Portland Advances Strong Protections for Diverse Family and Relationship Structures
VICTORY!
On Wednesday, March 11 Portland City Council voted unanimously for the final adoption of groundbreaking protections for diverse families and relationships – with the amendment we fought for!
The ordinance adds "family or relationship structure" as a protected class, prohibiting discrimination against polyamorous families, multi-generational households, consensually non-monogamous relationships, and other diverse family structures in housing, employment, and public accommodations.
Crucially, the council voted unanimously to include specific examples of who these protections cover - the exact language we mobilized community support for. This makes the ordinance clear and strong.
Progress So Far
Our thanks to the bill’s sponsor Councilor Tiffany Koyama Lane, to the many staffers who worked tirelessly behind the scenes to make this victory possible, and to the many members of the community who showed up to express their support for these crucial protections.
Why This Matters
Portland became the largest city in the nation and the first in Oregon to explicitly protect non-monogamous families and relationships from discrimination.
These protections mean:
A polyamorous household can't be denied housing because of their relationship structure
A grandparent raising grandchildren can't face discrimination in employment
People in consensually non-monogamous relationships have legal recourse if they're discriminated against
And because we fought for - and won - the specific enumerated language, these protections are clear, enforceable, and built to last.
Thank you for taking part in this effort!