Oregon Equality Act Passes Senate with Bipartisan Support

If passed, Oregon will become the 18th state in the U.S. to pass similar legislation.

Basic Rights demonstration in 2005 at the rear of the state capitol Photo by: Tim King

(SALEM) - On Wednesday, the Oregon Senate moved Oregon another step closer to basic fairness by passing Senate Bill 2, the Oregon Equality Act.

In a vote of 21 to 7, Senators declared a resounding YES to equality, and a resounding NO to discrimination.

"This is a great beginning to a historic legislative session," said Aisling Coghlan, Interim Executive Director of Basic Rights Oregon. "The Senate clearly agrees with the majority of Oregonians, that discrimination based on sexual orientation is wrong and should be against state law."

Immediately after the vote, Senate President Peter Courtney said, "After an extraordinary debate, the Oregon State Senate came together again to show that equality is not a partisan issue".

Statewide law banning discrimination was first proposed in 1973, and has been proposed in nearly every legislative session since then.

"After a long journey, Oregon took a major step forward in providing protection for all Oregonians," said Senate Majority Leader Kate Brown. "I was proud and humbled by the vote I took in the Senate today."

SB 2, the first bill to move forward in a package of legislation recommended by the Governor's Task Force on Equality, will now move to the House of Representatives and be referred to committee.

If passed, Oregon will become the 18th state in the U.S. to pass similar legislation.

The second bill in the Basic Fairness package, House Bill 2007, is expected to receive a hearing in the House as well.

Governor Kulongoski has stated his steadfast commitment to see both bills enacted.

At Basic Rights Oregon's Day of Action on March 12th, he told the crowd while waving his bill-signing pen in the air, "Bring me the bills and I will sign them!"

Both SB 2 and HB 2007 have the full support of Basic Rights Oregon, the state's leading grassroots advocacy organization for equality for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Oregonians.