Political Quotes

“the evolution of the gay and lesbian civil rights issue has touched my notion of fairness in government policy in very profound ways. Since I chaired the Oregon Legislature's first hearing on nondiscrimination some 30 years ago, I have observed the ebb and flow of the debate on gay rights, attended hearings, and learned the stories of real people. I have also developed a wide circle of friends and have many colleagues who are gay and in committed relationships. I have come to understand the equality for gays and lesbians as an issue of justice for us all regardless of our sexual orientation or political philosophy. Along the way, I have experienced a couple of painful episodes that helped define my thinking. As a county commissioner in the 1980's, we enacted one of the first and most comprehensive nondiscrimination ordinances in the country. The backlash, however, from some of the extreme right was brutal. And faced with an opposing referendum that would threaten to divide the community, leaders in the local gay and lesbian movement urged the commission to repeal the ordinance. But that did not make it any easier to explain to gay citizens sitting in the front rows, some of whom were crying with disbelief and anger. Twelve years later in Congress, I confronted the Defense of Marriage Act to create a Federal definition of marriage as a union between a man and a woman.”