Anti-discrimination bill to get hearing; supporters rally.

Byline: David Steves The Register-Guard

SALEM - Lawmakers have put a bill banning discrimination against gays and lesbians on the fast track, scheduling it for a hearing Monday.

Senate Bill 2 prohibits discrimination in employment, housing and public accommodations based on sexual orientation.

The bill will be taken up Monday at 1 p.m. and again at 5 p.m. by the Senate Judiciary Committee. The decision to hear the bill next week represented an abrupt shift from earlier plans to bring it up for action sometime in April.

Gov. Ted Kulongoski, whose Task Force on Equality in Oregon requested SB 2, announced during a Wednesday rally by gay-rights advocates that the bill would be heard next week.

Rally participant Todd Simmons of Eugene said he was optimistic that the anti-discrimination bill would fare better this session than did similar legislation that passed in the Democrat-led Senate two years ago but died without a hearing in the Republican-controlled House.

In part, he said, Democratic control of both chambers this session raised his expectations. But Simmons, an assistant vice president at Oregon State University, said he was encouraged by what he said was a growing sense among Oregonians of all political persuasions that the law should protect against discrimination based on someone's sexual orientation - just as it does for people based on their gender, race or religion.

"I've really seen the support step up to a new level," said Simmons, a gay man who has been in a committed relationship with his partner for 10 years.

Advocates for SB 2 said the bill contains different language than did the 2005 legislation. It provides greater clarity and protection for religious organizations to take action in employment, housing or the use of facilities based on their beliefs about sexual orientation.

However, the same religious conservatives who opposed the 2005 bill are lining up to contest SB 2. Nick Graham, communications director for the Oregon Family Council, said such changes did not sufficiently protect religious freedoms. He also criticized the more central notion that Oregon law should add sexual orientation to the list of classes that are protected against discrimination. Graham said employers, landlords and others could be at risk of costly litigation for firing or evicting people on legitimate grounds without even being aware of their sexual orientation.

Check out David Steves' Capitol Notebook blog at www.registerguard.com/capnote. He can be reached at [phone].