Now is a critical time for Oregonians supporting traditional marriage, religious freedom, parental rights and democracy to get ready to help gather signatures for two new Oregon state ballot initiatives: Initiatives #145 and #146.  

To get the initiatives on the November 2008 ballot, 150,000 signatures need to be gathered for each initiative by June 30.  

These initiatives give voters the opportunity to overturn the new domestic partnership law (House Bill 2007) and radical language added to Oregon's non-discrimination law (Senate Bill 2).  Both laws passed in 2007 and went into effect in February 2008. 

Background on Initiative #146

In 2004, Oregon voters passed a state constitutional marriage amendment that defined marriage as the union between one man and one woman.  However, in 2007, the legislature and governor passed a Domestic Partnership law that created the legal equivalent of marriage for any two adults — hence "nullifying" the amendment.

Any law that dilutes the definition and purpose of marriage is unwise public policy because it leads to fewer marriages and more out-of-wedlock births. Sadly, this trend has already been seen in Scandinavian countries that legalized gay marriage, civil unions or domestic partnerships in the 1990's. For example, in Norway the out-of-wedlock birthrate is a staggering 60 percent, and in some areas as high as 80 percent.

Background on Initiative #145  

Senate Bill 2 amended Oregon's non-discrimination law by establishing special rights, privileges, protections and legal status to individuals based on sexual orientation and gender identity.  

The problem with a state granting "civil rights" protections for sexual orientation and gender identity is that these categories are not clearly immutable like skin color, and many citizens view them as "moral" not "civil rights" issues.  

Hence, this law tramples over deeply held religious beliefs of many citizens protected by the First Amendment.  

Because public education is specifically included in SB 2, your child's kindergarten teacher could be reading Heather Has Two Mommies and King and King (a fairy tale about a prince marrying another prince) to your impressionable child without any requirement of parental notice.  Hence, this law tramples the right of parents to guide the moral upbringing of their children also protected by the Constitution.  

Senate Bill 2 provides for "a program of public education calculated to eliminate attitudes upon which practices of discrimination because of ... sexual orientation ... are based."

Keep Men Out of Female Restrooms  

SB 2 defines "sexual orientation" as "an individual's actual or perceived heterosexuality, homosexuality, bisexuality or gender identity, regardless of whether the individual's gender identity, appearance, expression or behavior differs from that traditionally associated with the individual's sex at birth." 

SB 2 creates a law enforcement nightmare because it allows cross-dressers into the restrooms, locker rooms, public showers and dressing rooms of their "perceived" gender.  Imagine your 12-year-old daughter going into the changing room at a public swimming pool and finding a biological male there?  And if a woman or girl protests having a man or boy with a "gender identity" issue in the female public restroom, locker-room or shower, than that man or boy can take legal action against that woman or girl!

SB 2 provides, "an adequate remedy for persons aggrieved by certain acts of discrimination because of ... sexual orientation."

It also states that "any individual claiming to be aggrieved by an unlawful practice specified in ... may file a civil action in circuit court." 

Take Action: Get Ready to Help Circulate Petitions

Please email Ken Stevens at  kenneth.r.stevens@verizon.net  and say "count me in to collect signatures!"

For more info go to  http://www.concernedoregonians.com.

Each initiative will need to have 82,769 valid signatures in order to be put on the Nov. 4, 2008 general election; the goal is to obtain 150,000 signatures for each initiative.  The deadline for obtaining the signatures is June 30. 

Initiatives #145 and #146 were filed two months ago with Oregon state officials.   However, attorneys with the ACLU and other special interest groups have objected to the language of the petitions, have used delaying tactics, and have appealed to the Oregon Supreme Court.  

It is not known how soon that court will decide regarding the petition's language, so that the petitions can be released and circulated for signatures. 

Law-abiding people of Oregon sought to redress their grievances with both laws in July-September 2007 by signing two referendum petitions to have the citizens of Oregon vote on these two bills on the November 2008 ballot. 

More than 63,000 signatures were collected for each petition. However, a large number of valid petition signatures were then invalidated by state and county officials, which resulted in an insufficient number of signatures (55,179 valid signatures were required to place the bills on the ballot). Reinstatement of only five signers would have placed the domestic partnership bill (HB 2007) on the November ballot.