Basic Rights Oregon's Candidates Forum

Go to the Torrey section to see where he compares trans high school students to Kip Kinkel! What. The. Fuck?

It's early moments in Basic Rights Oregon's LGBT candidate forum. Mayor Kitty Piercy, former mayor/mayoral candidate Jim Torrey and county commission candidate Rob Handy are on hand. There are cookies and juice, no coffee, which bothered someone.

Wait now ... someone is up there saying it's BRES, Basic Rights Eugene Springfield, not BRO. Does that mean in Portland it's BRP? Or BRB in Beaverton and Bend? Little confused here. (Also, BRES? Is that pronounced, like, brez? Or breeze? Or bressssss?)

Fundraiser coming up at the Broadway for pro-LGBT candidates. Now Todd Simmons (source of many stories for me and the communications director for OSU) talks about Equality PAC, which vets candidates for state races normally. First time it's gotten involved in local races. Endorsements based on "leadership and incumbency, as well as viability, electability in races like this."

Applause at news Equality PAC has endorsed Kitty Piercy already; new endorsements of Andrea Ortiz, Betty Taylor and George Brown. Will make endorsement in north Lane County commissioner race as well. Note: Bobby Green? A no-show so far.

Each candidate will speak for 5 mins, then a 15-min group Q&A though Piercy and Torrey need to get someplace else. Becky Flynn will keep time.

Read more here.

Kitty Piercy speaks first. "I'm glad to be here in a roomful of friends." Worked as a legislator for equal rights, worked for Planned Parenthood, has continued to be involved in supporting equal rights as mayor. Has opposed and will continue to oppose any efforts to repeal anti-discrimination and domestic partnership laws. "Some of us feel like they're not quite enough yet, but we don't want to lose any ground here." (Applause.)

"I want our community to be a welcoming one and one that feels safe for everyone. This is a great city, but a city's only as great as everyone who lives in the city feels it is, so we all need to keep working."

"I don't take your issues as a narrow corridor although they're very important. You've got the same issues as everybody else in town as well. You're concerned about good jobs, about being treated right in the workplace ... bringing people together to solve problems. I know that you care about everyone being included. I've gone to over 6000 meetings and events."

"The paper says I spend a lot of my time on 'feel-good' issues. I spend my time on 'feel-good' issues like human rights, civil rights, peace, justice and caring for our planet."

Q&A from BRES people. Becky Flynn adds that the people asking questions--Hector Miramontes, Matt Friday and Tobi Hill-Meyer--are volunteers for BRES. Question answered: It's "breeze."

Piercy answers a question from Hill-Myer and accidentally calls Hill-Meyer "him," which earns her a rebuke from the crowd. She says, "I'm still learning!"

She talks about how in the 2007 MLK Jr. flap over a (possibly) homophobic pastor being invited to speak, "no matter how well we think we're doing, there's more to learn."

Question about city not covering trans surgeries under health care. She says not a detail she knows about, but everybody should have access to health care, and she'll look into it.

Hill-Meyer: "How have you and how will you educate your constituents about LGBT community?"
"I have tried to be upfront and with you and part of that," she says. She's attended conferences; she wants to create a higher level of understanding. Applause.

"How will you ensure the sheriff's department and public employees receive training about appropriate treatment for trans folks?"
She defers to Bobby Green, who has just arrived.

"Mayor Piercy, do you support comprehensive sex education and funding programs ..." Laughter. "It's only what I've spent my life doing!"

Simmons says for schedule reasons, Bobby Green and Rob Handy need to speak before Torrey speaks.

Rob Handy stands behind the podium, talks about what he's done working with at-risk youth, coaching kids, providing community leadership in River Road. etc. etc. Qualifications. Has knocked on 11,000 doors. "What I'm hearing from people across this district; it's a pretty diverse district — but what I'm hearing from people is that they're tired of the never-ending fiscal crisis of Lane County." Neighborhood effort, grassroots effort. (Quiet audience.)

Says he learned early on that he had benefits as a straight white male and that he learned he needed to be involved, listen and be an advocate for people who experience oppression (he gives a list). "There's lots of different ways that our society, our community, has to deal with the ramifications of all this."

"I am the viable progressive candidate in this race." Etc. etc. etc.

Bobby Green

Glad to have the opportunity. Is a 13-year commissioner, 36 years in the area, has lived in district for 28 of those years. "I'm the most senior elected official in this county ... I believe local government is the best form of government. When local people come into your office, you ave to listen and find a way to solve their problems."

Likes to run a positive campaign. "I do not need to put anyone down to make myself look better. ... I've been an advocate for human rights from day one, and why wouldn't I be?"

Opposed Measure 9 & Measure 13. Got diversity committee at county level.

"I'm tired of facing financial burdens at the county level, too. ... I am continuing to work on it. You remind people of the effect at the local level."

"I'd be proud to have the endorsement of Basic Rights Oregon."

Nadia Sindi
Talks about her background, says her daughter used to bring home LGBT friends who were discriminated against in high school. "I walked the very first Pride ... so your rights are my rights ... your pain is my pain. It doesn't matter what title you are in; hate is hate, and pain is pain, and we all share that. I would do whatever I can to help you if I were elected."

Q&A

Simmons says keep to 15 minutes so people can get on to other obligations.
Q from audience to Rob Handy: Under issues on your website, saw nothing that has to do with immigrant rights and civil rights or LGBT rights. What can you offer that's different from Bobby Green?
Rob Handy: Need to update website. Folks that are working on my campaign, part of my brain trust, because there's a need to have a voice at Lane County that's across the spectrum. "We need more inclusiveness." He says "We need to make sure that within basic rights for all, we need to make sure sexism isn't present, and we need to include young people at all."

Q for Green about the new laws. "What is the history of your support for these bills?"
Green: Our board discussed this; we have a responsibility to enforce the law. If it becomes the law, that is what we are required to administrate. "You address the person within, the human being, you have the human relationship."

Q for all three: Health plans have trans exclusion clause that denies transgender medical care. Do you support inclusion? Are there things should not be covered?
Sindi: Health plan is part of human rights. You are human, you need to have this covered just like anybody.

Handy: I think Mayor Piercy was quite eloquent on this issue, I would agree with her that I don't know all of the nuances, but it's about fairness, equity. "It's about health care issue, when we're talking about families having access to their spouses, those are baseline fairness and equity issues that I've worked for all along. Let me add that part of leadership is speaking up and out about issues that come up and out in the news, that come up every day. You have the chance to speak in the media, around the community, when there's any seed of discrimination and oppression that works its way into the social dialogue. ...Early and often, I will speak out about these issues of social fairness."

Green: "Lane County has about 7 bargaining units, so you have to negotiate these kinds of benefits ... I'm more an advocate of empowering people for their rights. I'd be an advocate, but I have to consider what's fair. It's not as simple as 'Yes I'd do that.' It doesn't work like that at the ground level."

Q: Mr. Green, tell me the last time you were addressing a general group of voters and you brought up LGBT people.
Green: That hasn't really come up, but I address what's fair ... When provided the opportunity, I would do just that. I know we have had issues like this come up, and I've become the person to go to and get it solved.

Questioner says, "No, the question was in a general group of voters, how have you addressed LGBT people?"
Green: "Well, I haven't done anything, and that's the short answer."

Q from audience for Handy: Considering high numbers of homeless youth and drug use and suicide among the youth, how would you deal with this?
Handy: My background is as an athlete and in the theater. In the locker room, homophobia impacted me early on; I saw people commit suicide around this issue. In the theater, sometimes a place where people feel safe, but they can also be hard on folks who are different. I have privileges, but I also have passion, and through education, advocacy and ... [lost it], that can change.
Talks about wife teaching school. "Comes back for me to fairness and equity. In my mentorship with teens and my coaching, there's lots of opportunities to work with people who are struggling with their identity."
Says when times are tough, tendency to marginalize people gets even greater.

Q: What would you do for LGBT community if elected?
Green: Education, destroy the myths. People are afraid of what they don't know. Try and improve communication. Try and get to know somebody for who they are.
Handy: Education is key. We have a successful human rights commission for city of Eugene, county should be doing the same. We should prioritize scare funding for nonprofits.

Back to mayoral race with Jim Torrey

(Half of the crowd leaves.)

Never assume you know what's in a person's mind or in a person's heart. I'm not here to try to convince you to change your endorsement. I'm prepared to go anywhere, anytime to talk to people about their concerns. I never once refused to do that; even when anarchists tried to take over state of the city address, I convinced them to calm down so we could meet later.

I have always supported basic fairness and basic rights. I urge you to go back and read minutes of human rights ordinance. ... [talking about lack of support for including transgender rights in ordinance] I wanted to make sure that you could tell me how our young people and our dressing rooms would be protected.

In the three and a half years since I've left office, no one has improved on the human rights ordinance we have. ... Do I have personal positions based on my religious convictions? Yes, but they're MY convictions. This is a city I'm proud of, and I'd be happy to have at least a recognition that I was prepared to come even to an organization that endorsed my opponent.

Q&A
Q: What did you do specifically to support or facilitate the passage of bills? How do you see office supporting those rights? And would you support adding transgender to the human rights code?
Torrey: Yes, I support adding that. Vast majority of people in this room have a similar position on the issues, but how do we bring in people who may differ on this discussion and talk over the coffee table? But I have always been in favor of and supported basic rights.

Questioner continues with same question about advocating for bills.
Torrey: I supported the legislation in Salem. I did not go out and rally if that's what you mean, but don't assume you know how I voted. Personal values should be the concern of individuals. What you should expect from the mayor is basic fairness, and that is what you will get from me.

Questioner: Same question that Bobby Green got about addressing a specific group of voters.
Torrey: Goes back a few years to when Scott Meisner was criticized by a person in the audience for his sexual orientation, and I said to the criticizer, it doesn't not bother or create a circumstance with me that puts him or her at a different level. I do not distinguish between those orientations any more than I would the race of a person. I just finished a two-hour meeting as chair of Olympics volunteer committee that every volunteer has to go through a 2-3 hour orientation on sexual orientation, race, etc.

Question from audience: You're saying you support the statewide nondiscrimination ordinance, and now you're showing that you support gender nondiscrimination ...
Torrey: Now wait a second, what's to stop some young man in a high school to come to school that day, and in his mind, his perception is today he thinks he's more female-oriented than male? Now, we had a situation in Springfield, and we didn't know what that young man was going to do, and if we had known it ... well, we can't know everything.

Let me just note that Jim Torrey just compared a trans high school student to Kip Kinkel.

That is the question I did not receive enough information on. Your challenge as an organization is to sit down and show how that wouldn't happen. There hasn't been sufficient education to convince to me to pass that part of the law. Why hasn't it come up?

(He says a lot more about basic fairness.)

Q: How would you be sure the companies the city contracts with have provisions within contractual arrangements for everyone?
Torrey, misunderstanding the question: I think that the city already has those provisions in there. ... Remember that the mayor is not the same as the city manager, who has control over the city contracts.

Questioner clarifies question: If a developer signs a contract to build something downtown, what is in the contract that assures their support for the LGBT community -- domestic rights, etc.?
Torrey still doesn't understand the question.

George Brown

I really don't know why I'm running unopposed, but it gives me the opportunity to study issues more deeply. ... I like to do research. ... I'm going to continue Bonnie's commitment. I share her progressive values. I don't know that anyone could fill her shoes because she's just dynamite.

Q: Do Kiva employees' domestic partners get health care?
Brown: If they work 35 hours a week, employees get health care, and so do their partners.

Andrea Ortiz
Ran on stopping the WEP, and we did that. Stopped a land swap from letting UGB go outside those boundaries. Bonnie and I worked on getting the police auditor, which was not only something I wanted to do as an activist but when the women came in and complained, they were not getting any weight with police at all.
Cristina Beamud told Ortiz she'd give her one more year. Need to call her and give support.
We need to work on downtown, whether it's incremental or a big bucket of whatever. City Hall, we need to finish the process. If we don't think the voters are going to want to support putting another $75 mill into City Hall, we need to put that money somewhere else.
I hear more about potholes than I do about child abuse, domestic abuse, people who don't have health care, it drives me crazy! I'm like, where are your values?
I'm on LRAPA. I'm an affected neighbor; that's my neighborhood. It's important to me to get the railroad, get all of the people together. 360 acres in the middle of my ward doesn't pay taxes, gets to do whatever the hell they want, and I need to finish my work, so that's why I'm running.

Q: What are the issues facing the LGBT community and what are you going to do?
AO: I can't really speak to that. Everyone should have the same basic rights, access to health care, access to marriage, access to buying homes together, having children and adopting children together.
GB: I think people still are being discriminated against. I'm actually kind of a private person, but I'm in contact with people all day long as the store. ...I hear discrimination is still there, whether it's in housing or health care. People are still being discriminated against racially; there's a long way to go. Basic rights are human rights; they're for everybody.

Q from audience for Ortiz: In 2006, you were the only elected official who showed up for our protest at the R-G. What prompted you to do that?
AO: It infuriates me; I work at the hospital, we have a little diversity committee, and we wrote a letter, we were really brave, flushed out the nurses who maybe didn't believe in equal rights. It was eye-opening for the rest of the group that some of the people of color did not believe in it, and I want people to be known for who they are. ... Demanding that the hospital stop putting birth announcements in the Register-Guard, but the executive board shut it down. I don't know why the R-G doesn't do it, but I believe that if the parents want to honor kids, however they got here, they should be able to do it.

Q for George: How have your personal or prefessional relationships with LGBT individuals affected your understanding of civil rights for that group?
GB: When I was younger, it was kind of in the culture, I disapproved of homosexuality, but then I realized by knowing gay or lesbian people, they're just like us. So I kind of had already changed my ideas that way by the time I became in a position to employ people, so it didn't matter. At one time we had 18 employees, and 5 were gay or lesbian, but I never thought about it until the interview [with the BRO board].

Q: Our community experiences a lot of police harassment and sometimes we're not treated well in police custody. How will you make sure police officers receive appropriate training?
AO: Generally, city employees are pretty well versed in HR laws, and I think generally city employees take this pretty seriously. As far as the police go, I was not aware that that was an issue.

She talks more about talking to police auditor, experiences on police commission. "If there's something specific, write me an email, I'll send it forward."