Thinking about moving to Oregon? The state has a number of LGBT citizens and gay and lesbian real estate agents, and there’s a reason for that. Oregon was one of the first to legalize consenting same-sex activities (in 1972), and the state is overall fairly welcoming and open. It offers many different rights to LGBT people and is one of the states to offer a wide range of protections in employment and other areas. If you’re thinking about moving to Oregon, here’s where the state stands on many of today’s hot-button issues.
Same-Sex Marriage
Oregon legalized same-sex marriage a little over a year before the Supreme Court’s ruling in 2015. This legalization came as a result of a court case that found that the 2004 constitutional amendment restricting marriage to a man and a woman violated the Equal Protection Clause.
The state had initiated domestic partnerships in 2008 following the passage of the Oregon Family Fairness Act. Oregon also recognized same-sex marriages performed in other states starting in October of 2013. More recently, on January 1, 2016, a bill went into effect that changed all language in the Oregon statutes discussing marriage to be gender-neutral.
Adoption and Gender Identity
Same-sex couples have the right to jointly adopt children, plus they can also do step-parent adoptions. IVF treatments are available, as is surrogacy. Many gay and lesbian couples in the state take advantage of these options.
In 2013, a lawsuit brought by a public employee led to the state deciding that all public employee medical insurance plans would cover gender reassignment surgery, medications, and other necessities. As of 2014, birth certificate gender markers can be amended without gender reassignment surgery.
Protection
Oregon does offer a number of different legal protections to those in the LGBT community. It has been illegal to discriminate on both gender identity and sexual orientation in the areas of housing, public accommodations, and employment since January of 2008. The state also includes sexual orientation and gender identity in its hate crime statutes.
Oregon banned sexual orientation conversation therapy for minors in July of 2015 after both the State House and Senate approved a bill doing so. This made the state only the third to do so following New Jersey and California.
LGBT Citizens of Note
Oregon is the home to the first openly bisexual governor, Kate Brown. The Speaker of the House is a married lesbian, while the judge who struck down the constitutional ban on same-sex marriage is openly gay.