Initiative 04 · 1992 · Statewide coalition

No on 9

Oregon’s 1992 Measure 9 put the dignity and legal standing of LGBTQ+ people directly before voters.

The proposed constitutional amendment would have required state and local governments to discourage homosexuality and prevented public bodies from recognizing sexual orientation as a protected classification. A broad statewide coalition organized to defeat it.

Documented history · sources included

A large crowd gathered at a rally — Public rally · archive photograph

Coalition under pressure

Oregon voters rejected Measure 9.

The Oregon Citizens Alliance placed Measure 9 on the November 1992 ballot. The campaign unfolded amid threats, harassment, and a rise in anti-LGBTQ+ violence, making the vote a test of both public policy and community safety.

Opponents built a coalition of civil-rights groups, faith communities, political organizations, businesses, and individual Oregonians. Voters defeated the measure with about 56 percent voting no and 44 percent voting yes.

The No on 9 effort strengthened statewide networks that continued responding to local anti-LGBTQ+ measures and helped shape the later development of Basic Rights Oregon. Terry’s legacy belongs within this broader coalition history.

The victory protected more than a legal principle; it showed what a statewide coalition could accomplish.