First Advisor

David A. Horowitz

Term of Graduation

Spring 2025

Date of Publication

5-30-2025

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (M.A.) in History

Department

History

Language

English

Subjects

homosexuality, LGBTQ Rights, Measure 9, Oregon Citizens Alliance

Physical Description

1 online resource (ii, 167 pages)

Abstract

On November 3, 1992, Oregonians were asked to vote on Ballot Measure 9, an amendment to Oregon’s constitution that would prohibit anti-discrimination protections for homosexuals, prohibit the use public funds and facilities to "promote" homosexuality, and require schools to actively discourage homosexuality as "abnormal, wrong, unnatural, and perverse." In this narrative history, I will explore Measure 9 and the ways in which it divided the state, beginning with its introduction in May 1991. I examine the history and reasoning of the Oregon Citizens Alliance, the Christian Right organization behind the measure, as well as the gay and lesbian community’s reaction and their efforts to oppose the measure. Important to this story are the cities of Portland, Corvallis, and Springfield, all three of which were threatened with similar local measures that drew them into the larger statewide fight. And there is the religious element, and the disagreements between various denominations that highlight the plurality of views on a highly controversial topic. My goal is to create a foundational history that provides much needed context upon which past and future scholarship can rest.

Rights

© 2025 Patrick Douglas LaSalle

In Copyright. URI: http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s).

Persistent Identifier

https://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/43986

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