Gay Rights Bill Passes Oregon House

FoxNews.com ^ | Wednesday, April 18, 2007 | A/P

[Salvation]

Gay Rights Bill Passes Oregon House

Wednesday, April 18, 2007

SALEM, Ore. —  Same-sex couples would receive the same benefits as married couples, and gays and lesbians would be protected against discrimination under bills approved Tuesday by the Oregon House.

The Senate is expected to pass the two bills and plans to sign both.

The first bill would enable same-sex couples to enter into contractual relationships that grant them the same benefits offered to married couples under state law. The bill refers to the relationships as "domestic partnerships."

Oregon would join Vermont, Connecticut, California and New Jersey in offering civil unions or domestic partnerships to same-sex couples. Massachusetts allows gay couples to marry. Hawaii extends certain spousal rights to same-sex couples, along with cohabitating heterosexual pairs. The Washington Legislature last week approved a limited domestic partnership bill that's expected to be signed into law soon.

-snio-

An opponent of the bill, state Rep. Dennis Richardson, said a fairer approach would be to allow a more limited range of marriage-style benefits to two people who live together.

The other bill that passed Tuesday would ban discrimination against gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgendered people in employment, housing and access to public accommodations. -snip-

[Salvation]

Where are the conservatives in Oregon?

[Wormwood]

Damn activist legislatures.

[Salvation]

**-snio-**

Oops — snip

[napscoordinator]

No marriage though!!!!!

[Salvation]

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Where are the Catholics in Oregon?

[Salvation]

Oregon Ping

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Any thoughts or comments?

[Harrius Magnus]

“Where are the conservatives in Oregon?”

Um, I’m living in Charleston, South Carolina. I visit at holidays, though?

[The Ghost of FReepers Past]

Amazing the lengths people on a pale blue dot will go to in order to deny reality. No one is born homosexual and no one is owed respect for this nasty behavior. “Because I want it to be true” doesn’t make it so. Pigeon legislatures and their flim-flam leaders do not change reality either. They may put pressure on those still in touch with reality, but they can’t change reality.

[Wormwood]

No one is born homosexual and no one is owed respect for this nasty behavior.

No one is born a member of any church, and yet we have laws against religious discrimination.

[CheyennePress]

Activist legislature is right. And it just shows that you pretty much have to amend the Constitution all the way to keep a bunch of activist Rats from taking matters in their own hands.

As you may remember, Oregon in 2004 used a voter initiative to amend the state constitution that marriage remained between a man and a woman. Leave it up to the legislature to scrum up whatever they could and act against that notion.

[Wormwood]

As you may remember, Oregon in 2004 used a voter initiative to amend the state constitution that marriage remained between a man and a woman.

Never really was a fan of direct democracy. Neither were the Founders, as I recall.

Something about mob rule.

[CheyennePress]

Granting someone state recognition for a sham marriage is hardly the same thing as a right.

I see no reason whatsoever to change the traditional meaning of marriage and rip the whole connotation of child-bearing and child-rearing aspect out of it to pacify a group of people who have proven over and over again that they don’t really want to marry anyway. See Sweden on that one. The vast majority of gays don’t marry. Those that do average 8 sexual partners outside of marriage, anyway.

On top of that, they don’t produce kids (and why then do they deserve tax credits?).

I say this as someone who has lived with gay roommates and who has been the only straight guy in the house. Who has been to gay bars/clubs/bookstores (until I finally just got to the point where I’d seen enough perversion, screwed up lives, and the like). Nothing against gays as people, but it’s a wholly unhealthy lifestyle the lead in that community. Doesn’t seem to matter where you are.

[Inspectorette]

This is a hoot - my brother-in-law, a life-long knee-jerk Democrat, is outraged by this. He's very conservative on social issues, but thinks he has to be a Dem because the Republicans "are only for the rich".

I have sweetly called to his attention that the Dems may have at one time been the party of the ordinary working man or woman, now they are the party of the radical gays, tree-huggers, PETA types, and every grievance group that comes down the pike. He's grudgingly starting to get the drift.

I had a lot of fun with him a few months back when the "OreGROANian" published an editorial proclaiming our small coastal city "gay-friendly".

[Salvation]

**As you may remember, Oregon in 2004 used a voter initiative to amend the state constitution that marriage remained between a man and a woman. Leave it up to the legislature to scrum up whatever they could and act against that notion.**

I remember — but obviously the Oregon house does not!

[Inspectorette]

Sheesh - I’ve got “double post-itis” this morning! Sorry about that!

[Theodore R.]

There are fifteen or twenty living along the ID border!

[the808bass]

No one is born a member of any church, and yet we have laws against religious discrimination.

Does a lack of provision for homosexual marriage qualify as "discrimination"?

[Theodore R.]

Nor would the voters of OR be able to remember either.

[Theodore R.]

I suspect that there is also a lot of “R” support for this in liberal OR.

[The Ghost of FReepers Past]

No one is born a pedophile or a “pet-o-phile,” yet we have laws that discriminate against pedophilia and bestiality. Some orgasms just get discriminated against. Live with it. That’s part of living in a civilized society.

[Wormwood]

I was referring to the second bill.

[Wormwood]

Live with it. That’s part of living in a civilized society.

And part of being part of a nation of laws is that the laws can be amended to reflect changing social attitudes.

Live with it.

[JackRyanCIA]

“Where are the conservatives in Oregon?”

They moved to Idaho.

[Lady J USA 1981]

I posted this the other day.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1819321/posts

[thirst4truth]

The Dems are in control of the state senate now, they are going to ram whatever they can through, contrary to some of the initiatives the voters have passed, Measure 37 passed twice. Measure 37 gave a right to landowners to claim back the original zoning of the property they bought years ago.

In a nutshell, the state enviornuts have implemented the strictest building laws in the nation changing the zoning on privately held properties, that in some cases won’t allow even one home on their property. If an 80 acre piece is zoned FF Farm Forest, until you can prove $80,000 worth of income off that property for 3 consecutive years, you cannot live on that property in a home, it is not allowed!!!

The legislators do not like initiatives, it usurps their power and they are sticking it in our faces now.

[aimhigh]

Where are the Catholics in Oregon?

I watched the hearings. The lobbyist for the Catholic Church started his testimony by saying, "The Catholic Church is not opposed to either of these bills (gay rights/civil unions), as the Catholic Church is not in the business of discrimination."

Then he proceeded to talk about the language dealing with exemptions for religious institutions. They've joined the enemies.

[hardworking]

They moved to Idaho.

Sure hope the Oregon Legislature is prepareing to live on tax revenues from massage parlors, herbal remedy shops, crysals-on-strings shops, and tarot card readers, since all of dem der ‘business types’ are gettin outta Dodge.

[hardworking]

Seriously, think about the benefits of ‘the States decide’ approach: maybe one or two states will turn out to be a haven for us Conservatives. Whooee, let me know when and where and were loadin the wagon, Ma!

[stephenjohnbanker]

Most of them post here : )

[GiovannaNicoletta]

And people get mad at God when bad things happen in this country.

[The Ghost of FReepers Past]

And part of being part of a nation of laws is that the laws can be amended to reflect changing social attitudes. Live with it.

Yes they can be changed. But again, that doesn't change reality. And reality is the ultimate in "live with it." Laws can change back and forth, but the truth is the truth is the truth. Humans are all heterosexual by design. No perverted desire or government oppression can change that fact.

[Wormwood]

Oh, I thought we were discussing law, not theology.

I'm not interested in that conversation. Sorry.

[The Ghost of FReepers Past]

Where did you get that? Oh, was it the word “design” that spooked you? The human body has a design whether you acknowledge a Designer or whether you think the design evolved. It’s just a word, dude. Don’t hide your eyes. It wasn’t theological.

[Salvation]

**This is a hoot - my brother-in-law, a life-long knee-jerk Democrat, is outraged by this. He’s very conservative on social issues, but thinks he has to be a Dem because the Republicans “are only for the rich”.**

Keep up the good vibes with your BIL, who knows, maybe we have another Republican vote in the making!!

[Salvation]

**They moved to Idaho.**

LOL!

[Allosaurs_r_us]

Where are the conservatives in Oregon?

They're all on the east side of the Cascade mountains. It's the same thing in Washington, once you get into the big city or onto a college campus it's lefty city!

Bend, OR, and Spokane, WA are still predominantly conservative. Funny thing about that is that it's where the old west America still lives. Take a look at one of those red/blue county maps for more of an explanation.

[Salvation]

**”The Catholic Church is not opposed to either of these bills (gay rights/civil unions), as the Catholic Church is not in the business of discrimination.”**

Do you know who this was?

[aimhigh]

I don't remember the name. The audio recordings are at:
http://www.leg.state.or.us/listn/archive/archive.2007s/HEER-200704090821.ram
http://www.leg.state.or.us/listn/archive/archive.2007s/HEER-200704091724.ram

There was a morning and evening hearing.I believe it's in the 2nd link. Marc

[DBeers]

"No one is born a member of any church, and yet we have laws against religious discrimination."

ACTUALLY -the Constitution guarantees religious practice -it does not guarantee the practice of intrinsically disordered homosexual activities let alone any privileges or rights premised in the ability to achieve orgasm with a member of the same sex.

Privileges or rights premised in the ability to achieve orgasm with a member of the same sex is part of the liberal mantra and as this article documents is something the Oregon legislature and apparently you too believe to be valid LOL...

[Allosaurs_r_us]

(Future Former Freeper)

Why make it future? Looks to me like you don't belong here at all. You're certainly no conservative. Why would you hang out with people that obviously disagree with your idea of American Utopia? Did the DailyKos leave the door open, or are you just a here to interject?

Butt bandits do not get special privileges by reading between the lines of the Constitution, no matter how many times you try to translate it into the language of the left.

[Salvation]

In this case, I think it DOES lead back to the people who elected these dimwit dimocrats.

Oops — guess we need to get some unelected!

[little jeremiah]

Just a couple of years ago Oregon actual voters voted "NO" on "gay" marriage. So now the rotten legislature sneaks this in. It's like lying over and over. Defeat by degrees. Two steps forward and one back. The pushers of the "gay" agenda don't care one whit about anything AT ALL except winning. And guess what? That means we all lose, since the destruction of the natural family (their goal) means destruction of human civilization.

Has nothing whatsoever to do with sectarian religions. Has everything to do with universal morality which is based on natural law, which is the same in every religion in the world. Universal natural law refers to the Law Maker. The "gay" agenda is in utter rebellion against natural law and the Author of same.

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[Salvation]

Needed paragraphs

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

If Oregon wants to commit suicide, I say let ‘em. The remaining conservatives there will pack up and leave and the state will further deteriorate in terms of quality of life and tax base.