"Senator Ted Kennedy has spent his career working to ensure equality under the law for all Americans," Frazzini said. "But Gordon Smith flip-flops on the issues, trotting out his support only when his campaign is in trouble and he thinks it will score him a few extra votes in Portland and Eugene. Gordon Smith is no Ted Kennedy," Executive Director of Basic Rights Oregon Jeana Frazzini said in a statement released by the organization.

Frazzini goes on to say, "There is only one thing that we can count on from Gordon Smith: every election, he will roll out the same tired old political ads in Portland in an effort to look like a moderate. But the fact is that after more than a decade of Senator Smith, we still have no federal hate crimes law. We still have no federal nondiscrimination law. And Gordon Smith supports a federal law that denies committed gay couples critical legal protections, even if they register for a domestic partnership in Oregon."

Her statement also pointed out that Senator Smith was a "poster-child" for 2004's Measure 36, which amended the Oregon Constitution to define marriage as being between one man and one woman. In 2006, Smith voted in support of a federal constitutional ban of same-sex marriage.

"It's one thing to have a different opinion about marriage. But Gordon Smith actively led the charge in a hateful campaign that put real Oregonians in harm's way by denying them basic human rights. I cannot emphasize this enough: Gordon Smith is not a friend to this community," Frazzini said.

Basic Rights Oregon is an organization dedicated to ending discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. For more information, visit their website at basicrights.org.