Oregon United for Marriage

Oregon United for Marriage announces more than 200 founding coalition partners!

admin — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 14:34:58 +0000

The campaign to extend the freedom to marry to all of Oregon’s loving and committed couples took a major step forward today, with the announcement of more than 200 founding coalition partners. The coalition is working to qualify the Freedom to Marry and Religious Protection Initiative for the November 2014 ballot, to make marriage legal for Oregon’s same-sex couples.

Non-profit, advocacy, labor, and LGBT organizations join
businesses, congregations, faith leaders, elected officials and political groups in this first wave of endorsing coalition partners. See the “coalition” tab, at the top of this page, for the full list.

Chief Petitioner Rev. Mark Knutson, pastor of Augustana Lutheran Church, is joined by 84 additional leaders from various faith backgrounds and 31 congregations and faith communities in support of the freedom to marry.

“Our faith teaches us to treat others as one wants to be treated,” says campaign supporter Rev. Tara Wilkins of Bridgeport United Church of Christ. ”That’s why so many people of faith are joining the effort to win the freedom to marry for all loving and committed couples.”

Oregon United for Marriage is building a broad coalition of individuals and organizations to win the freedom to marry for same-sex couples in Oregon. Join the coalition at oregonunitedformarriage.org/coalition. In addition to the coalition partners announced today, thousands of individual Oregonians have signed the pledge to show their commitment to winning the freedom to marry in Oregon. Sign the pledge, at oregonunitedformarriage.org/pledge.

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Ben and Paul’s Story

Amy Ruiz — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 05:05:23 +0000

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At the annual Basic Rights Education Fund Business Leaders’ Luncheon on April 18, we debuted a new video featuring Ben and Paul, a loving, committed couple who talk about why marriage matters to them and to all LGBT couples and families across the state.

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Rev. W.J. Mark Knutson

admin — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 01:08:14 +0000

Reverend W.J. Mark Knutson has been pastor of Augustana Lutheran Church, described as a thriving multicultural, multiethnic congregation serving the diversity of all God’s people, for more than 15 years. He is a graduate of the University of Oregon and Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary in Berkley, California. Mark has been married to his wife, Tamrah for 26 years, and they have one son. Mark serves on the boards of numerous community service organizations devoted to interfaith collaboration and communication, health care reform, and other progressive issues. In 2009, he was awarded the Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary’s Distinguished Ministry of Parish Pastor Award. He was also awarded Ecumenist of the Year by Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon (EMO) for his dedication to collaborative, ecumenical, and interfaith work for the greater good.

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Rabbi Michael Z. Cahana

admin — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 01:07:42 +0000

Rabbi Michael Z. Cahana serves as senior Rabbi at Congregation Beth Israel in Portland, Oregon. Born in Houston, Texas, Rabbi Cahana comes from multiple generations of rabbis including his late father, Rabbi Moshe Cahana, and his older brother. While studying in Jerusalem, he met his wife, Cantor Ida Rae Cahana who serves as Senior Cantor at CBI. He and his wife have been married for 22 years. They have one son and triplet daughters. Rabbi Cahana’s 2012 Rosh Hashanah sermon, “Rabbi Sputnik and the Dreams of a Generation,” will be included in an upcoming edition of American Dreamers, a collection of stories, essays, art, games, and interviews published by Wieden+Kennedy featuring the “optimists, mavericks, and mad inventors who believe we can create a better world.”

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Rev. Denise Neuschwander

admin — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 01:07:13 +0000

Reverend Denise Neuschwander has been an ordained elder in the United Methodist Church for seventeen years. She is the senior pastor at Vancouver Heights United Methodist Church. Denise has been married to her husband Mike for 30 years. They have three children and six grandchildren. When she is not doing her favorite activity of being a grandma, she loves to quilt, knit, and read a good mystery novel.

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Dohn and Clarice Kruschwitz

admin — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 01:06:23 +0000

Dohn and Clarice Kruschwitz grew up in the mid-west and have been married for 50 years. They have been actively involved in the church their whole lives. Currently they are members at the Sunnyside United Methodist Church where Clarice is the organist and Dohn sings in the choir. Clarice is also the chair of the Community Life Committee while Dohn is the chair of the church Finance Committee. Dohn was a family medicine doctor in Iowa for a number of years, and now teaches at the naturopathic medical school in Portland. Dohn and Clarice have three children and five grandchildren. Their son Kyle came out to them when he was in college. Both of them struggled for several years to understand and accept their son’s sexual orientation. It was only after they found a pastor who provided them with the support they needed that they were able to fully understand and embrace their son for who he was called to be.

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Marni Zollinger

admin — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 01:05:56 +0000

Marni Zollinger is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. She met her husband John after his mission in a classroom at BYU. They have been married for 21 years and live with their four children in Troutdale. While many of her religious teachings were strict, she considers her faith from the viewpoint of compassion, with a certainty that God loves and has a plan of happiness for every person as they were created. Marni is an active member in Oregon Mormons for Marriage Equality, Feminist Mormon Housewives, LDS Lactivism and Opposition in All Things. She attends the Crown Point Ward of the Gresham Stake in Oregon.

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Keith and Antoinette Edwards

admin — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 01:05:33 +0000

Keith and Antoinette Edwards have been married for 33 years. Keith and Antoinette’s relationship became serious when Keith would do small home repairs and Antoinette would fix him dinner as payment. They have five children, five Godchildren, and 15 grandchildren. Their youngest son Khalil is Gay. Keith has been a member of Bethal AME (African Methodist Episcopal) since 1959. Antoinette is a member of Ainsworth UCC. Keith is a union electrician who works as an international representative providing oversight for local union businesses. Antoinette serves as the Director of the Office of Youth Violence Prevention for the city of Portland. For over 30 years, she has been a recognized leader in the area of community and policy development for youth and families. Antoinette helped co-found the Portland Black Chapter of PFLAG, the first Black Chapter of PFLAG in the nation; she continues to serve on the board. Both she and Keith share a passion for making a positive impact on youth.

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Rev. Mary Peterson

admin — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 01:05:01 +0000

Reverend Mary Peterson is a Lutheran pastor in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). She has served parishes in both Minnesota and Oregon. Currently she works as a hospice chaplain, spiritual director, and preacher. She and her partner Mary Beth, who is also a hospice chaplain, have been together for 17 years. Working with those who face death every day has made it very clear to them that committed gay and lesbian couples need the assurance that they will be allowed to care for and be with their loved ones in times of crisis. They realize that only marriage provides that protection and assurance. Mary and Mary Beth look forward to the day when they can legally be married.

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Rev. Cecil Prescod

admin — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 01:04:10 +0000

Reverend Cecil Prescod is an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ and serves at Ainsworth UCC. He has been active in social justice and peace organizing for over two decades. He has worked with several organizations, including the Fellowship for Reconciliation, the American Friends Service Committee, Love Makes a Family, Inc., the Unity Project of Portland, and the Urban League of Portland. In 2002 he received the Russell Peyton Human Rights Award from the Metropolitan Human Rights Center. He is currently a board member of the Unity Project of Portland and on the Board of Directors for Love Makes a Family.

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