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letters
effectively $1,000 in the red. We now have the
resources to maintain our office space and phone
throughout the year. The vision of Lesbian and
Gay Pride is to be able to give back to the commu­
nity. We have already begun this by donating
$250 to the AudriaM. Edwards Scholarship Fund
and are planning fundraisers and donations for
other organizations.
Among the items being discussed for 1993 are
doing a two-day or two-stage event!! We would
like to invite you to participate with us. Our first
community meeting is Tuesday, Aug. 18, 7 p jn .
(call 223-1656 for location).
Lesbian and Gay Pride Committee
Portland
Missed the story
To the Editor:
As an avid reader of both publications and a
proud member of Portland’s gay community, I
was appalled by your coverage of the Other
Queens’ Ball. Between the two papers, only five
paragraphs were written on what could be the
largest gay scandal to hit Portland. Thousands of
supporters of No on Hate pay between $25 to $75
only to find out that none of it is going to No on
Hate. This is absurd!!! This is also a big story and
both newspapers failed to cover it. Questions
need to be asked and answered. How much did
the promoters make for their work? etc.... By not
asking these questions, you failed to provide
proper journalism, which is needed to bring the
gay news scene out of gossip columns and into the
professional spotlight.
It’s never too late to seek the truth.
TUeflota
Peter Rosenblatt
Portland
Queer is queer is queer
1992. Portland, Oregon,
You are considering a major real estate transaction.
You know th a t the right agent is essential to the
success of your transaction.
How do you find that person?
Choose a Portland native with a decade’s
experience building custom homes, doing
restorations and remodels— someone who
knows houses from foundation to façade.
Choose a real e sta te agent who genuinely
cares about you and your priorities.
And, finally, choose an agent with an extensive
background in financing residential investment
opportunities.
Whether your transaction is a sale, the
purchase of your first home, a step up. or a
piece of residential investment property, you’ll
want an agent who can put all the pieces
together, in a timely fashion.
The year, 1992. The place, Portland, Oregon.
The real estate
7Ä<v>
RealtvGwun
(n t\
148 B Avenue
Lake Oswego, 97034
.
TIM WALTERS
The time: Today
Call me a t (503) 636-9692, or
a t my home (503) 635-11ÔÔ.
To the Editor:
I have recently noticed a new round of bashing
going on. For the first time, I am uncomfortable
wearing my queer buttons and shirts because of
the disgusted looks and snide remarks coming
from other gay people. My roommate was treated
to a few sneering words at a gay club for wearing
a Keith Haring T-shirt by two men dancing to­
gether. This morning, I flipped open Willamette
Week to see an ad for a GWM who felt “disgusted
by the effeminacy and crudity of typical gays.”
What the hell is going on here? "Typicalgays?"
I get enough of that shit from straight 'phobes
without being bashed by homophobes as well.
These people get pissed at queer groups for
making it look as though a handful of radicals
represent the entire gay community. I’m sick of
seeing drag queens and others chewed out for
“making the rest of the community look bad.”
Queer Nation and ACT UP represent themselves
and no one else.
And if Queer Nation doesn’t represent you,
then for god s sake get off your ass and represent
yourself. If “normal” gay people aren’t ad­
equately represented, could it be because they are
too busy clutching at tolerance with one hand and
covering their butts with the other? Godard said
if you don’t like one movie, make a different
movie. If you don’t like a group, start your own
group, and if you can’t be bothered, at least have
the common class not to bitch about the people
who have.
Roxann McGlumphy
Portland
No apologies
To the Editor:
We are writing in response to rumors regard­
ing the activity of Queer Nation/Portland at Les­
bian and Gay Pride, specifically the allegations of
harassment of homophobicly overt straight
couples. First, Queer Nation did not officially
endorse or encourage such activities. The only
messages we endorsed were those on our flyers
and on our signs, like “Stop AIDS,” “Smash the
OCA” and “Queers fight back.”
However, Queer Nation is not in the business
o f silencing the voices o f its members. We
recognize that individuals in our group, or those
who may choose to march with us, have their own
beliefs and have the right to express them. Queer
Nation won’t censor queers.
We think it is ironic that while many leaders in
our community talk about “diversity” and “de­
mocracy,” they scorn and silence the angry and
dissenting elements in our community. We all
need to face the fact that some lesbians and gays
hate straight people and feel threatened by them,
especially by their overt presence at Lesbian and
Gay Pride.
It is clear, to the organizers o f LGP and to
many others in our community, that the feelings
of straight people are more important than are the
voices of angry, radical queers.
Like it or not though, those queers are here,
and we all need to decide now exactly what we
mean when we say “diversity.” While we need to
value alliances with straight communities, if those
allies can’t accept and respect our anger, then
what kind of allies are they? Do we need them?
Do we need to look to straight people for valida­
tion? Do we want allies who will accept us only
if we kiss their asses? Furthermore, is Lesbian
and Gay Pride the place to do that ass-kissing if
we must do it? Can we ever have a space that is
our own, where we d on’t have to deal with
heterosexist privilege?
We must face the dissension within our own
community over this issue and many others. Stop
pretending that we all get along, that we’re one
big happy family. Not everyone in the commu­
nity loves everyone else. We don’t have to; we
won’t apologize for it.
Finally, if anyone screwed up at LGP, it was
the organizers. They sanctioned shitty security
volunteers who managed to do more to escalate at
least one tense situation than to de-escalate it.
And they decided having beer available was more
important than who was serving it. Why the fuck
was Coors B eer-a corporation that gives money
to our enemies-at Lesbian and Gay Pride? This is
inexcusable. No beer at all would have been
better. Shame on you, LGP committee.
Tommy Strong
Andrew Leavitt
Portland
Bigotry?
To the Editor:
Perhaps you’ll think I ’m whining, or perhaps
you won’t think anything at all. But as I see it,
whenever bullshit hits the fan in our community,
something needs to be said about it, especially if
no one seems to be saying anything about i t
What has me so shit-faced that screaming
about it seems almost like a useless act? Try the
exclusion of bisexual people as legitimate queer
folks at this year’s Lesbian and Gay Pride parade.
Deciding not to call the parade Lesbian, Gay
and Bisexual Pride is far more than just a slight
cosmetic error put together by this year’s organiz­
ers. Instead, it’s another reminder o f good old-
fashioned bigotry, plain and simple, dragging its
ugly head into the backyards of our minds, along
with Lon and his Merry-go-round of haters.
I would like to believe that most members of
the lesbian and gay community would never think
o f viewing my sexuality or the sexuality of any
.bisexual person as an abnormal myth. O f course
I can’t say that, especially since my own personal
experience has said otherwise.
Michael L^Rocco
Portland