6 Oregon Cities, 1 County Pass Laws Against Gay Rights

Anti-gay rights ordinances have won approval in six Oregon cities and one county even though the state Legislature has attempted to declare the laws invalid.

Election officials reported that ordinances sponsored by the conservative Oregon Citizens Alliance won approval Tuesday by large margins in mail-ballot elections in Jackson County and the cities of Medford, Estacada, Mollalla, Creswell, Sweet Home and Lebanon.

The ordinances prohibit any government recognition or promotion of homosexual rights. They are a toned-down version of a statewide ballot initiative that Oregon voters defeated in 1992.

After losing in the statewide election, the alliance began a campaign to have local governments adopt the law. Eight municipalities, four counties and four cities adopted the proposal in special elections earlier this year, officials said.

But the Oregon Legislature voted in August to invalidate the local ordinances, passing a bill that prohibits local governments from enacting any laws dealing with gender rights. That law is being challenged in court by the alliance.