VIOLENCE ERUPTS IN OREGON: GAY RIGHTS OFFICE DESTROYED; ACTIVISTS FEAR HATE GROUP BACKLASH Washington, D.C., June 11, 1992...The Portland office of the Campaign For a Hate Free Oregon (CHFO), the statewide gay and lesbian group fighting several Far Right ballot initiatives, was vandalized and demolished during the night of June 8, 1992. The attack on the CHFO offices immediately followed a highly visible organizing tour of the state organized by the Lesbian Community Project with NGLTF Executive Director Urvashi Vaid, NGLTF Board member Eric Rofes, and Arkansas-based organizer Suzanne Pharr. The break-in also came on the heels of an increase in organizing by the gay and lesbian community of Oregon to combat the extremist Right - which has targeted Oregon for a November ballot measure that would thwart any attempts by gay people to obtain equal rights. Oregon activists attributed the destruction to the Oregon Citizens Alliance (OCA), which is pressing to pass four anti-gay local and statewide initiatives in 1992. Thus far, two of the measures have been voted upon, with one passing (Springfield, OR) and one being defeated (Corvallis, OR). As the OCA organizes around the state in support of its anti-gay measures on the November general election ballot, Oregon activists fear violence against the gay and lesbian community will increase. "We hold the OCA personally responsible for spreading an atmosphere of hate in which this sort of violence can flourish," said Peggy Norman, campaign director for the CHFO. "This is just a precursor of the assault that Oregon's gay and lesbian community will face if the statewide measures pass and bigotry is licensed." The CHFO offices were broken into in the middle of the night of June 8th. Two computers and a fax machine were stolen, phone lines were cut, office files were tossed throughout the office, rolodexes and personal address books were stolen, and black toner from the copying machine was spread throughout the office and on the office walls. No person was injured in this incident, but the CHFO offices were disabled severely. The Campaign had planned to move before the vandalism occurred and will complete their move in a week or two. While some valuable items, such as rolls of stamps, were left untouched during the break-in, specific files, including background files on the OCA, were stolen. According to Kimberly Webster of the CHFO, the office insurance files were also stolen. Later that day, the CHFO insurance agent received an obscene phone call. The Bias Crime Unit of the Portland Police Department is investigating the incident. No arrests have been made. In the weeks preceding the attack, CHFO has received high media visibility as a result of community organizing against the Right. A door-to-door campaign to hang stickers saying "Stop the OCA" on door knobs was launched on May 9th. A highly publicized, two-week long, 150-mile "March for Love and Justice", organized by the Lesbian Community Project, stepped off from Eugene on June 7th and is expected to arrive in Portland on June 20th. The violence at the CHFO office also follows soon after the May 19 primary vote on the two identical local anti-gay initiatives spearheaded by the OCA in Springfield and Corvallis.While voters in Corvallis overwhelmingly defeated the measure in a two-to-one vote, Springfield residents passed the measure. The new Springfield law amends the city charter to prohibit the city from passing or enforcing any law that bans discrimination based on sexual orientation and also prohibits "the city of Springfield, its agencies, departments, bureaus, properties or monies be used to promote, encourage, or facilitate homosexuality...." Two statewide initiatives will be on the November ballot. One measure is similar to the Springfield initiative, but additionally directs the state to teach children that homosexuality is an unnatural and abnormal behavior that must be avoided. A second statewide initiative would delete the words "sexual orientation" from the state's hate crimes law and replace them with the words "abnormal behaviors." The language of the initiatives legalizes discrimination. For example, any city or state agency may deny services to an individual or group thought to promote, encourage or facilitate homosexuality. This would include gay and lesbian social, political and religious organizations, as well as non-gay groups that have issued policy statements in support of civil rights for gay people. Use of facilities such as parks or meeting rooms could be denied solely on the basis of sexual orientation or support for gay people's civil rights. Public libraries would be required to remove from their shelves any items that treat homosexuality in a positive or neutral manner. "All Oregonians must now realize it will take the work of everyone in the state to stand up to the hate of the OCA," said Robin Kane, public information manager at NGLTF. "Gay men and lesbians around the country must speak out against bigotry and work to defeat the November ballot measures in Oregon, which will mandate discrimination and give carte blanche to more violence." During a three-day organizing visit, NGLTF Director Vaid, Board member Rofes, and Pharr, led community meetings in Portland and Roseburg, discussed strategy with CHFO and other activists, and held several widely publicized mainstream media interviews, encouraging community leaders to oppose the ballot measures and speak out against the bigotry of the OCA. Vaid noted that activists organizing around the state against the OCA initiatives have received death threats, harassing letters, phone messages and slurs. "The actions and rhetoric of the OCA have created a tinder box of hate that exploded on June 8th," Vaid said. "The violence and destruction will escalate into the November election and beyond as the OCA spreads its hateful message. This is what will happen in Oregon if the Right Wing goes unchecked. We encourage everyone to send contributions directly to the CHFO." Send resources and letters of support to the Campaign for a Hate Free Oregon, P.O. Box 3343, Portland, OR 97208; (503) 232-4501. Contact Robin Kane or Martin Hiraga, (202) 332-6483 Ron.DeVrou@f70.n109.z1.fidonet.org NGLTF 1734 Fourteenth Street, NW-Washington, DC 20009-4309 (202) 332-6483 TTY-(202) 332-6219 FAX-(202) 332-0207