Lynn Nakamoto has been practicing law in Oregon since 1988. In the early 1990s, she was a cofounder of the Asian Pacific Islander Lesbians and Gays (APLG). APLG convinced a coalition of Asian American groups to speak out against the 1992 anti-gay Ballot Measure 9. Today APLG still exists, but under a new name – Asian Pacific Islander Pride.

In addition to anti-gay ballot measures, other challenges faced the queer community in the 1990s especially the issue of health benefits for domestic partners. Lynn filed an amicus brief for the Tanner v. OHSU decision, which allowed OHSU employees to gain health benefits for their same-sex partners. The ruling also stated that employers, whether public or private, could not discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation.

Lynn has served on the Q-Center board. In 2004, Multnomah County issued marriage licenses to same-sex couples. The issue of same-sex marriage quickly ended up in the courts. Lynn was co-counsel for the ACLU marriage litigation for Li v. State of Oregon.

Governor Ted Kulongoski appointed Lynn to the Oregon Court of Appeals in 2011. Two years later, Lynn was appointed to the Oregon Supreme Court by Governor Kate Brown. Justice Nakamoto is the first Asian American and the first woman of color to serve on that court. In November 2016, she won the election to retain that seat. She is currently the only person of color on the Oregon Supreme Court.

See Lynn Nakamoto's Queer Hero profile.

John Kim (whose real job is building high-quality trumpets and other brass instruments) has a long history of activism in Oregon's LGBTQ community. He was one of GLAPN's Queer Heroes in 2013, and his Queer Hero Profile is available at this link.

Justin Pabalate was a co-founder and leader of Northern California’s Humboldt Pride, and veteran of the campaign against California’s infamous Proposition 8, which banned same-gender marriage throughout the state.

Between 2010 and 2012, Justin was also Vice President of Consolidated Association of Pride Incorporations (CAPI), which included Pride organizations in six states and the country of Mexico.

Justin moved to Portland in 2012, where he, Justin became a Field Organizer for Basic Rights Oregon (BRO). He brought with him grassroots skills he learned in the Prop 8 campaign, working with an innovative team to build the public support for the freedom to marry in both Washington and Oregon, and  helping to position Oregon for national leadership on LGBTQ equality.

For eight months starting in July 2013, BRO lent Justin to Oregon United For Marriage, where he coordinated over 200 house parties in nearly every Oregon county and raised over $400,000. After the campaign Justin returned to BRO as their Individual Giving Manger.

Justin was Co-Director of Portland’s Q Centerfor several years, where he worked with community leadership to help bring the center back to a place of financial and community health. Since late 2017, he has been Donor Relations Officer at The Oregon Community Foundation.

View Justin's Queer Hero profile at this link.

Straight ally Jackie Yerby sees justice as a moral issue, and pursues it community-wide. She's a longtime board member of Basic Rights Oregon, has served on the board of Cascade AIDS Project, and is currently an advisor for Q Center. She is executive director to Bradley Angle, a nonprofit providing support and services to survivors of domestic violence, including LGBTQ survivors. Read more …

D Wu Pei started as executive director of Portland Jobs with Justice in 2015, a coalition of over 120 faith, labor, student, and community organizations, working to further racial and gender justice within the labor movement. Read more …