Basic Rights Oregon

Last updated
Basic Rights Oregon
Founded1995
Type 501(c)(4)
93-1108531
Location
Area served
Oregon
Key people
Jeana Frazzini, executive director
Revenue
$343,245 (2011)
Website basicrights.org

Basic Rights Oregon is an American nonprofit LGBT rights organization based in Portland, Oregon. It is the largest advocacy, education, and political organization working in Oregon to end discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. [1] Basic Rights Oregon has a full-time staff, a contract lobbyist, and more than 10,000 contributors, and 5,000 volunteers. [2] It is a 501(c)(4) organization that maintains a 501(c)(3) education fund, a state candidate PAC and a ballot measure PAC. [2] The organization is a member of the Equality Federation. [3]

Contents

Background

Oregon Citizens Alliance (OCA), an organization that opposed LGBT rights, successfully backed the passage of a 1988 ballot measure revoking the ban on sexual-orientation discrimination in the state's executive branch. [4] In 1992, when OCA proposed a ballot measure to prohibit the "encouragement" of homosexual lifestyles in public schools, [5] 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 [6] 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 to ban the recognition of homosexuals as a minority group. [7] [8] 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. [9]

In 1999, Basic Rights launched the Fair Workplace Project, [10] which was designed to increase the number of employers voluntarily adopting nondiscrimination policies.

In 2002, Basic Rights Oregon endorsed Democratic candidate Bill Bradbury 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. [11]

In 2004, Basic Rights Oregon, nine same-sex couples, the American Civil Liberties Union, and Multnomah County joined as plaintiffs against the State of Oregon, the Governor, the Attorney General, the Director of the Department of Human Services, and the State Registrar in a suit, Li v. State, in the Oregon Supreme Court seeking a declaration that the statutes (ORS chapter 106) prohibiting same-sex couples from marrying on the same terms as different-sex couples violated the Oregon Constitution. [12]

In 2004, Basic Rights Oregon worked against Ballot Measure 36, which amended the Oregon Constitution to prohibit same-sex marriage. 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.

In 2007, Basic Rights led the lobbying effort to pass the Oregon Equality Act and the Oregon Family Fairness Act.

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. [13]

In 2015, in the wake of the Supreme Court ruling on Marriage Equality, Basic Rights Oregon adopted a 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 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, 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. [14] 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." [15]

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. [16]

In 2023, Basic Rights Oregon hosted a virtual event with Unicorn Solutions and ODHS to bring to light fostering LGBTQ+ youth in the foster system. [17] ODHS is working in conjunction with Basic Rights as well as the National Suicide Prevention, to hold events to educated families about fostering LGBTQ+ youth and keep people educated in the rising LGBTQ+ suicide rates. [17] [18]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1992 Oregon Ballot Measure 9</span> Ballot measure

Oregon Ballot Measure 9 was a 1992 citizens' initiative concerning LGBT rights in the state of Oregon. It sought to amend the Oregon Constitution to prohibit anti-discrimination laws regarding sexual orientation and to declare homosexuality to be "abnormal, wrong, unnatural, and perverse". Listing homosexuality alongside pedophilia and sadism and masochism, it has been described as one of the harshest anti-gay measures presented to voters in American history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LGBT rights in Utah</span>

The rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in the U.S. state of Utah have significantly evolved in the 21st century. Protective laws have become increasingly enacted since 2014, despite the state's reputation as socially conservative and highly religious. Same-sex marriage has been legal since the state's ban was ruled unconstitutional by federal courts in 2014. In addition, statewide anti-discrimination laws now cover sexual orientation and gender identity in employment and housing, and the use of conversion therapy on minors is prohibited. In spite of this, there are still a few differences between the treatment of LGBT people and the rest of the population, and the rights of transgender youth are restricted.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LGBT rights in the United States</span>

Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) rights in the United States rank among the highest in the world, with public opinion and jurisprudence changing significantly since the late 1980s.

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 primaries, and was involved in Oregon politics from the late 1980s into the 1990s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LGBT rights in New Hampshire</span>

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) persons in the U.S. state of New Hampshire enjoy the same rights as non-LGBT residents, with most advances in LGBT rights occurring in the state within the past two decades. Same-sex sexual activity is legal in New Hampshire, and the state began offering same-sex couples the option of forming a civil union on January 1, 2008. Civil unions offered most of the same protections as marriages with respect to state law, but not the federal benefits of marriage. Same-sex marriage in New Hampshire has been legally allowed since January 1, 2010, and one year later New Hampshire's civil unions expired, with all such unions converted to marriages. New Hampshire law has also protected against discrimination based on sexual orientation since 1998 and gender identity since 2018. Additionally, a conversion therapy ban on minors became effective in the state in January 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LGBT rights in Ohio</span>

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) persons in the U.S. state of Ohio have most of the rights non-LGBT residents have. Same-sex sexual activity is legal in Ohio, and same-sex marriage has been legally recognized since June 2015 as a result of Obergefell v. Hodges. Ohio statutes do not address discrimination on account of sexual orientation and gender identity; however, the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling in Bostock v. Clayton County established that employment discrimination against LGBT people is illegal in 2020. In addition, a number of Ohio cities have passed anti-discrimination ordinances providing protections in housing and public accommodations. Conversion therapy is also banned in a number of cities. In December 2020, a federal judge invalidated a law banning sex changes on an individual's birth certificate within Ohio.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LGBT rights in Georgia (U.S. state)</span>

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) residents in the U.S. state of Georgia enjoy most of the same rights and liberties as non-LGBT Georgians. LGBT rights in the state have been a recent occurrence, with most improvements occurring from the 2010s onward. Same-sex sexual activity has been legal since 1998, and same-sex marriage has been legal since 2015. In addition, the state's largest city Atlanta, has a vibrant LGBT community and holds the biggest Pride parade in the Southeast. The state's hate crime laws, effective since June 26, 2020, explicitly include sexual orientation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LGBT rights in Washington (state)</span>

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) rights in the U.S. state of Washington have evolved significantly since the late 20th century. Same-sex sexual activity was legalized in 1976. LGBT people are fully protected from discrimination in the areas of employment, housing and public accommodations; the state enacting comprehensive anti-discrimination legislation regarding sexual orientation and gender identity in 2006. Same-sex marriage has been legal since 2012, and same-sex couples are allowed to adopt. Conversion therapy on minors has also been illegal since 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LGBT rights in Hawaii</span>

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) persons in the U.S. state of Hawaii enjoy the same rights as non-LGBT people. Same-sex sexual activity has been legal since 1973; Hawaii being one of the first six states to legalize it. In 1993, a ruling by the Hawaiʻi Supreme Court made Hawaii the first state to consider legalizing same-sex marriage. Following the approval of the Hawaii Marriage Equality Act in November 2013, same-sex couples have been allowed to marry on the islands. Additionally, Hawaii law prohibits discrimination on the basis of both sexual orientation and gender identity, and the use of conversion therapy on minors has been banned since July 2018. Gay and lesbian couples enjoy the same rights, benefits and treatment as opposite-sex couples, including the right to marry and adopt.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LGBT rights in Oregon</span>

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 since May 2014 when a federal judge declared the state's ban on such marriages unconstitutional. Previously, same-sex couples could only access domestic partnerships, which guaranteed most of the rights of marriage. Additionally, same-sex couples are allowed to jointly adopt, and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in the areas of employment, housing and public accommodations is outlawed in the state under the Oregon Equality Act, enacted in 2008. Conversion therapy on minors is also illegal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LGBT rights in Pennsylvania</span>

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) persons in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania enjoy most of the same rights as non-LGBT residents. Same-sex sexual activity is legal in Pennsylvania. Same-sex couples and families headed by same-sex couples are eligible for all of the protections available to opposite-sex married couples. Pennsylvania was the final Mid-Atlantic state without same-sex marriage, indeed lacking any form of same-sex recognition law until its statutory ban was overturned on May 20, 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LGBT rights in North Carolina</span>

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) persons in the U.S. state of North Carolina may face legal challenges not experienced by non-LGBT residents, or LGBT residents of other states with more liberal laws.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LGBT rights in Texas</span>

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in Texas have some protections in state law but may face legal and social challenges not faced by others. Same-sex sexual activity was decriminalized in the state in 2003 by the Lawrence v. Texas ruling. On June 26, 2015, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled bans on same-sex marriage to be unconstitutional in Obergefell v. Hodges.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LGBT rights in Arizona</span>

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in the U.S. state of Arizona may face legal challenges not experienced by non-LGBT residents. Same-sex sexual activity is legal in Arizona, and same-sex couples are able to marry and adopt. Nevertheless, the state provides only limited protections against discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. Several cities, including Phoenix and Tucson, have enacted ordinances to protect LGBT people from unfair discrimination in employment, housing and public accommodations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LGBT rights in Virginia</span>

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in the Commonwealth of Virginia enjoy the same rights as non-LGBT persons. LGBT rights in the state are a recent occurrence with most improvements in LGBT rights occurring in the 2000s and 2010s. Same-sex marriage has been legal in Virginia since October 6, 2014, when the U.S. Supreme Court refused to consider an appeal in the case of Bostic v. Rainey. Effective July 1, 2020, there is a state-wide law protecting LGBT persons from discrimination in employment, housing, public accommodations, and credit. The state's hate crime laws also now explicitly include both sexual orientation and gender identity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LGBT rights in South Dakota</span>

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) persons in the U.S. state of South Dakota may face some legal challenges not experienced by non-LGBT residents. Same-sex sexual activity is legal in South Dakota, and same-sex marriages have been recognized since June 2015 as a result of Obergefell v. Hodges. State statutes do not address discrimination on account of sexual orientation or gender identity; however, the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling in Bostock v. Clayton County established that employment discrimination against LGBT people is illegal under federal law.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LGBT rights in Idaho</span>

Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people in the U.S state of Idaho face some legal challenges not experienced by non-LGBT people. Same-sex sexual activity is legal in Idaho, and same-sex marriage has been legal in the state since October 2014. State statutes do not address discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity; however, the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling in Bostock v. Clayton County established that employment discrimination against LGBT people is illegal under federal law. A number of cities and counties provide further protections, namely in housing and public accommodations. A 2019 Public Religion Research Institute opinion poll showed that 71% of Idahoans supported anti-discrimination legislation protecting LGBT people, and a 2016 survey by the same pollster found majority support for same-sex marriage.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LGBT rights in Alaska</span>

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) persons in the U.S. state of Alaska may face some legal challenges not experienced by non-LGBT Alaskans. Since 1980, same-sex sexual conduct has been allowed, and same-sex couples can marry since October 2014. The state offers few legal protections against discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity, leaving LGBT people vulnerable to discrimination in housing and public accommodations; however, the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling in Bostock v. Clayton County established that employment discrimination against LGBT people is illegal under federal law. In addition, four Alaskan cities, Anchorage, Juneau, Sitka and Ketchikan, representing about 46% of the state population, have passed discrimination protections for housing and public accommodations.

SAVE is a grassroots nonprofit political advocacy organization located in Miami, Florida. Founded in 1993, the organization's stated mission is to "promote, protect and defend equality for people in South Florida who are lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender."

References

  1. ↑ Gould, Mark R. (2009). The Library PR Handbook: High-Impact Communications. American Library Association. p. 11. ISBN   978-0-8389-1002-3.
  2. 1 2 "Our History". Basic Rights Oregon. Archived from the original on 22 July 2011. Retrieved September 2, 2011.
  3. ↑ "About Us". Basic Rights Oregon. Archived from the original on January 16, 2014. Retrieved January 14, 2014.
  4. ↑ "Oregon goes Democratic!" Ellensburg Daily Record, November 9, 1988, accessed June 2, 2012
  5. ↑ Oregon Voters' Pamphlet, November 3, 1992 Archived 2011-09-28 at the Wayback Machine , p. 93, hosted at the Benton County Elections Division website Archived 2011-09-18 at the Wayback Machine
  6. ↑ New York Times: Timothy Egan, "Voters in Oregon Back Local Anti-Gay Rules," July 1, 1993, accessed June 2, 2012
  7. ↑ "Oregon group unveils new anti-gay initiative," Spokesman-Review, May 7, 1993, accessed June 2, 2012
  8. ↑ Stephen, Lynn (2009). "Building Alliances: An Ethnography of Collaboration Between Rural Organizing Project (ROP) and CAUSA in Oregon" (PDF). Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service Leadership Center for Leadership in Action. Retrieved September 2, 2011.
  9. ↑ First Name (2011-09-20). "Our History". Basic Rights Oregon. Retrieved 2014-01-15.
  10. ↑ "Queer Heroes NW - June 30th, 2014 - Featured Hero: Basic Rights Oregon". Q Center. Archived from the original on 2015-12-22. Retrieved 2015-12-21.
  11. ↑ New York Times: Todd S. Purnam, "Campaign Season; The Awkward Endorsement Game," October 20, 2001, accessed June 2, 2012
  12. ↑ M. Bast, Carol; Ransford C. Pyle (2011). Foundations of Law: Cases, Commentary and Ethics. Clinton Park, New Jersey: Delmar. p. 177. ISBN   978-1-4354-4084-5.
  13. ↑ "Division of Financial Regulation : Home Page : State of Oregon". dfr.oregon.gov. Retrieved 2019-05-31.
  14. ↑ http://www.basicrights.org/news/oregons-remarkable-year-transgender-justice/ and Diane Goodwin, Basic Rights Oregon
  15. ↑ http://www.basicrights.org/news/oregons-remarkable-year-transgender-justice/ and Diane Goodwin, Basic Rights Oregon
  16. ↑ http://www.basicrights.org/news/oregons-remarkable-year-transgender-justice/ and Diane Goodwin, Basic Rights Oregon
  17. 1 2 Pape, Sam. "Basic Rights Oregon Wants You to Think About Fostering Queer Youth". Portland Mercury. Retrieved 2023-07-25.
  18. ↑ "Basic Rights Oregon wants to encourage people in support of LGBTQ+ youth to become foster parents". kgw.com. 7 June 2023. Retrieved 2023-07-25.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.