Kotek in position to be Oregon's first openly gay House speaker
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The impending shift in power in Salem has set up a potentially historic change in legislative leadership here in Oregon.
Democrats are poised to hold a 34-26 majority in Oregon’s House of Representatives, breaking the previous 30-30 tie, thanks to four victories by Democratic candidates in the Portland suburbs over Republican incumbents.
House Co-Speaker Arnie Roblan’s (D-Coos Bay) successful pursuit of a State Senate seat has left House Democratic Leader Tina Kotek in position to become Oregon’s first openly-gay House speaker.
Kotek, who represents North Portland in the legislature, says she would be America’s first openly lesbian house speaker.
"I think anytime you have a first for a community that's looking for role models it's really important,” Kotek said. “So I know folks in the LGBT community are very excited. I think it says a lot about Oregon that we appreciate and respect diversity.”
To become House speaker, Kotek still needs to secure the backing of her Democratic colleagues when the new legislative session begins in January.
Asked when her sexual orientation would become irrelevant, Kotek said, “I think we're getting there. We have a president who supported marriage equality and got re-elected at the national level. Every year we seen I think, more of ‘it's not a big deal’, but until we're there having people in positions of leadership where young folks can look up to I think it's really important.”
But Kotek said Oregonians looking to across the Columbia River to see Referendum 74 passing in Washington state should not look to the Oregon Legislature to lead the charge on legalizing same-sex marriage.
"In Oregon we're a little different because we'd have to amend our Constitution to allow same-sex couples to marry,” Kotek said. “I think we're on track to do that and that could potentially be on the ballot in 2014.
“You could refer it to the voters, but it shouldn't be a legislative referral. It should be a referral that comes up from the people. Go out and collect those signatures, build the education and awareness on the topic, and then have the support you need when you go to the ballot."
Kotek said her priorities are education and job creation. And in her role representing North Portland, she plans to push for funding for the Columbia River Crossing bridge, adding she feels light rail is “an integral part” of the project.
God K-2, you spend a bunch of time every year yammering about the notion that being gay is nothing to be concerned with, yet the only thing you discuss about this woman is her sexuality. Not her creditials, not her life experience. not her former employment - just that she sleeps with other women.
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Pot, meet kettle....
I think it's great, but haters gotta hate. People who say she should just keep quiet about her sexual orientation have a skewed perception of reality. You're asking her this why? Because it make YOU uncomfortable? Because YOU think it's wrong. It's not up to YOU to make that call. To suggest she keep her life quiet to the public is like taking a very large leap back in to 1965. If she's a qualified person for the job, then by all means... Â Get off the cross people. It's 2012 already.
First person to make an issue of her orientation: Republican opponent in her first election ("Do we really want someone like this to represent us, to be a role model for our children?").
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Now that she's the winner and the other side is in decline, it suddenly isn't an issue.
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Hypocrisy is so ugly.
Come on People...I can't believe these commits.....KATU is the one making the issue and telling the story, She did not  seek out reporters to come to her office and ask her about being gay. She is not ashamed of being gay, but that has nothing to do with her career.Â
I'm sure she's the only person that even cares that she is "The first". If that is her only claim to fame then I don't expect she will be worth a darn at her new job.
 KATU maybe you can find some news.
 @Razor1 Asking K2 to 'find some news' is like asking Roseanne Barr to have a salad.
There isn't enough credibility here to fill a thimble so that request is probably going to get laughed at.
#Benghazi
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 @Jack_Bauer  @Razor1 Hmm Jack. Their lack of credibility doesn't seem to stop you from reading their articles.
So why is Kotek's sexual orienation an issue? I don't recall anyone making a news story out of Arnie Roblan's heterosexual orientation. How about we all just treat people like fellow human beings? Why do the homosexuals have to make their own private sex lives public business?  Because they are seeking outside acceptance so they can accept themselves. Â
 @I812 Because its the tyranny of the ruling protected/minority class. This way they can put everyone on notice that she is more equal than anyone else and that means if you disagree with her you are a 'hater'. And often they use this to achieve positions in the first place.
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 @I812 What an ugly disgusting thing to say.. You need to educate yourself then you would sound so ignorant.. Maybe acceptance is what you are seeking ?
@dougrpdx who cares if she is a lesbian or black or white or hispanic or a mutant. The point being she is a person. No one, not even her, needs to point out the fact she is homosexual or white or anything else. By pointing it out, it just becomes discrimination.
 @dougrpdx  @I812 I agree with 1812. What does the fact that she is a homosexual have to do with anything? Does that mean she is better suited for the job? Or is she just going to concern herself with matters that only promote the homosexual agenda?
 @Razor1  @dougrpdx  @I812 The first time a black man married a white woman south of the Mason Dixon line was newsworthy too.
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The world didn't start yesterday. Â There are historical reasons why these things get coverage they wouldn't otherwise deserve. Â
Come to think of it, has any speaker of the house ever come out as openly heterosexual or sexually active in any way? This may be the first person to ever come out and broadcast that they are sexually active in the bedroom. Why should we care? Do your frickin' job and keep your sex life out of your public life!!!!
Well gee both Sam Adams  and Carole Smith PPS Superintendent are both gay and both did horrible job as Sam lied and hit on 17 yr old in  City Hall bathroom and Carole Smith PPS have just over 50 percent graduation rates.
 @riderofthelegend I'm gay, as you know, and have probably socially known Sammy for a little over 5 years, and if I had been a Portland resident, I would have signed the petition to recall him, and voted in an election to recall him. He is a very poor representation of the gay community, as well as the city of Portland.
 @riderofthelegend Crap, you will be chastised for telling it like is was, and is!!
....and we still have a black president, that didn't change anything so why should this?
 @oops What part of reality do you live in? Companies are laying off because of Omama being re-elected. Simple folk like me lost tens-of-thousands in the stock market. Let me guess, nothing has changed for you because you have had your hand out since day one??
 @boned I'm just a regular person, oh, except I'm gay, so maybe that means I've got "gay stock" as opposed to "regular people stock" because everyone knows that us gays want to be "more equal" than everyone else, maybe that's why my 401K is still on the upswing compared to where it was under the GW era
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 @boned  @oops If you lost money in the stock market over the last four  years, that would be the result of incompetence.  Take a look at the DJI over since 2007 and tell me where it is now in comparison.  Even folks doing nothing more sophisticated than dollar cost averaging have made just about every penny back.
@boned That is so lame. Can't you do better than that or is it just your penchant to blame somebody else? If you understood the stock market, economics, and investing you would have a much better idea of why the market went south. Of course you wouldn't want to be confused by the facts now, would you?Â
 @boned  @oops The only guy I heard saying he was going to do that (lay people off if Obama got re-elected) not only backed off, but gave his employees an average 5% raise.
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And if you're saying you lost tens of thousands since Obama got re-elected, that doesn't seem like "simple folk" to me.
 @Jenni S. @boned @oops Well, if he lost tens of thousands in that election, it seems that in addition to being "simple folk", that he's also made some poor investment choices.
@boned @oops I have never received a handout my entire hard working,liberal pro choice,pro Obama.pro gay life.Generalizations are so 'passé.
 @noneofyourbizzness  @boned  @oops Pass tense like "The first gay" such, and such. Big deal. If that's the only thing you have going for you then good luck .
Why does the media continue to force this crap on us? I would guess the majority of us don't care who this woman sleeps with as long as she does the job she was elected to do. This isn't the gays 'forcing' anything on us - it's the media.
 @catherine.henry apparently you do care, because you took the time to read the headline, took the time (I'm presuming) to read the story, and took the time to comment.
pdxd; I opened up the story only so I could comment on the headline, so yes I care; I care, and am angered, that the headline was more about who this woman sleeps with than what her powerful position will be when the new legislature convenes.
 @catherine.henry Okay, so if we were to refrain from identifying her sexuality, and the lo and behold, a reporter photographed her on a date, then there would be this widespread controversy because "Oh no, she hid her sexuality, and we all thought she was straight!" I mean, it would probably end up making a headline if it were the first Chinese-American, or Hindu or orphaned or quadraplegic House Speaker.
pdx; the point is...why does her sexuality even need to be mentioned - THAT is what makes it more about her sexuality than her position. If she was hetero, would the headline say, "27th Heterosexual to become Speaker of the House". No, it would not.
 @catherine.henry Personally, to me, it seems that the headline equally included the fact that Tina is gay, and the fact she could be House Speak. I'm not sure how that could imply that her sexuality was more important than her potential position.
 @catherine.henry You are almost at 100% in your summation. The 'gay' agenda is all about forcing their beliefs on the heterosexual's - got too many gay friends that tell me this is not what they want just so we are clear, and no, I am not gay and just a retired gubmint employee with my snout in the public trough of money...Â
 @boned  @catherine.henry You have this mountain of gay friends, presumably who you respect and trust to some extent who don't act this way, then you whip out a big fat brush and start painting the gay community as monolithic while proceeding to tell us their agenda.
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Cognitive dissonance much?
Who cares? What does her sexual preference have to do with her duties as Speaker of the house?
 @mkamom Are you serious? A position of power in order to further her Donkey agenda=higher taxes to pay for teaching our kids all about gay marriage in schools??
boned; Damn, you're obnoxious.
boned; And thank you - after seeing my picture - for calling me a 'young lady'. That made this senior citizen's day!
 @catherine.henry Hey, I spent my career working for five gubmint agencies and I know from personal experience exactly how it works on all levels. Yes, I am obnoxious at times, and I have been called a lot worse. Thank you, young lady...
So who cares....I don't dislike gays, but I get tired of having it shoved in my face like they are something special. I don't go around telling everyone that I am hetrosexual...I don't think anyone cares. This is just getting old.
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 @minniemouse Well, that's because the majority of the public are presumed to be heterosexual.
all gay women think like they are real men. They are very rude. Although gay men are nicer.
@whitish2001 *All* gay women? Really? I have some lesbian friends who are freakin hot.Have you ever seen Ellen's wife?
 @noneofyourbizzness @whitish2001 Well, they probably expect lesbians to wear camoflauge and combat boots, and be built like a barrel, driving their camo jeeps and having mullets, and expect us gay men, to drive wear pastel scarves, have bouffant hair styles, and drive pink Cadillac Allante's with George Hamilton fake tanned skin.
Just do the job! I don't care if shes a lesbian, or attracted to small animals. Just do the bloody job you're appointed to do. Just because she's a lesbian doesn't make her worthy of some special protected status. Nobody cares that I'm heterosexual, white, married on and on.. The LGBT groups are far more interested in creating division, it's evident in everything they do.
 @Jamie Pssst...Jamie, EVERY group that singles itself out as different is more interested in causing division than unity. Racists do it all the time...aside from the ones we all know about from the news, there are the ones who cry,"UNITY! TOGETHERNESS! COMPASSION! WE SHOULD ALL BE TREATED EQUALLY!", then turn around and identify themselves as a proud member of a specific group.
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Lately it seems to be more important to be a member of some splinter group than it is to be American where everyone IS equal.
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It's a nice sentiment that was written into the Declaration of Independence, but what's even more interesting is that it's never been specifically codified into our national legal system.
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I wonder why the Founding Fathers neglected to do that?
 @Jamie Ya' think??
This is my FIRST comment about an openly gay House speaker!
 @OliverNicholas Well, that's dandy, Oliver! We need more gaiety in politics.
Their sessions are simply too dull and fruitless. (Um...no pun intended.)
WOW, WHO CARES????