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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Room for improvement ... Electric Highway aims to spark more EV use ... Rogue River man held on murder charge ... Room for improvement ... Electric Highway aims to spark more EV use ... Rogue River man held on murder charge ... OTHER VIEWS Other Views: ACLU leader helped change Oregon Comment By The (Bend) Bulletin MailTribune.com By The (Bend) Bulletin Posted Jan. 10, 2015 at 12:01 AM By The (Bend) Bulletin Posted Jan. 10, 2015 at 12:01 AM » Social News As David Fidanque steps down as director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Oregon, he looks out at a far different Oregon than he saw when he took over in 1993. And while the ACLU is not directly responsible for all those changes, it's had a hand in many of them. Fidanque, 65, announced Dec. 30 that he will retire effective March 31. He took over the non-profit agency when Oregon was in the midst of a particularly ugly battle about gay rights. The year before, voters had rejected an anti-gay ballot measure by just fewer than 200,000 votes; the following year, in 1994, they refused to approve an anti-gay amendment to the state constitution. At the same time, the ACLU was fighting at least 28 other anti-gay ballot measures on both the state and local levels. Today, those fights feel like distant history. Gay marriage is legal in Oregon as of May 19, thanks in part to an ACLU lawsuit. And, the state has a comprehensive anti-discrimination law on the books. While ACLU cannot take credit for the sea change in Oregonians' views about their gay and lesbian neighbors, it clearly helped keep legalized discrimination against them at bay. There are other fights ahead. Fidanque recently told the Portland Tribune's Peter Wong that Oregon's — and the nation's — prison population remains far too high. In fact, the state's prison population is more than twice as large as it was just 20 years ago, thanks to mandatory minimum sentencing requirements. On the national level, the U.S., with just 5 percent of the world's population, accounts for some 25 percent of the number of people behind bars. That's a problem, Fidanque believes, as is the growing lack of privacy from government snooping. Fidanque came to the ACLU of Oregon in 1982, a former television reporter in Eugene and aide to two politicians. When he took over the organization it had four employees and a budget of less than $250,000. He leaves an agency that has seen its budget quadruple and its staff double. And, while the job of protecting civil liberties is far from complete, Oregon is in better shape than when he took over. By The (Bend) Bulletin MailTribune.com By The (Bend) Bulletin Posted Jan. 10, 2015 at 12:01 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... Business Name address Location, ST | website.com Find Southern Oregon Attractions Bars Restaurants Beauty Salons Entertainment Doctors Medical Specialists Contractors Education Lawn Services Lawyers Shopping Travel Tanning Used Cars Wedding Services ▼ Add your business here + Events Calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Propel Marketing Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Mobile Site Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2015 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Local Media Group Publications Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted. MailTribune.com | P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501