You may remember that back in October, Oregon gay rights foes led by Marilyn Shannon failed in their petition drive to collect enough signatures to halt both the state's anti-discrimination and domestic partners laws from going into effect on January 1, 2008.
But like a plague of roaches, the anti-gay forces are back again stirring up trouble.
Tennessee-based anti-gay activist David Crowe and attorneys from out-of-state are working to halt Oregon's new domestic partner from going into effect on January 1st by arguing that a signature on a petition is equivalent to a vote and that if the law does go into effect, “tens of thousands” of people who signed the petition will suffer “substantial and irreparable harm.”
Crowe used to be based in Oregon.
Said Basic Rights Oregon spokesperson Karynn Fish: “Basic Rights Oregon continues to believe that this case is without merit. Although we are not a named party to the lawsuit, we have retained counsel and will take every opportunity afforded us to ensure a positive resolution to the case…Signatures on petitions are under the control of ballot measure campaigns and their signature gatherers, not elections officials. Can you imagine entrusting something as important as your vote to a stranger on the street?”
According to Basic Rights Oregon, “The eleventh hour motion – filed more than two months after the Oregon Secretary of State announced that Crowe's campaign had failed to gather the minimum number of valid signatures required to force a referendum on the law, will not even be heard by a federal judge until December 28.Basic Rights Oregon is expected to make further announcements about the status of the case as things unfold later this week and through the end of the year.”
Out of state attorneys press anti-gay lawsuit [basic rights oregon]
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