OSU Alum looking to improve city charter
Amendment calls for early stop to discrimination by adding language promoting tolerance
Charlotte Sause
Issue date: 10/5/06 Section: News
The city charter of Corvallis could be changed after the coming November election to include an amendment solidifying a sense of tolerance and respect for diversity in the city's community.
This amendment will appear on the ballot as ballot measure 02-56.
According to a Web site on the issue, the city charter will be amended specifically to prevent discrimination.
The amendment would prevent discrimination on the basis of "age, citizenship status, color, familial status, gender identity or expression, marital status, mental disability, national origin, physical disability, race, religion, religious observance, sex, sexual orientation, and source or level of income."
Clinton Downs is a recent OSU graduate who is deeply involved in the campaign to incorporate this amendment.
Upon graduating he wanted to become politically involved and began to work with lesbian, gay and transsexual issues in the community.
He founded the Basic Right Action Team in Corvallis last November, and since then has been working to ensure language of tolerance and respect is in the charter.
Downs now works as a volunteer and organizer for the Action team.
Currently, Benton County does have a provision that states that it is illegal to discriminate on the basis of gender identity and sexual orientation.
Downs said he wanted to recognize the motivation to include this language in the charter did not originate from current discrimination and intolerance.
"We are not saying that the city is doing something wrong, we just want to keep this great work moving forward, and make it readily apparent that this is important to us," Downs said.
Downs hopes the new addition will provide a solid basis in the local legal system to combat discrimination and intolerance. With the amendment, he hopes to represent that
"These sets of identities are really encouraged here and are really part of our community that we respect," he said.
This amendment will appear on the ballot as ballot measure 02-56.
According to a Web site on the issue, the city charter will be amended specifically to prevent discrimination.
The amendment would prevent discrimination on the basis of "age, citizenship status, color, familial status, gender identity or expression, marital status, mental disability, national origin, physical disability, race, religion, religious observance, sex, sexual orientation, and source or level of income."
Clinton Downs is a recent OSU graduate who is deeply involved in the campaign to incorporate this amendment.
Upon graduating he wanted to become politically involved and began to work with lesbian, gay and transsexual issues in the community.
He founded the Basic Right Action Team in Corvallis last November, and since then has been working to ensure language of tolerance and respect is in the charter.
Downs now works as a volunteer and organizer for the Action team.
Currently, Benton County does have a provision that states that it is illegal to discriminate on the basis of gender identity and sexual orientation.
Downs said he wanted to recognize the motivation to include this language in the charter did not originate from current discrimination and intolerance.
"We are not saying that the city is doing something wrong, we just want to keep this great work moving forward, and make it readily apparent that this is important to us," Downs said.
Downs hopes the new addition will provide a solid basis in the local legal system to combat discrimination and intolerance. With the amendment, he hopes to represent that
"These sets of identities are really encouraged here and are really part of our community that we respect," he said.
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