Lesbian Community Project Update
April is the kick-off month for LCP’s membership drive,
i t ’s official. The by-laws (rules governing and structuring
the organization) have been approved.
he process for developing the
by-laws involved many open com
munity meetings at which a wide
variety of women contributed their ideas.
The goal of this process was to design an
organization that will be responsive to as
many women’s needs and visions as possi
ble. Heartfelt thanks go to everyone who
participated.
It’s easy to become a member. After
paying a modest fee you’ll be eligible to
vote and run for the board of directors.
Campaigning and elections will happen
throughout May. As a member, you'll re
ceive the newsletter, special discounts,
and invitations to member-only events.
For more information call 233-9079.
LCP has attracted the participation and
enegy of many Lesbians. Women from
very different backgrounds and perspec
tives are joining together to create a truly
broad-based, multi-cultural organization
that is representative of many segments in
the Lesbian Community.
Every woman finds her own reason for
getting involved; below, three LCP’ers
share their answer to the question, “ Why
did you get involved in LCP?”
T
I became involved with LCP as a direct
consequence of the first Lesbian con
ference.
I moved out here from NYC four years
ago and settled in the SW suburbs. I had
been very active in NY’s political com
munity for several years and our move out
here was a welcome quiet change at first.
As time went on, both I and my lover felt
the disquieting absence of political aware
ness among our new friends.
I think I’m homesick the most during
Lesbian/Gay Pride Week as none of our
friends here have been interested in “ go
ing to the parade” and I often remember
all of my friends back in NY saying, “ See
yaat the march.” Lesbian Pride Week was
always an uplifting, energizing experience.
The week was packed with evening ac
tivities all over the city, with a huge Les
bian dance held the night before the march.
At any rate, we sort of settled into non
political activity over the last two years
and suddenly there was news of a lesbian
conference in Portland (we read about it in
Just Out). We were so impressed with all
of the work that was put into it, the women
involved, the speakers and those who at
tended. it was just what we both needed
and at the right time. So here I am! (RGj
Hi, my name’s Sallee Huber, and I'm
one of LCP’s token perverts. Originally an
almost innocent refugee from Montana, I
am now heavily involved in both the politi
cal and social aspects of the leather com
munity, as well as many other Lesbian/
Gay activities and organizations. I’m an
almost 29-year-old pagan/Jewish Aries
who sometimes wishes that about half of
what is attributed to my reputation was
actually true and that the other half would
get grounded in some reality.
I initially became involved with the
LCP on an informal basis as a writer for the
Gay/Lesbian press, and a facilitator for the
S/M workshop held during the LCP’s first
Lesbian conference in November. 1
entered with some amount of hesitation
and suspicion as I’d felt disenfranchised
and ostracized by the “ politically correct”
feminist communty for a long time.
Though there are still some occasional
attitude problems, I found to my pleasant
surprise that this particular group was truly
willing to work with Lesbians of widely
diverse backgrounds and beliefs. After
feeling cut off from mainstream feminist
efforts for so long, I found that I really
missed working with other Lesbians on
our own issues and concerns. Doing it by
ourselves, for ourselves, was a special
feeling and I was glad to be involved
again. (Sallee Huber)
As a woman of color and a lesbian in '
Portland’s community for the last ten
years, I had often felt a disconnection from
“ mainstream” lesbian-feminist politics
and organizations. I began to feel 1 didn’t
“ belong” or “ fit in” and conformity was
necessary if I wanted to belong.
Struggles around racism in the “ com
munity” (communty is a term I use loosely
because no real community existed; it was
so fragmented) had been divisive, explo
sive — resulting in regressive behavior.
My sporadic involvement in the commun
ity was unsatisfying and unfulfilling and
eventually I became totally uninvolved
and moved to a little house in far Northeast
Portland with my cats. I was burned out. I
put my Sappho Slugger tee shirts away,
retired my mitt and felt I was saved from
ever having to reach consensus again.
Well, 1 was “ fired up” again at the
Lesbian Community Conference in Nov
ember of '8 6 and felt that the potential fora
multi-ethnic, multi-cultural, truly diverse
community actually existed. A woman of
color caucus formed at the conference and
for the first time in years I felt a strong
connection with other lesbian women of
color who supported and respected one
another. We have collectively and indi
vidually taken an active role in LCP com
mittees and activities.
It’s exciting, exhausting and ultimately
satisfying for me — we are making history
and I want to be a part of it. I feel LCP is an
organization that is taking form, shape and
direction and I want to use my talents,
abilities and energies to help make it hap
pen. (Anita Quitort)
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