Melbourne Radical Women
US ultraright uses the courts
In the United States, an Oregon group with an avowed aim of forcing lesbians and gay men back into the closet has launched a lawsuit against 21 opponents.
On May 12, Paul deParrie, an activist in the ultraright Oregon Citizen Alliance (OCA) and self-described "worldwide leader" of the anti-abortion movement, filed suit against an odd collection of organisations and individuals. The suit targets gay rights leaders, feminists, lesbians and gay and civil liberties organisations as well as city officials and the entire government of the City of Portland! DeParrie is demanding over $14 million in damages.
DeParrie charges that Radical Women, Bigot Busters, Campaign for a Hate Free Oregon, Lesbian Community Project and Queer Nation, plus several individuals including Portland Radical Women organiser Adrienne Weller and police chief Tom Potter, conspired to deprive OCA petitioners of their right to gather signatures in support of local and statewide homophobic ballot initiatives.
In May, Springfield, Oregon, became the first city to pass OCA's initiative. The law prohibits passage of any measures recognising the category of sexual preference. It prevents city agencies or funds being used "to promote ... or facilitate homosexuality". The draconian Springfield law bans gay pride events from being held on public property, denies local government services to all lesbian and gay organisations and to any organisation which supports gay rights, and orders public libraries to remove all books that treat homosexuality in a positive or neutral manner.
Defendant and anti-Nazi activist Adrienne Weller see deParrie's legal attack as a test of right-wing strength which will have wide repercussions. "This could be called the 'no civil rights' lawsuit'", she says. "The OCA strategy is to ban homosexuality and intimidate defenders of gay rights. This lawsuit makes meeting and discussion strategy to stop the neo-Nazis and the far right into a conspiracy if later a confrontation between the homophobes and pro-civil rights forces occurs. A victory for deParrie would be as devastating to the rights of free speech, assembly and association as night riders in KKK hoods."
Using both federal and state laws, deParrie makes sweeping charges that the defendants colluded to deprive him and other petitioners of their First Amendment rights. He claims they plotted to commit acts of burglary, assault, fraud, intimidation, destruction of property and inciting riot at a Portland shopping centre where OCA regularly set up tables to petition voters.
Weller calls deParrie's charges "pure fabrication" and finds it ludicrous that he claims to be the "little guy" conspired against by larger forces. "DeParrie claims that gay activists victimised him and blocked access to OCA petition tables. But it was deParrie, with Advocates for Life and Operation Rescue, who accosted and screamed at women seeking to enter a local clinic which provides abortions. He acts like a god-appointed boss over women's bodies."
A hearing on a motion to dismiss the charges will be held in late August, and defendants hope the public exposure will win a dismissal without the necessity to undertake a full-scale, costly and time-consuming legal battle.
Radical Women in Australia are actively supporting their Portland sisters in this struggle. Alison Thorne, Melbourne Radical Women organiser,
said, "We can learn from watching how the Portland enemies of OCA mobilise to beat this lawsuit". She also called for Australians to show solidarity by helping to publicise the fight and by sending messages of support to Portland Radical Women, 7038 Fairport Place, Portland, OR, 9721, USA.