Oregon has a new Governor in Kate Brown, sworn in this week. No, you didn’t miss an election season, the Secretary of State for Oregon was sworn in Wednesday when then Governor John Kitzahber resigned the office after being engulfed in an ethics investigation.
The alleged violations of the outgoing governor may be substantial, but when the rumors of his resignation started swirling, the sexual orientation of his successor (bisexual) was one of the most talked about aspects of the change. I wondered, how can a state that prides itself on diversity tolerate a press that leads with stories titled “Kate Brown becomes first openly bisexual governor”? (Headlines found on ABC News, PBS, USA Today, NY Daily and of all things Times of India)
As noted by the Christian Science Monitor (Knickerbocker, 2015), bisexual persons still experience a level of misunderstanding that is not receding at the same pace it is for homosexual persons. While I was initially disappointed with the press coverage of her sexuality, Mrs. Brown has given me hope that this will work for the good when she was quoted in the Oregonian (Parks, 2015) that she is receiving support from the “B’s” in the LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender) Community and says that it is a “really wonderful and exciting thing.” I hope this focus on her sexuality will lead to another step in our society’s acceptance of all persons sexual orientation.
References
Knickerbocker, B. (2015) Kate Brown, Oregon’s new governor, boosts the “B” in LGBT community. Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved 2-21-15 from: http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Politics/2015/0215/Kate-Brown-Oregon-s-new- governor-boosts-the-B-in-LGBT-community
Parks, C. (2015) Governor Kate Brown’s bisexuality draws national commentary. The Oregonian/Oregon Live. Retrieved 2-21-2015 from: http://www.oregonlive.com/politics/index.ssf/2015/02/governor_kate_brown_bisexual.ht ml