1992 Oregon Ballot Measure 9

Referendum on gay rights January 2026 Measure 9 Government Cannot Facilitate, Must Discourage Homosexuality, Other "Behaviors". 638,527 828,290 1,466,817 1992 Oregon Ballot Measure 9 results map by county.svg county County results Yes #B6C8D9 50–60% #7d9cbb 60–70% No #DEDEBD 50–60% #BCBC83 60–70% Source: Oregon Blue BookBlue Book p21 Oregon Ballot Measure 9 was a 1992 ballot initiative concerning LGBTQ rights in the state of Oregon. Sponsored by the Christian conservative group Oregon Citizens Alliance (OCA), the measure sought to amend the Oregon Constitution to prohibit anti-discrimination laws regarding sexual orientation and to declare homosexuality to be "abnormal, wrong, unnatural, and perverse".Blazak 2022 Peterson del Mar 2003 Listing homosexuality alongside pedophilia and sadism and masochism, it has been described as one of the harshest anti-gay measures presented to voters in American history.Schultz 2021 6 The initiative was defeated by 56 percent to 44 percent in the 1992 general election.Blazak 2022 Staggenborg 2016 The OCA went on to successfully sponsor similar anti-LGBTQ initiatives in municipalities across Oregon.Stone 2024 These local measures were later overruled by the state legislature.Blazak 2022 Peterson del Mar 2003 Opposition to Measure 9 was an early victory for the LGBTQ movement in the United States.Stone 2024 Campaign Measure 9 was an effort of the Oregon Citizens Alliance (OCA), a conservative group affiliated with the Christian Coalition that was active in Oregon politics in the 1990s.Staggenborg 2016 Blazak 2022 Lang 2022 Wentz 1999 The initiative sought to amend the Oregon Constitution to prohibit anti-discrimination laws regarding sexual orientation and to declare homosexuality to be "abnormal, wrong, unnatural, and perverse".Blazak 2022 Peterson del Mar 2003 William Schultz, writing in Oregon Historical Quarterly, describes it as one of the most comprehensive and harshest anti-gay measures put to voters in American history.Schultz 2021 6 Taking advantage of public hostility toward affirmative action, campaigners invoked the idea of "special rights"Pierceson p81 to imply that LGBTQ people wanted social advantages rather than mere equality.Staggenborg 2016 Schultz 2021 8 In this and similar campaigns, homosexuality was portrayed as a choice at odds with societal norms rather than an innate characteristic deserving of protection.Staggenborg 2016 The campaign made extensive use of a video titled The Gay Agenda produced by a California evangelical group, which featured scenes from gay pride parades chosen to portray gay men as hypermasculine and threatening.Staggenborg 2016 Another film titled Gay RightsSpecial Rights: Inside the Homosexual Agenda (1993), produced by the Southern Baptist Convention, also circulated in the state.Summers p96 Opponents outspent the OCA six to one.Peterson del Mar 2003 The measure was ultimately defeated, with 56 percent of voters voting againstBlazak 2022 and 44 percent in support of the measure.Staggenborg 2016 Background LGBTQ rights in Oregon 1992 in LGBTQ rights 1992 United States presidential election in Oregon In 1991, OCA Chairman Lon Mabon announced an "Abnormal Behaviors Initiative" that would seek to prevent state and local governments from "condoning or promoting" homosexuality along with necrophilia, bestiality, or pedophilia.Schultz 2021 18 Mabon and the OCA sponsored initiatives restricting LGBTQ rights in the cities of Corvallis and Springfield in early 1992.Stone 2024 Supporters of Measure 9 felt that their traditional values were under siege in the face of growing acceptance of homosexuality by society.Peterson del Mar 2003 Also in 1992, voters in Colorado passed Amendment 2, a similar anti–LGBTQ rights measure.Blazak 2022 Schultz 2021 6–7 Christian Coalition director Ralph Reed believed these efforts could successfully counter the LGBTQ rights movement in the United States; he stated that, if successful, Measure 9 and Amendment 2 could "roll back and snuff out the homosexual rights movement".Schultz 2021 7 The campaign for Measure 9 occurred in the midst of national discourse around "family values" and an economic downturn in which incumbent president George H. W. Bush sought to appeal to socially conservative voters. At the 1992 Republican National Convention, conservative commentator Pat Buchanan gave a speech saying, "There is a religious war going on in this country. It is a cultural war [...] this is a war for the soul of America".Schultz 2021 18 Bush stated his opposition to anti-discrimination laws protecting sexual orientation, while his opponent Bill Clinton expressed support for LGBTQ rights. In response to a question at a campaign event in Portland, Oregon, Clinton defended homosexuals' right to "live their lives and make a contribution to the rest of us".Schultz 2021 18 Meanwhile, there was an increase in anti-LGBTQ hate crimes,Blazak 2022 threats, and harassment in Oregon, with targets including the Campaign for a Hate Free Oregon, CAP Northwest (the Cascade AIDS Project), Just Out, the Lesbian Community Project, the Portland chapter of the National Organization for Women, and the Portland Pride Parade. Reception Measure 9 was opposed by Oregon's most prominent newspapers,Peterson del Mar 2003 including The Oregonian, which published an eleven-part series of editorials denouncing the measure.Schultz 2021 6 Opponents of Measure 9 said it was unfairly discriminatory and unconstitutional,Boxall 1992 Sommerfield 1992 and that it demonstrated the homophobia and bigotry of its backers.LaSalle 2025 Fearing another failure after the first OCA-backed anti-gay measure passed in 1988, opponents of Measure 9 created the No on 9 Campaign, forming a coalition with the goal of defeating the measure.Young 1997 5 More than 100 groups had joined the No on 9 Campaign in August 1992, and by October that number had grown to over 200.CHURCHES OPPOSE GAY BILL https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/1992/08/22/churches-oppose-gay-bill/79e0d00f-c610-4cd1-a761-17bcae9f9a4e/ The Washington Post 1992-08-22 2026-01-30 0190-8286 Turner Darrell https://archive.today/20260130053729/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/1992/08/22/churches-oppose-gay-bill/79e0d00f-c610-4cd1-a761-17bcae9f9a4e/ 2026-01-30 live Christian groups and leaders were divided on the measure, with some in support and others opposed. The primary proponent of the measure was Oregon Citizens Alliance, a Christian group. Local Christians in support include the Eagle Forum, Pat Robertson's Christian Coalition of America, the evangelical group Concerned Women for America, Carol A. Petrone and Phillip Ramsdell of Oregon Catholics for Life, and some Assemblies of God.Sommerfield 1992 Voters' Pamphlet 1992 Out-of-state Christian supporters included Richard Cizik of the National Association of Evangelicals in Washington, Richard Land of the Southern Baptist Convention's Christian Life Commission, and Louis Sheldon of the Traditional Values Coalition. However, many Christians opposed the measure, including the state's United Church of Christ, African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Church of the Brethren, Episcopal Church, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Metropolitan Community Church, Presbyterian Church, Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints, Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Portland, Society of Friends, United Church of Christ, and United Methodist Church. After a Catholic church in Hillsboro was vandalized with homophobic and anti-Catholic messaging, local Catholics began to oppose Measure 9, with some comparing the treatment of gay people to the history of the Oregon Ku Klux Klan harassing and attacking Catholics. Some Republicans opposed the measure. Some opposed it because they were opposed to homophobia, while others cited a belief in limited government, constitutionalism, and/or the separation of church and state as their primary reason. Dave Frohnmayer, known as a prominent Oregon Republican, campaigned against Measure 9.LaSalle 2025 128 Other Republican opponents included Vic Atiyeh, Craig Berkman, Neil Bryant, Allan "Punch" Green, then-Senators Mark Hatfield and Bob Packwood, Salem City Council member Dave Moss, Norma Paulus, Jack Roberts, and Kenneth Upton. Log Cabin Oregon, a Republican group, submitted a statement in opposition for the voter's pamphlet. Some Republicans, such as State Treasurer Tony Meeker, Senator Bob Packwood, and Congressman Bob Smith, attempted to remain "neutral" or changed their stances on the measure during the year prior to the election. Many business leaders in Oregon were opposed to the measure, with many voicing concern that consumer boycotts of Oregon businesses would hurt the state's economy. Oregon businesses and leaders who voiced opposition included Powell's Books and US West Communications. Labor groups like the Oregon AFL–CIO and Oregon Public Employees Union were also opposed, as were some educators and librarians, such as Jane Howard of the Oregon Federation of Teachers, Education and Health Professionals;Ore. Schools in Eye of Storm Over Anti-Gay Measure https://www.edweek.org/education/ore-schools-in-eye-of-storm-over-anti-gay-measure/1992/10 Education Week 1992-10-21 2026-01-30 0277-4232 en Meg Sommerfeld Karen Famous of the Oregon Education Association; and Deborah Jacobs of the Oregon Library Association. Other organizations, such as the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), National Lawyers Guild, and the Oregon Psychiatric Association, released statements opposing it. The Portland Gay Men's Chorus toured in protest of Measure 9,Holm 2024 Nicola 2013 and the grunge rock band Nirvana played a benefit concert titled "No on #9".Allman 1993 Legacy thumb|Banners and signs celebrating the defeat of Measure 9 at the March on Washington for Lesbian, Gay, and Bi Equal Rights and Liberation, April 1993 Even though Measure 9 failed, the campaign was described as divisive and politically polarizing, and was expected to have a negative impact on the state.Young 1997 Many LGBTQ people in Oregon said that they were distressed or afraid because of it.Young 1997 160 Smith 2023 The campaign against Measure 9 was an early victory for the LGBTQ movement in the United States,Stone 2024 and formed the basis of much of the gay rights movement in Oregon, including the organization Basic Rights Oregon. Mabon and the OCA would go on to back additional anti-LGBTQ initiatives at the state and local level, which were often referred to as "the son of 9".Stone 2024 These included the 1994 Oregon Ballot Measure 13, which would have prevented schools from using materials that were deemed to "legitimize homosexuality", and a second Oregon Ballot Measure 9 in 2000, which would have prohibited public schools in Oregon from "encouraging, promoting, or sanctioning homosexual and bisexual behaviors".Blazak 2022 While these statewide measures failed, the OCA succeeded in sponsoring anti-LGBTQ initiatives in parts of Oregon where a majority of voters had supported Measure 9. Such local measures were passed in Josephine, Douglas, Linn, and Klamath counties, as well as in Canby and Junction City.Peterson del Mar 2003 The Oregon Legislative Assembly overruled these local measures in 1993 with the passage of Oregon House Bill 3500, which barred municipalities from passing laws that would "single out citizens or groups of citizens on account of sexual orientation".Blazak 2022 HB 3500 was upheld by the Oregon Supreme Court in 1995.Blazak 2022 See also LGBTQ Oregon Ballot Measure 9 Ballot Measure 9 1978 California Proposition 6 2008 California Proposition 8 Gay agenda List of Oregon ballot measures List of U.S. ballot initiatives to repeal LGBTQ anti-discrimination laws Opposition to LGBTQ rights Romer v. Evans Romer v. Evans References Allman Kevin February 9, 1993 The dark side of Kurt Cobain 39 The Advocate Pride Media 622 https://kevinallman.typepad.com/ARTICLES/MAGAZINES/Advo-Cobain.pdf July 10, 2021 April 1, 2019 https://web.archive.org/web/20190401143937/https://kevinallman.typepad.com/ARTICLES/MAGAZINES/Advo-Cobain.pdf dead Blazak Randy May 25, 2022 Oregon Citizens Alliance The Oregon Encyclopedia Oregon Historical Society https://www.oregonencyclopedia.org/articles/oregon_citizens_alliance/#.YkSzh-jMKHt January 29, 2026 Initiative, Referendum and Recall n.d. Oregon Blue Book Oregon Secretary of State https://sos.oregon.gov/blue-book/Documents/elections/initiative.pdf 21 November 7, 2022 Boxall Bettina October 22, 1992 Battle Lines Drawn Over Oregon's Anti-Gay Measure https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-10-22-mn-918-story.html January 28, 2026 Los Angeles Times en-US limited Holm Samantha July 3, 2024 Portland Gay Men's Chorus celebrates 45 years of music and activism https://katu.com/features/portland-gay-mens-chorus-celebrates-45-years-of-music-and-activism-pride-month-inclusive-china-gary-coleman-pgmc-mark-richards-steeplejack-metropolitan-community-church-womens-harvey-milk-steve-fulmer KATU Portland, Ore. January 26, 2026 en Lang Melissa October 26, 2022 Opinion: Remembering the fight against Ballot Measure 9 Street Roots https://www.streetroots.org/news/2022/10/26/remembering-fight-against-ballot-measure-9 August 20, 2025 https://web.archive.org/web/20221106103646/https://www.streetroots.org/news/2022/10/26/remembering-fight-against-ballot-measure-9 November 6, 2022 LaSalle Patrick 2025 The Rainbow War: Ballot Measure 9 and the Fight Over Gay Rights in Oregon M.A. Portland State University Dissertations and Theses 10.15760/etd.3988 free Paper 6896 Nicola George T. April 10, 2013 Oregon Anti-Gay Ballot Measures https://www.glapn.org/6013OregonAntiGayMeasures.html GLAPN.org Oregon Queer History Collective January 26, 2026 Peterson del Mar David 2003 Oregon's Promise: An Interpretive History Oregon State University Press Corvallis 978-0-8707-1558-7 264–265 1st https://archive.org/details/oregonspromisein0000pete/page/264/mode/1up?view=theater registration the Internet Archive Pierceson Jason 2019 Ballot Measures Pierceson Jason LGBTQ Americans in the U.S. Political System: An Encyclopedia of Activists, Voters, Candidates, and Officeholders 1 ABC-Clio Santa Barbara, Calif. 978-1-4408-5277-0 81 https://books.google.com/books?id=zabOEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA80 Google Books Schultz William Spring 2021 The Rise and Fall of 'No Special Rights' Oregon Historical Quarterly 2329-3780 122 1 6–37 10.1353/ohq.2021.0013 10.5403/oregonhistq.122.1.0006 https://www.ohs.org/oregon-historical-quarterly/upload/Schultz_Rise-and-Fall-of-No-Special-Rights_OHQ-122_1_Spring-2021_web.pdf Smith Marty October 4, 2023 Lon Mabon Terrified Portlanders With Ballot Measures but Now Sells Them Gourmet Salsa https://www.wweek.com/news/2023/10/04/lon-mabon-terrified-portlanders-with-ballot-measures-but-now-sells-them-gourmet-salsa/ Willamette Week Portland, Ore. January 28, 2026 en Staggenborg Suzanne 2016 Social Movements Oxford University Press New York 978-0-1993-6359-9 157–158 2nd American Right-Wing Movements https://books.google.com/books?id=AqdBCgAAQBAJ&pg=PA157 Google Books Stone Amy L. 2024 Anti-LGBTQ Ballot Initiatives (and LGBTQ Activism) Goldberg Abbie E. The Sage Encyclopedia of LGBTQ+ Studies 2nd en Thousand Oaks, Calif. Sage Publishing 102 978-1-0718-9140-7 https://books.google.com/books?id=KlLqEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA100 Google Books Summers Claude 2012 The Queer Encyclopedia of Film and Television Cleis Press San Francisco, Calif. 978-1-5734-4882-6 96 https://books.google.com/books?id=nwFuDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA96 Google Books Voters' Pamphlet: State of Oregon General Election November 3, 1992 1992 Oregon Secretary of State Compiled and distributed by Phil Keisling 93–127 http://www.co.benton.or.us/admin/elections/documents/archives/1990s/e92g/e92g_svp.pdf usurped https://web.archive.org/web/20110928235731/http://www.co.benton.or.us/admin/elections/documents/archives/1990s/e92g/e92g_svp.pdf September 28, 2011 Benton County Elections Division Wentz Patty 1999 1992 Homophobia hits home http://www.wweek.com/html/25-1992.html#oca Willamette Week 2640-5857 Portland, Ore. 25th Anniversary Issue https://web.archive.org/web/20110105094929/http://www.wweek.com/html/25-1992.html#oca January 5, 2011 dead 18: Republicans Against Prejudice n.d. https://noon9remembered.org/stories/18-republicans-against-9/ January 28, 2026 No on 9 Remembered Western States Center Young Patricia 1997 Measure 9: Oregon's 1992 Anti-Gay Initiative M.A. Portland State University Dissertations and Theses 10.15760/etd.8142 free Paper 6282 Further reading n.d. No on 9 Remembered https://noon9remembered.org/ Western States Center Portland, Ore. Stein Arlene 2001 Arlene Stein The Stranger Next Door: The Story of a Small Community's Battle Over Sex, Faith, and Civil Rights Beacon Press Boston, Mass. 978-0-8070-7952-2 Stone Amy L. 2012 Gay Rights at the Ballot Box University of Minnesota Press Minneapolis 978-0-8166-7547-0 Category:LGBTQ law in the United States Category:1992 Oregon ballot measures Category:1992 in LGBTQ history Category:LGBTQ history in Oregon Category:Initiatives in the United States