Today, the Oregon House of Representatives passed two bills. One would ban discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in housing, employment and public accommodations (like hotels and restaurants), which is currently totally legal in Oregon as well as 32 other states. Yep–in more than half of the states in the US, it’s perfectly fine to fire someone from their job, kick them out of their apartment, or turn them away from a restaurant simply because of their actual or perceived sexual orientation. The other bill would create legal recognition of same sex partnerships, granting the most basic of rights to thousands of families statewide: the right to visit a partner in the hospital, the right to joint custody of children, and the right to make life and death medical decisions for one’s partner.

In just a few short weeks, Oregon may become the first state to pass domestic partnerships after passing a constitutional marriage ban. I’m so, so proud to be an Oregonian.

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