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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 1, 1985)
Juvenile court referee under fire by Pat Scott In August, the Multnom ah County district attorney's office filed an affidavit asking that Katharine English, an avowed lesbian, be dis missed as Juvenile Court Referee, charging that her "personal experiences and strongly held view s. . . render her com pletely unable to provide the state and abused and neglected children with a fair hearing.” The attem pt to unseat English was dismissed but is currently under appeal to the State Suprem e C ourt Regardless of the Suprem e Court findings, the state has promised to appeal every possi ble ruling by English in delinquency cases if she continues to preside. This maneuver would so tie up the court that English would quickly becom e a severe liability. Though both English and the state m ain tain they serve the best interests of the children and their families it's obvious there is vast disagreem ent over what those "best in terests” are. The state com plains that English ignores recom m endations by C SD (C hildren’s Services Divison), that too often her focus is on treatm ent and rehabilitation rather than punishm ent and that she is over- zealous in her attem pts to keep the family unit together. Actually, English contends that in 8 0 per cent of the cases she is in agreem ent with recom m endations by Children’s Services D i vision. But the other 2 0 percent may cost her job. The state maintains that Referee English is prejudiced, that her own childhood experi ences with physical and sexual abuse while remaining in an alcoholic hom e has rendered her incapable of m aking an unbiased decision. “W hat it has done,” English counters, "is m ade m e m ore interested in the dam age that rem oval m ight have on children, versus the dam age of remaining iri the hom e.... There’s a lot of debate about this now: whether a sick family, struggling it out together, isn't better than a split-up family with no plans for reinte gration.” Though not at risk of endangering the children, English is quick to continue. Certainly English is an innovater, an advo cate for change — something else CSD is not happy with. "W hat I do that they object to,” English says, "is 1 require im m ediate services to the family: I require reports m uch more frequently on what’s happening to that child in foster care, and what’s happening to rehabi litate the family. In instances of sex abuse, I have been requiring the offender to be re m oved from the home and not the victim.” English is careful of the fam ily u n it Treat m ent and reintegration back into the home are prim e considerations. “There’s a new Federal law that requires all reasonable ef forts be m ade to prevent the break-up of the fam ily.. . . W hile that law doesn’t m andate me as a judge to keep families together, it does m andate m e to make a finding stating w hether or not Children’s Services Division has m ade reasonable efforts to prevent re m oval o f the child and, once removed, to return the child home. And I’ve found that they have not m ade reasonable efforts to keep the fam ily together m ore often than any other referee or judge that's sat on the bench out here.” Although C SD and the state have found her decisions faulty and her m anner abrasive, English is proud of her tim e on the bench. “I feel badly this happened at this particular tim e because I already saw changes. I can think of several cases right offhand where we did have to remove the children immediately, but I kept such close track of those cases that the kids were back in their homes with their fam ilies within three or four months, with the fam ilies being offered everything at C SD ’s com m and because I kept setting these re Just Out. October 1985 view hearings and requiring CSD to come forward and prove what had been done." O f the resistance of CSD and the state English says. T h e state, CSD and the juvenile court counselors used to be the ultimate decision makers. It wasn’t fair, it wasn’t equit able. Now children and parents have more rights in helping decide what’s best for the family. “O regon has the third highest rate in the country of kids entering foster care place m e n t We have the second highest number of black children entering foster care. These are shocking statistics; a lot of abuses I see could have been corrected.” In statements m ade by the state the sug gestion has been that English herself has been guilty of child abuse, that she promotes child abuse, condones drug and alcohol abuse, and is soft on criminals. English vehe m ently denies these allegations. Being an "out front lesbian” as well as an advocate for change has brought her under heavy fire with in the system. “If those things had been rum ored about any sitting judge,” she replies, "particularly a white, m iddle class, m ale sit ting judge, nobody would have believed it But if the rum or is about m e, well, people are m uch m ore wilting to believe it without checking it o u t— because they believe les bians are weird anyway. I m ean, all of th a t however unconsciously, is going on, and it m anifests itself in their ability to get so caught up in this representation of m e that is so utterly false. And to that extent I think it has to do with m y being a lesbian.” All this is not to say that English has no regard for the state, CSD, and the juvenile counselors. Their jobs are difficult resources are lim ited and burnout is always a problem. "If I were a social worker and I were in CSD, I would probably feel the same way they did," English acknowledges, “but the mistake com es when they think they have the only answer as to what is best for children." In retrospect would English change her approach? "I think the children and families in this state need som ebody who is as tough and aggressive and unflappable as me on the bench." “If I’m sitting in a judge's chair, in a judge's robe, it is for m e the right thing to do to force people to com ply with the law, and the fact that the system out there beats me at it doesn’t m ake it not the right thing. Justice doesn’t always prevail,” English admits, “but that doesn't m ake it not justice; it simply makes it defeated." Phoenix Rising maintains the largest gay referral list in Portland and receives calls daily for referrals to gay-owned businesses and to gay professionals. Last year, the need for gay people to sub merge themselves in a totally gay environ ment prompted Phoenix Rising to begin sponsoring retreats at Breitenbush Hot Springs. The second annual Women in the Woods took place last August, and the first annual Men in the Woods will take place in November. The retreats provide gay people with the opportunity to relate on a level not possible within heterosexual society. An introduction service. Dear Phoebe, was started this year to m eet the many requests Phoenix Rising received for such a service. For a $25 fee Phoebe will introduce people to potential friends, gin rum m y partners, room mates or whomever they would like to m eet In addition to their regular groups and workshops, Phoenix Rising is planning work shops that will focus on social, non-problem Lesbian Forum sets Fall/W inter dates by Willow In M ay the Lesbian Forum celebrated four years o f bringing to the Lesbian com m unity a supportive, women-only atmosphere in w hich' to explore topics of interest to Lesbians and gay-positive women. A volunteer planning com m ittee meets once m onthly to plan the Lesbian Forum . O f course, outreach into the com m unity is a m ust to gather information, enlist the experts to appear on panels and keep the Lesbian network alive and energetic. The brainstorm ing sessions alone are worth an evening com m itm ent, even in thse tim es of over burdened calendars and occasional bum -out Many Lesbian Forum planners have expres sed that involvement in the Forum has . / afforded them new insights into subjects pre viously unexplored, taught them skills in or ganization and planning, and opened up new channels socially. W ith the above in m ind, consider attending an inform al brunch potluck sponsored by the Lesbian Forum on Sunday, O ctober 20, 11:00 a.m . Call W illow at 2 3 6 -4 3 8 6 or Peggy a t2 2 3 -0 2 6 1 for location. In addition to lots of good food and conversation with friends old and new, we'll talk about the Lesbian Forum as a Portland “institution.” hear your input on what you think o f the Forum and how it m ight im prove, and hopefully interest som e of you to join the planning com m ittee. W e'd like to see form er Forum planners there, to rem i nisce about favorite Forum s in the past and keep those networking skills sharp! W om en of color and differently-abled wom en are especially urged to attend, as we’d like to know how we can serve you better. Thanks for your continued support and interest in the Lesbian Forum . See you at the brunch! F O R W A R D EAR Northern Italian Cuisine Phoenix Rising broadens service base i and health issues. Topics include "How to Survive in Social Situations," "Stop Sm oking Now," and "Coping with Death and Dying." Future workshops will include such topics as sports psychology, and chemical dependency. Adm inistratively Phoenix Rising has been changing too. The Director of Counseling position has been revamped to focus more on program development and supervision of counseling services. The Administrator posi tion has been changed to Executive Director and a part-tim e Administrative Assistant has been added to the staff. Phoenix Rising is in the process of doing outreach within the mainstream com m unity and within the gay com m unity in order to generate awareness of all the services it pro vides. To some Phoenix Rising is "just a counseling center,” when in fact it is a full service center for gay m en and lesbians, focusing on mental health as well as educa tion, referrals, and providing the kind of place where friends m eet friends. M o n .-S a t., 5 : 3 0 - 1 0 : 3 0 p .m . 2 8 3 2 SE B e l m o n t P o rtla n d , O r e g o n ' The Phoenix Rising Foundation has been serving Portland's lesbian and gay com m u nity for eight years. As the nation’s first gay/ lesbian tax-exempt foundation, Phoenix Ris ing planned to expand and change to meet the needs of the people it was form ed to serve. Surviving on donations and volunteer labor, Phoenix Rising has maintained a m odel counseling center, speakers bureau and referral service, setting the standard for similar service centers throughout the CIS. Phoenix Rising has gained a reputation of professional integrity by retaining counselors with master and doctorate degrees to con duct groups, workshops, and individual counseling sessions. The foundation's speakers bureau has been called upon to conduct seminars for Multnom ah County Health Departm ent em ployees and to speak at universities, high schools, and businesses throughout the Pacific Northwest providing the most accu rate and up to date information available about lesbians and gay men. 238-1464 1023 S W Y A M H I L L P O R TLA N D OREGON CS 0 3 ) Cdll for reservations ST 97205 224 8311 Sandy’s Recorded Phone Call Direct#No Membership Necessary 1 976-4848 - N o M in o rs • $ 2 T o ll 7