Even in Oregon, the Fight for Marriage Equality Might Not Be Over

In 2014, a year before Obergefell v. Hodgesa U.S. district court ruling Geiger v. finally lifted Oregon’s ban on same-sex marriage. Supporters had been gathering signatures for a statewide ballot measure but abandoned the campaign when county officials began issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples. “We are confident that the freedom to marry is guaranteed in Oregon and that we do not need to move forward with the ballot measure,” Oregon United for Marriage said after the ruling. “It’s time to celebrate this victory.”

The advocates who had worked tirelessly on this issue took a breath. Marriage equality was finally protected throughout Oregon – or so they thought.

More than a decade later, in light of a federal budget-cutting spree and worrying Supreme Court decisions, advocates fear what might happen next, including the prospect that Oberfell could soon be overthrown. Although the Geiger ruling allowed same-sex marriage in the state, the Oregon Constitution still maintains that “only a marriage between one man and one woman is valid or legally recognized as a marriage” in Article 15, Section 5A.

“Now we see there is still work to be done,” said Gaby Gardiner of Basic Rights Oregon. “The fight is not over. We still have marriage defined as one man and our women in [the state] Constitution.”

The statewide “Equal Rights for All” campaign aims to amend the nondiscrimination clause of the Oregon Constitution with more inclusive and specific language, ensuring reproductive access, gender-affirming care and marriage equality. “It’s unclear what would happen to marriage equality in Oregon if [Obergefell] have been overturned,” said Blair Stenvick, communications manager at Basic Rights Oregon. “But we know that marriage equality here would be at risk and the issue would likely have to be decided in court. Our amendment would provide clarity.

Since a ballot measure must be submitted as a single topic, the guideline for these topics is equal rights. “Until our rights to personal liberty and bodily autonomy are protected in the Oregon Constitution,” the campaign writes on its website, “we are just one election or one bad decision from the United States Supreme Court before we lose the rights to abortion, gender-affirming care, and marriage equality in Oregon.” »

To qualify for the November 2026 ballot, the initiative, brought by Basic Rights Oregon, the American Civil Liberties Union and Planned Parenthood, needs about 156,000 voter signatures by summer 2026. (As a precaution, the campaign is aiming for more than 200,000.) So far, Gardiner said, 40,000 signatures have been collected by dozens of organizations across Oregon. supported the campaign. “We feel really good about where we are, especially because these [signatures] were all picked up by volunteers,” Stenvick said.

The campaign served as both a legal and symbolic statement for the many queer people who live in Portland, often seeking refuge from social persecution. “A lot of people come [to Portland] “We are not one-dimensional. “There is a wide range of intersectionality within our communities, among immigrants, transgender people and people with disabilities. Giving everyone their right to personal autonomy and choice is really important.

Initially, after the overthrow of Roe v. Wadethe group attempted to pass the “Equal Rights for All” amendment through legislation. In 2023, Senate Majority Leader Kate Lieber introduced an amendment to the Constitution with the same principle of protecting same-sex marriage, abortion, and gender-affirming care. “We really thought at the time we had a slam dunk problem,” Gardiner said. The amendment passed in the Rules Committee’s initial vote, but ultimately died to end a six-week Republican strike over measures surrounding abortion, gender-affirming care and gun regulation.

Instead, Basic Rights Oregon, the ACLU and Planned Parenthood took the measure directly to voters, announcing the campaign as a proposed ballot measure in June 2024. “What we want to do is have a campaign that creates momentum,” Gardiner said, “to get people to understand the importance of bodily autonomy and the right to privacy.”

Since then, the signature collection has materialized and created a grassroots network of volunteers across the state — from Portland Pride events and No Kings protests to small-town fairs — including Olivia Han, a 16-year-old high school student, who collects signatures at her local farmers market in addition to her homework. Although Portland’s advocacy organizations have no shortage of work — especially with Trump’s threat to deploy the National Guard — the campaign remains the focus. “This is real, tangible change,” Han said. “It really advocates for the rights and equality of all people.”