," he said, "then you'd better protect our religious rights." Mr. Crowe hopes evangelicals will have more say in future legislative decisions. "Ninety thousand evangelical Christians in Oregon who voted in 2004 didn't bother to vote this last election," he said, "and there's about 200,000 who are eligible to vote who aren't registered."

Back to Table of Contents | Back to Main Index
Previous Cover Stories | Send mail to The Voice